Jason was here.
When Natalie stepped out in public today, she’d already prepared herself for the chance he might track her down. Even so, his sudden appearance took her by surprise.
The stars shimmered faintly in the night sky. Moonlight spilled over the darkness, casting a silver glow on Natalie as she stood there, her delicate features striking under its pale light.
Jason had never expected the woman who once orbited him like a satellite to shine so brightly, least of all in that video, where Natalie glowed like a star with every eye fixed on her.
They’d shared a bed for three years, yet the Natalie before him now felt both intimately familiar and unsettlingly unknown.
Jason’s heart sank. The Natalie standing before him now felt like someone he could never truly reach again.
His chest tightened as he fought back the wave of longing. He took a careful step forward, not wanting to scare her off. Eyes glistening with emotion, he whispered, “Natalie, I finally found you.”
He reached out to pull her into his arms, just like he used to, but Natalie instinctively stepped back. Her icy stare burned with irritation. “Control yourself, Mr. Pereira.”
She hated Sienna, yes. But Jason? He was the real villain, far worse than Sienna could ever be.
Jason’s brows furrowed, and his voice trembled slightly. “Natalie, I know I hurt you. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Please just give me one more chance. Don’t leave me.”
If Natalie had heard those words while her child was still alive, she might have wavered. But as it was, she had already ended the pregnancy, cutting off any chance of turning back.
She’d always remember that between her and Jason lay the life of their own child. The thought of that loss sent sharp stabs of pain through her heart, fueling her hatred for him even more.
Natalie had never bought into that nonsense about “there was no hate without love“. To her, hate and love were entirely different emotions.
What she felt for Jason was pure hatred, without a single trace of love.
Natalie’s gaze turned to ice as she curled her lips in contempt. “We’ve been over for ages, Jason. So drop the act. That phony look on your face disgusts me.”
Even breathing the same air as him made her skin crawl. She couldn’t bear to look at him a moment longer. Without another word, she turned on her heel.
Panicking, Jason darted forward to block her path. “Natalie, don’t go. I was wrong. I swear, I was wrong!”
His voice shook with desperation, his eyes red–rimmed.
He hung his head, his hands tightening on her shoulders. “I know you’re still mad at me, but I believe you still love me. And I know you can’t walk away.
“Natalie, just give us another chance. I swear, I’ll make you the happiest woman alive. Please, just believe me.”
Natalie held Jason’s gaze, his eyes full of emotion, but she felt nothing.
There was a time when that same intense look had drawn her in, when it had made her open her heart to him and fall for him. But that lie had dragged her into an abyss of suffering.
Did he really think he could fool her the same way again? Not a chance.
Natalie lifted her chin, her sharp eyes glinting under the sweep of her lashes. “Jason, a great artist can turn even a trash can into something beautiful–not because the can’s special, but because the artist is. Yeah, I loved you once. But trash like you doesn’t
Chapter 56
deserve a single second of it.”
She slapped his hands away, the finality of it sharp enough to make his eyes sting.
As Natalie vanished from view, a sharp pain tore through Jason’s chest, making him stumble.
Luckily, Chandler was quick to steady him. “Mr. Pereira, are you okay?”
Nobody could understand that unbearable, soul–crushing pain unless they’d felt it themselves.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 57
