When She Rose From the Ashes

Chapter 31 The Truth Natalie Knew

He kept watching, only to see Natalie get up to close the window because of the rain, accidentally knocking over their framed photo together.

From behind that photo slipped out another one-of him and Sharon.

Jensen froze.

When had he ever put that picture into the frame?

Why didn’t he remember it at all?

Then, in the video, Natalie was laughing and crying at the same time, looking as if she might shatter at any

moment.

Even through the screen, Jensen could feel her despair.

He instinctively reached out to caress the cold surface of the video, but then heard Natalie’s broken voice say, “So Sharon is really your crush, and I was just the fallback.”

“No! That’s not true! Natalie, it’s not like that!”

Jensen hurried to explain, but what kind of response could he expect from a cold recording?

He watched as Natalie yanked down the paper crane wind chime, smashed it, and swept it away like trash.

A sharp pain tore through Jensen’s chest.

“Why? Why would you do that? Do you know how many nights it took you to fold those cranes?”

“You knew they were the proof of our love. How could you be so cruel as to throw them away?”

Jensen clutched his chest, gasping for breath.

lungs burned. He couldn’t seem to draw in

on her birthday? Just because he had gone to Sharon instead? Was Natalie really

mean to her? What place did

pressure inside him

violent cough, Jensen spewed a mouthful of blood, splattering

then, a knock came from

home? Delivery! If someone’s

voice sounded from beyond

intention of answering. But then it struck

1/3

this was something she had

gone, Jensen didn’t want

blood from his

“Whose package?”

bloodshot eyes

“Uh, Ms. Summers’s package.”

I’ll sign

his name across the slip, and carried

was light, like it held

he tore it

his

Fracian training completion

Fracian?

had Natalie attended

held the certificate. It showed she had completed the full course over half a

when he and Felix had been speaking in Fracian-Natalie could

had left so decisively after he abandoned

discovered everything he had tried

that he and Sharon