Echoes of a Forsaken Heart (Natalia and Hamilton)

Hamilton's gaze lingered on Natalia after deleting the message, a mixture of emotions flickering through his eyes.

Natalia withdrew her hand, not bothering with excuses or reassurances this time, simply stating, "Let's go to the hospital." Hamilton's expression darkened slightly at her words.

Heartless woman, she truly doesn't care.

Without another word, he started the car and drove directly to the hospital.

Upon their arrival, they bumped into Ronin Joyner and Mason Joyner.

Ronin sneered upon seeing Hamilton.

"Well, well, Mr. Fowler, what brings you here today? I heard your high school sweetheart got hurt. Why aren't you by her side?" Hamilton's face turned stone cold instantly.

It was the worst time to bring that up, and yet Ronin just had to mention it.

"Mr. Joyner seems quite well-informed," Hamilton retorted.

Ronin leaned a bit closer to Natalia, "Of course, how could I not be? Your high school sweetheart is a celebrity after all!"

A shadow passed through Hamilton's eyes.

"Mr. Joyner, with all your concern, one might think you have a crush on her."

Ronin suddenly laughed, glancing at Natalia, "Who I have a crush on is no secret to you, is it?"

Hamilton's gaze shifted to Natalia.

Natalia, however, remained expressionless, as if Ronin's words were nothing new to her.

But considering their frequent collaboration at work, it was hardly surprising Ronin would speak so freely around her.

Hamilton couldn't quite place the feeling stirring within him.

Natalia, ignoring their banter, turned her attention to Mason.

"President Joyner, feeling under the weather?"

Mason answered with a smile, "Just the usual aches and pains of getting older, nothing serious. Just had a check-up."

Natalia nodded, and Ronin chimed in.

"Mason's fine, just becoming more sensitive with age. Woke up complaining about a headache this morning but turned out to be nothing after a check-up."

Mason lightly kicked at Ronin, who dodged with a laugh before turning back to Natalia, "Dinner tonight? I've got something to discuss with you."

Natalia agreed without hesitation.

Hamilton watched, a complex emotion flickering through his eyes. It wasn't the dinner plans between Natalia and Ronin that bothered him but the ease and relaxation Natalia showed around Ronin, something she never did with him. Even in her most compliant moments, it was out of necessity rather than comfort. Feeling increasingly heavy-hearted, Hamilton pondered their past, suspecting that if it weren't for her family's financial needs, Natalia might never have been with him, despite her feelings.

After a brief exchange with Ronin and Mason, they parted ways.

Natalia and Hamilton headed towards the hospital's security office.

Hamilton's mood remained gloomy, though he said nothing more.

They were greeted upon entering the security office, having called ahead.

As they watched the security footage, it suddenly went dark at the crucial moment.

The staff member replaying the footage was visibly confused and tried again, but the blackout persisted.

Hamilton's eyes darkened, Natalia's expression turned grim.

"Is the camera broken, or was it tampered with?" Natalia asked.

The staff member paled, "It, it might be broken."

"Didn't anyone notice the malfunction yesterday?" Hamilton's voice was icy.

The staff member hesitated, too afraid to admit the cameras had been functional the day before, knowing it could cost him his job if it was found out under his watch that the footage had been tampered with. "Several cameras had issues yesterday; we didn't realize this one was among them," he lied.

"Is there another angle that might have caught the scene?" Hamilton inquired.

The staff member shook his head.

Exiting the security office, both Hamilton and Natalia were clearly troubled.

It was evident the footage had been deliberately erased.

And Hamilton was certain, neither Eveleen nor the Schafer family had the opportunity or means to do so since last night.

Someone was using this incident to drive a wedge between him and Natalia, though he chose not to voice this to her, fearing she might think he was defending Eveleen.

"Was the footage tampered with?" Natalia asked quietly.

Hamilton nodded, "Don't worry, I'll have someone work on recovering it. And even if they can't, there are other cameras along the route from the hospital to the bank. I refuse to believe all could have been tampered with." Natalia found some comfort in his words, "Thank you."

Hamilton smiled, suddenly pulling her closer by the waist, their bodies inches apart.

His breath tickled her skin, "How will you thank me?" he whispered.

Natalia's instinct kicked in, and she stepped on his foot, "Like this."

Hamilton winced but let her go, "Natalia, you're heartless!"

"Hamilton, remember you promised to help me with this," Natalia shot back, heading towards the exit.

Hamilton escorted her to the car, "I'll drive you back."

Pausing, he added, "Don't worry, I'll leave right after dropping you off at the hospital. I won't go to see Eveleen again. Natalia, I really have nothing with Eveleen."

Mentioning Eveleen caused Natalia's expression to harden.

"You don't have to explain anything to me. Whether you see her or not is your own business."

In life, some things are easier said than done.

Whether or not you see someone doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

Whether you block their number or not, that's trivial too.

She could tell, Hamilton probably did want to cut ties with Eveleen.

But he also couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to her.

And Eveleen knew this all too well.

So, anytime she threatened something drastic, he would show up without fail.

Maybe Hamilton did want to mend things between them.

But, there would always be a place for Eveleen in his heart.

A spot no one else could shake.

She didn't press further, and Hamilton's attempted explanations died in his throat with a bitter smile, nothing more was said.

They made their way back to the hospital in silence.

Upon entering, Natalia received a call from Scarlett.

The more Scarlett thought about it after leaving, the more uneasy she felt. She tried to hold back, but in the end, she couldn't help it and called Natalia.

Natalia didn't bring up the deleted security footage, just offered a few words of comfort.

After hanging up, as she was about to enter the inpatient department, a figure suddenly stepped in front of her.