Chapter 49

Seeing her sorrowful smile, Easton’s frustration only grew. He didn’t know how to explain himself. “But, Natalie, there was evidence every time you framed Jennifer. How do you explain that?”

Each time, it was the evidence that had made him angry. He couldn’t understand why Natalie, who had always been so gentle and kind, had changed so much after Jennifer’s return.

When she said she would never love him again, the words hurt him deeply.

Hearing this, Natalie felt only a bitter irony. There was no point in arguing; he would never believe her.

Her gaze was bright and resolute as she looked at Easton. “Easton, at some point, I stopped trying to explain myself. The heartache, the grievances, the pain – they made silence my only answer. You never understood me.”

She looked off into the distant night sky, her eyes filled with a sense of sorrow.

Following her gaze, Easton felt the weight of her sadness and exhaustion. His heart felt hollow. “Natalie, I’ll try to understand you. Let’s not divorce, and keep your distance from Maurice, alright?”

Natalie slowly looked back at him, laughing bitterly. ‘How could anyone be so shameless?’

With a sweet but mocking smile, she replied, “And what will you tell Jennifer? What will you tell the public? The Simpson family? You don’t even acknowledge me as your wife, hiding our marriage from everyone while flaunting Jennifer. Why don’t you keep your distance from her?”

Easton was momentarily stunned; he had never considered this. Jennifer had always been by his side, and everyone assumed they were meant to be together. He had never bothered to deny it.

Seeing his silence, Natalie felt a sharp pain in her chest. “Easton, you’re the most hypocritical man I’ve ever met. If you care so much about Jennifer, then divorce me. You should be too protective to let anyone gossip about her.”

Her voice was calm, so calm that it unsettled Easton deeply. “Natalie, I…”

“Ms. Shawn, get in,” Luna called out, pulling up smoothly in front of Natalie.

Without looking back at Easton, Natalie opened the door and got into the car.

Easton frowned, watching as she drove away. In the end, he decided to wait until she came around. In the past, she would usually calm down after a few days; he figured he’d give her a little more time this time.

Since partnering with Roger, he’d been incredibly busy and hadn’t had the time to appease Natalie. Yet a heavy frustration weighed on his chest.

After dropping Jennifer off, Xavier returned to drive Easton home. Easton got into the car and leaned back against the window, feeling a growing restlessness as Natalie’s words echoed in his mind.

He lowered the window, recalling Natalie’s recent appearance and realizing she might not be as simple as she seemed.

When she’d insisted on leaving the marriage with nothing, he’d assumed it was just her pride, a way to save face. Now, he wasn’t so sure – perhaps Natalie didn’t need anything from him because she genuinely wasn’t short on money.

He remembered the diamond necklace she wore at the Spencer family’s party. It looked familiar, though he couldn’t place where he’d seen it before.

Thinking of her laughing and chatting with Maurice made his anger flare. ‘And how did she know Ardonian?’ There were layers to Natalie that he couldn’t understand.

Turning to Xavier, Easton’s voice was hoarse. “Xavier, I want you to investigate Natalie tomorrow. Find out everything about who she really is, by any means necessary.”

Xavier looked puzzled. “Mr. Garcia, you’re divorced. Why do you want to investigate her?”