Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Chapter 84 Natalia couldn't quite pin down the feeling that was suffocating her at that moment. It was as if in a split second she had been drenched in a piercing cold from head to toe. She felt herself drowning in bitterness.

Was it the chill in the air, or had she dressed too scantily? Even her hand with her phone was trembling slightly.

She wanted to ask Hamilton what the matter was. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to type out a single word.

Before she knew it, her vision began to blur.

Natalia fought back the tears, refusing to let them fall. In a self-torturous move, she pulled up Eveleen’s Twitter feed.

Sure enough, Eveleen had posted a photo just three minutes prior. It was a snapshot from a movie premiere she was attending.

But in that picture, Natalia spotted the back of a man. Just a half glimpse of his back, but she recognized him instantly-it was Hamilton. Even more, he was wearing the suit she had bought for him.

Her fingers quivered as she fumbled to close the app. It took her several tries to hit the right spot.

Once she managed to exit and swallow the lump in her throat, she dialed Scarlett.

Scarlett picked up and immediately sensed something was off, “What's up, Natalia?” “I'm feeling a bit under the weather. Think I'll head back,” Natalia said, striving to keep her voice steady. She had no desire to confront Giselle alone. Sstains cwithout effort, but cleaning them off was a Herculean task.

Natalia was tired of being humiliated and being a spectacle. This time, she wanted to flee.

Scarlett paused, but quickly responded, “Alright, wait for me. I'll take you home.” Natalia took a deep breath, “No need, I'll grab a cab. You have fun with them.” After hanging up, she stood alone in the dark night, feeling utterly hollow. Her sourness seeped into her bones bit by bit.

With heavy steps, Natalia turned to leave. She actually had a hunch. She had suspected that he wouldn't be there for her when Hamilton hadn't messaged her all day.

But the harsh reality, now before her, was suffocating.

“Natalia.” A voice called out.

Startled, she turned to see the monitor of their class with a few classmates standing nearby.

She composed herself and managed a smile. She was grateful that she hadn't cried earlier. It would have only added to her embarrassment.

1/4 “Why aren’t you going in?” “I'm not feeling great,” she managed a smile, “just called Scarlett, I'm about to leave.” The monitor looked concerned, “Are you okay? Do you need a ride to the hospital? Natalia shook her head but before she could speak, Giselle’s voice rang out. “Well, well, if it isn’t our prom queen, Natalia?” Natalia lifted her gaze to meet hers and smiled, “I thought it was someone else. Turns out it’s Giselle, who just got kicked out of lvy Gemstone.” Her voice was soft, yet the words were cutting.

Giselle’s face twisted with rage. The humiliation of her expulsion was bad enough, but now Natalia was reopening old wounds.

“Natalia, weren't you supposed to bring your boyfriend? Why are you alone? Or letguess, he had to be with his real girlfriend and couldn't make it to entertain his mistress.” Natalia’s expression stiffened, but she kept up her smile, “Giselle, I've warned you before to watch your mouth.

Say one more word, and I'll have evidence for the police!” With that, she activated the voice recorder on her phone..

Giselle, faced with the recording, was livid but quickly scoffed, “Prove it then! Let him show up, and I'll apologize on the spot!” Natalia’s face grew taut, “Whether he comes or not, it’s none of your business.” As the tension escalated, the class monitor and a few others quickly intervened.

“Giselle, you should go,” the monitor suggested.

But Giselle was having none of it.

The monitor then glanced apologetically at Natalia, “Natalia, I'm really sorry, if you want to leave- “Natalia, are you running away because you can’t face us after being a homewrecker?” Giselle interrupted before he could finish.

“You were stealing someone’s man and ruining his relationship, and yet you parade around like you're so above it all. Deep down, you're just a tramp that’s been played!” Giselle’s insults kept coming, and the president couldn't hold her back.

It was clear she was enraged about her expulsion, which Natalia had a hand in.

Giselle was losing all sense of decorum in her anger.

“That's enough, Giselle!” the monitor finally shouted.

But Giselle was relentless, “What, you want a piece of her too? If I'm not mistaken, weren't you about to take her to the hospital? Her ‘boyfriend’ doesn’t care about her, and here you 2/4 15-16 Chapter 84 are, falling over yourself to play the knight in shining armor!” Giselle’s comments grew nastier. The surrounding men had mixed expressions, recalling the vile messages they had seen in the group chat.

They hadn't fully believed the rumors, but they couldn't dismiss them entirely either.

The more ciusive the gossip, the more irresistible it was to probe, especially when it concerned Natalia.

Natalia was beautiful, yet from a poor background. The idea of her as someone's mistress wasn’t entirely unbelievable.

Back in high school, many of the boys had harbored crushes on her. Yet, Natalia had never accepted any of them.

Now, hearing that she might be a mistress, it stirred a complex mix of emotions.

Natalia saw their looks but pretended not to notice. She focused on Giselle, “Like | said, if you're callinga mistress, showthe proof. If you accusewithout any, even if it costsmy life, | will see you behind bars!” With those final words, she turned and walked away.

Giselle continued to hurl insults behind her.

Natalia stood ramrod straight, as if every inch of her posture was a testament to her integrity. It wasn’t until she was out of everyone's line of sight that she allowed herself to fold, squatting down as if her strings had been cut.

In that moment, a wave of exhaustion washed over her. She didn’t want to walk, to move, or even to think.

There she squatted by the sidewalk, her gaze lost among the hustle and bustle of passersby.

Without notice, the sky began to weep a deep autumn rain; as if in tune with her somber mood, droplets falling with a relentless chill.

A sudden cramp seized Natalia’s lower abdomen. It took her a moment to realize that it was probably just her period looming.

She got to her feet and hailed a cab, but suddenly, she couldn't decide where she wanted to 1. go.

Hwas the last place she wanted to be; she just needed a quiet spot to regroup.

Natalia mumbled a destination to the driver.

The taxi pulled away, rain streaming down the windows.

Leaning against the glass, Natalia’s mind wandered, adrift in the hazy sea of her thoughts.

The journey’s length was lost to her until her phone shattered the silence.

Scarlett’s voice crackled through the speaker, which was laced with urgency, “Natalia, where are you?” Her own voice was still composed, “Out and about. What's up?” Scarlett sounded like she was barely holding it together, “Have you checked Twitter?”