When She Rose From the Ashes

Chapter 12 Do You Even Hear Yourself?

Chapter 12 Do You Even Hear Yourself?

Natalie touched her cheek. Crimson blood stained her pale fingers.

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There was a time when even the slightest cough from her would send Jensen into a panic, rushing to call every doctor he could find. But now–now she was bleeding, and he didn’t even blink. And those words he’d just spoken… they stabbed straight into her already shattered heart.

She stared at him and let out a cold laugh. “Do you even hear yourself right now?”

“You knew I wanted to marry you, but you never brought it up once in the past five years. And now, suddenly, you’re offering marriage to get me to retract the evidence against Sharon?”

“You said this hundred–million–dollar villa is enough to make up for what Sharon did to me. So tell me- can I do the exact same things to her that she did to me, then hand her a hundred million and call it even? I’ve made far more than that for Luke Corp in the last five years.”

“And you said if she hadn’t nearly beaten me to death, you and I never would’ve met? Well, let me tell you something–I’d rather we never met at all.”

With each sentence, Jensen’s expression darkened.

By the time she finished, he looked shaken.

“Natalie… what are you saying? You regret meeting me? You regret falling in love with me?”

He stepped forward in a rush and grabbed her wrist, pinning her against the display shelf by the door.

“Say it!”

He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.

But the love that used to shine in hers was gone, replaced with a calm and icy clarity.

Jensen’s eyes turned bloodshot.

With a hoarse voice, he said, “Natalie, from the moment I saved you five years ago, you’ve been mine. After everything we’ve been through, everything you’ve done for me–we stopped being two separate people a long time ago. Don’t say that kind of thing again. I don’t like it. Do you hear me?”

In that moment, the intensity in his eyes almost made her believe he still loved her.

But how could that be?

Before she could respond, Jensen’s phone rang.

That familiar ringtone snapped her back to reality.

Jensen immediately let her go and answered the call.

Quincy’s voice came through the speaker, panicked and crying.

just woke up. She remembered the press conference. She said if

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7:30 pm P

You Even Hear

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than live with the humiliation. Please, Mr. Luke, you have to help! She’s all I have. If she dies, I won’t

Jensen’s eyes narrowed sharply.

take care of the video. She just needs to stay alive. I’ll

to Natalie with a colder, more commanding

You’re coming with me to

“No.”

Natalie didn’t hesitate.

must’ve been blind earlier to think

was she compared

She’d gone

secure those video archives. There was no way she

ensen didn’t look surprised.

slowly running his fingers over his phone, his voice dropping

my temper, Natalie. When I want something,

skipped a

you

have some videos and photos from your birthday last year–when you got runk and started stripping. What do you think would happen if those got

Jensen!”

he’d threaten her with

out of love, pouring all her courage into it. And now that

was willing to

raised her hand and

the room as his head snapped to the side.

his cheek and looked at her–at the way she trembled, holding

Then he spoke again.

to the station. Delete the video and the backup. Do that, and I’ll

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12 Do You Even Hear

Natalie, don’t force

Natalie suddenly laughed–loud, bitter.

time, the tears finally

you?

She stormed off

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the archive she’d sacrificed so much to get, but she also

smothering her identity and nude photos hanging over her, she’d have nowhere left to go. One leak and the world would drown

She knew it.