Chapter 20 The Breaking Point
Phantom did het best to come off as someone desperate for money.
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Jensen thought of Natalie’s personality and how furious she’d be once she woke up and learned she could never hold a pen again. He knew he wasn’t the right person to be around her now. Having someone else take care of her would probably be for the best.
“Fine. I’ll pay you triple. Just take good care of her.”
Phantom quickly agreed.
Natalie was pushed into her room.
She woke up from the pain.
Staring at the stark white ceiling, the sharp throb in her fingers brought all the memories flooding back.
“How’s my hand? Can I still draw? Can I still hold a pen?”
Natalie sat up with a jolt, grabbing Phantom’s arm with her left hand, panic all over her face.
Phantom looked at her but couldn’t bring herself to speak.
Just then, Jensen walked in.
The look in Natalie’s eyes turned ice–cold the moment she saw him.
She still remembered Clark saying it was Jensen who had her right hand broken for Sharon’s sake.
How could he be so cruel?
Even if he wanted to protect his crush, she had never tried to compete. She had let go. All she wanted was to reclaim what had been rightfully hers–what was wrong with that?
Tears welled up in Natalie’s eyes, though even she couldn’t tell whether it was from pain or rage.
“Get out! Get the hell out!”
She grabbed the pillow beside her and threw it at him.
Jensen had come in holding pigeon soup, startled by her sudden outburst.
He quickly handed the soup to Phantom, then stepped forward and pulled Natalie into his arms.
“Natalie, listen to me. Your hand… it doesn’t matter. I’ll take care of you. I promise, whatever kind of life you had before, I’ll give you better from now on. Please, don’t get worked up. You’ll hurt yourself.”
Hearing him say that only made Natalie struggle harder.
“Jensen, let go of me! I must’ve been blind to fall for someone like you! If you wanted to pamper Sharon, then go ahead. We could’ve just broken up. But why–why did you have to ruin my hand for her? You knew what it meant to me. You knew how much I loved designing. And now I can’t do anything. Who the
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Chapter 20 The Breaking Point
hell wants you to take care of me? Get out!”
Her words hit Jensen hard
He held her tighter, voice low and filled with guilt.
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“It’s all my fault. If you want to hit me, curse me, go ahead. Just don’t hurt yourself. I mean it, Natalie–I‘ take care of you for the rest of your life.”
“I don’t need it!”
No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t break free from his arms.
She used to love how clean and fresh he smelled. But now she realized it was Sharon’s perfume clinging to
him.
He wasn’t the boy she had loved anymore.
Natalie suddenly went quiet.
Her voice was cold.
“I’m calling the cops. I’m pressing charges against Sharon. She needs to pay for what she did.”
“No!”
Jensen released her all of a sudden.
Seeing the cold hatred in her eyes, he started to panic.
It felt like something was slipping away from him, something he couldn’t hold onto no matter how hard
he tried.
He grabbed her uninjured arm, voice low and urgent.
“Natalie, you can’t report Sharon. She has cancer. She’s dying.”
“And she wants to drag me down with her? Did I give her cancer? Just because she’s sick she gets a free pass to hurt people?”
Natalie wasn’t having it.
Jensen saw how upset she was and knew that nothing he said would get through to her right now. He took a deep breath.
“Natalie, like I said, I’ll take care of you. I don’t care that you lost your hand. But I can’t let you press charges against Sharon. You know how it is–in Ocean City, if I say no, no one will take your case.”
“I hate you, Jensen!”
She nearly ground her teeth to dust.
Hot blood surged in her chest, but she forced it back down.
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Chapter 20 The Breaking Point
It was like a wave of crushing despair wrapped itself around her, making it hard to breathe.
“Get out. I don’t want to see you again.”
Natalie-
“Get out!”
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She couldn’t hold it in anymore. A mouthful of blood burst from her lips as she fell into a violent coughing fit.
Jensen’s eyes narrowed.
“Calm down. I’ve already had Clark arrested. He’ll turn himself in and take responsibility. I’ll make sure you get justice.”
“You know damn well Clark was just a scapegoat. Sharon gave the order. The one who should be held accountable is her.”
Natalie didn’t show even a flicker of gratitude.
Jensen’s face darkened.
He said each word slowly, with finality.
“Clark was the one who hurt you. There is no one else behind it. Natalie, stop pushing this. As long as I’m alive, no one will touch Sharon. Not even you.”
That was the moment Natalie truly gave up.
She was furious. She was heartbroken. She just wanted justice.
But she also knew the truth–Jensen was the sky in Ocean City.
And she didn’t have the power to break through the sky.
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