Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Natalia’s heart thundered against her chest as she flung open the car door and bolted.

But no sooner had her feet hit the pavement than a gang of thugs gave chase.

Their leader, a scar slashing across his face, was particularly menacing.

In a flurry of panic, Natalia dialed 911.

To her dread, the line was busy; her call was stuck in a queue.

A pulse throbbed at her temple. Disconnecting the call, she dialed Hamilton’s number, only to be met with the chilling tone of a dead line.

Her fingers clenched, a wave of despair washing over her. Without hesitation, she hit the speed dial for Alden.

Thankfully, this time, the call connected swiftly.

“Ms. Jenkins, what’s up so early?” Alden’s voice came through, calm and collected.

“Alden, help me, outside Benevolent Care Hospital, please, help…”

Before she could finish, a rough hand snatched her hair from behind.

“Dammit, you bitch! Quite the runner, huh?” The voice sneered, followed by a stinging slap across Natalia’s face. “I’d like to see you run now. Go on!”

Her ears rang from the blow, but she tried to maintain a composed facade. “I’ve already called the cops; they’re on their way. Just let me go, and I won’t press charges!”

Instead, she was dragged mercilessly toward a van parked by the curb.

Natalia clung to the door, refusing to be shoved inside.

“Break her grip!” came the command.

To her horror, the man waiting inside the van was Orpheus.

“What do you want?” she demanded, her voice shaking despite her efforts to sound steady. “Orpheus, I’ve done nothing to you!”

He chuckled darkly. “Maybe you haven’t, but your man sure has. Tie her up and gag her. We’ll send Hamilton a nice little photo.”

Natalia smirked bitterly, fear making her voice quiver. “You think you can leverage me to get to Hamilton? It’s pointless, Orpheus. Hamilton doesn’t love me. You won’t get anything from him through me.”

Orpheus ignored her pleas, prying her fingers away and dragging her into the van.

“Drive.”

11:47

Ryan supported Dawson as they left Benevolent Care Hospital.

Wh. Dawson, you okay? If not, we can call in specialists from Boria City.”

Dawson shook his head. “It’s an old stomach issue. Acts up when I skip meals.”

As they got into the car, they witnessed a scene of chaos not far away.

Dawson gestured towards the commotion. But before they could approach, they saw a group of men forcing a woman into a van.

Ryan Broze, and Dawson’s face turned ashen.

“Isn’t that the girl from yesterday?”

Ryan felt a chill run down his spine. “Yes.”

“Follow them.” Dawson commanded, dialing 911 without further ado.

Ryan, normally so composed, now seemed visibly rattled as he drove in pursuit.

The van sped up, but Ryan kept close behind, blaring the horn as a warning.

Orpheus, annoyed by the interference, ordered Quill, “Shake them off!”

Quill looked at the rear–view mirror, then stepped on the gas. The van instantly sped up.

The two cars drove out of the city very soon, venturing onto a winding mountain road.

However, no matter how fast Quill drove, the car behind somehow always managed to maneuver like a pro and keep a close distance.

*Should we just run them off the cliff?” Quill suggested, frustration edging his voice.

“Are you out of your mind? Look at the plate of that car! You hit them, you sign your death warrant!”

Quill, unfamiliar with such matters, was rather annoyed.

Nonetheless, Orpheus was well aware of the stakes. Though he had been messing around since he was young, he knew a thing or two about government–related matters.

Anyone who had a customized license plate like that was an extremely important figure in the government. He only wanted to teach Hamilton a lesson, not to seek death.

He glanced at the bound Natalia. Did she really have connections this high up?

“What now?” Quill snapped.

Orpheus looked out the window. “At the cliff up ahead, dump her.”

Natalia’s eyes pleaded for mercy. She didn’t want to die, not with so much left to live for. Her life had just begun; she had yet to enjoy it; she had yet to witness her mother wake up.

11:47

But Orpheus was unmoved. The van halted at the cliff, and Natalia was pushed over the edge.

As she fell, her thoughts were a tangle of despair and bittersweet relief. No more entanglements with Hamilton, no more disappointments, no more pain. If there was another life, she wished never to cross paths with him again.

Natalia closed her eyes, surrendering to the cold embrace of the sea.

Orpheus and Quill sped away, leaving Natalia to her fate.

Ryan and Dawson pulled up to the cliff, joined by another car of Alden.

Alden emerged, his face ghostly pale. “Where’s Natalia?”

Ryan, equally drained of color, struggled to speak. “She… she was thrown over.”

Alden’s shock was brief. “The sea’s below. We have to search! She’s alive: she has to be!”

He scrambled to dispatch a search party down the cliff as police arrived on the scene, taken aback by Dawson’s presence.

“Let’s find her first.” Dawson said, his brow furrowed.

Ryan, fists clenched, turned to Alden. “Where’s Hamilton? Where is he?”

Alden stiffened, at a loss for words. He still couldn’t reach his brother. “He’s tied up with something.”

“What’s so important that he can’t even look after his own girl?”

Ryan knew he shouldn’t take it out on Alden. But watching Natalia being pushed over the edge, he truly understood what despair felt like. Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

“Ryan,” Dawson called out from beside him.

Ryan snapped back to reality, releasing his grip on Alden’s shirt.

“Sorry,” he muttered.

Alden felt like he didn’t even have the face to say it was okay. He opened his mouth and also managed to say “Sorry” to Ryan.

Hamilton had been up all night; Eveleen had made a fuss until dawn. She had been injured by an obsessed fan, a gruesome gash across her forehead.

Hamilton had spent the entire night trying to calm her down. Only just before had she finally settled and fallen asleep. Exhausted, he stepped out of the hospital room for a smoke and intended to call Natalia, only to find his phone had died at some point.

He borrowed a charger from the nurse’s station. As soon as his phone powered on, it lit up with countless missed calls.

A sense of dread washed over Hamilton. His first thought was that something had gone wrong with Natalia’s mother.

11:47

But then he saw the photo Orpheus had sent him.

In an instant, his expression darkened.