Natalie jumped, clutching her chest. Her full lips were parted in surprise, herrge eyes wide and alert. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"


    Sebastian stared at her pouting face. She looked so vibrant, so alive. The Natalie he remembered was staid and serious, a model wife who cooked dinner for him every night and waited up for his return. He had never seen this yful side of her. The period of his blindness had been the darkest time of his life, and she had been his constantpanion. If she would just stop antagonizing Joanna, he thought, he could actually get along with her.


    Seeing his silence, Natalie continued, "Mr. Mistake, you should see a vet about that head of yours. At Joanna''s birthday party, you forced me to sign divorce papers. I walked away with nothing. You signed them too. The agreement is legally binding."


    "You want me toe home? Are you insane? I set you free to be with your childhood sweetheart. Now, do me a favor and get as far away from me as possible."


    As she spoke, Natalie remembered all the times she and Sebastian had fought over Joanna. It was always she who had to beg for his forgiveness. The memory of her groveling made her cringe.


    p. She struck her own face, hard.


    Sebastian frowned. "What are you doing?"


    "Making sure I''m awake," she said with a cold smile. "So I don''t make the mistake of falling for a scumbag again."


    Her words seemed to strike a nerve. His expression darkened. "Natalie, you—"


    "Natalie, five minutes are up," Wayne called from the doorway. He leaned against the frame, a wicked,zy grin on his face. He was devastatingly handsome. After getting used to an old piece of jerky like Sebastian, this fresh-faced man was a sight for sore eyes.


    Natalie immediately held out her arms, her voice yful and demanding. "Carry me."


    Wayne walked in, his smile indulgent. "You''re too heavy to carry. I''ll give you a piggyback ride."


    She smacked his shoulder yfully. "Telling a woman she''s fat is just asking for bad karma."


    Wayne was speechless. That mouth of hers was a weapon. He was genuinely scared. "Alright, alright. You need to rest. Your foot is badly injured, and they used


    a strong anesthetic. You won''t have a sense of taste for a while."


    "Then what''s the point of eating lobster if I can''t even taste it?" Natalie whined, a numb sensation spreading through her mouth.


    "Get on," Wayne said, patting his broad back.


    A wave of warmth washed over


    Natalie, and her eyes misted over. In her past life; Joanna had hired a hitman to kill Wayne. This time, thought if she could just stay away from that bastard Sebastian none of


    that would happen.


    She climbed onto his back, her voice thick with emotion. "Let''s go home."


    Wayne sensed the change in her tone. His heart ached for her. This little girl had been through too much.


    "Natalie, you''re going home with him?" Sebastian demanded, his voiceced with fury.


    Natalieposed herself, her voice


    still soft but now full of defiance.


    "Mr. Mistake, where I go is none of your business


    DIVOKe''re divorced


    Just like you wanted.


    Divorced."


    "Your face might be nice to look at, but I''ve grown tired of it."


    Wayne snorted withughter. This was the Natalie he knew and loved. A sharp tongue and a kind heart.


    Sebastian stared at Natalie for a long moment, then turned and stormed out.


    Natalie let out a sigh of relief. "Let''s go," she said, resting her head on his back. Her brother''s back was so warm.


    "Yeah. Let''s go home."


    Wayne carried her downstairs. She


    was light, lighter than he


    remembered. After she had decided.


    to party Sebastian she


    had cut of


    contact with them. The heartless girl


    had finallye to her senses.


    Nataliey quietly on his back, a single, painful sentence escaping her lips. "I''m


    sorry."


    Wayne stopped. "Natalie, what are you sorry for?"