Sebastian looked at her deste smile, and the frustration inside him grew. He didn''t know how to exin himself. "Natalie, every time you supposedly framed Joanna, there was evidence. How do you exin that?" He had only ever gotten angry after seeing proof. She used to be so gentle and kind. Why had she changed so drastically after Joanna returned?


    I will never love you again. The words pierced his heart.


    Hearing him, Natalie felt a wave of absurdity wash over her. Why was she even here, arguing about things that didn''t matter? He would never believe her.


    She looked at Sebastian, her eyes bright and clear. "You know, Sebastian, somewhere along the way, I learned to stop exining myself. The heartache, the injustice, the pain... among a thousand silences, the unspoken one is the most unbearable. You never once tried to understand me." Her gaze drifted to the distant night sky.


    Sebastian followed her line of sight and saw only a woman cloaked in exhaustion and sorrow. A hollowness echoed in his own chest.


    "Natalie, I will try to understand you. Let''s not get divorced. And you need to stay away from Matthew."


    Natalie slowly brought her gaze back to him, a bitterugh escaping her lips. He was unbelievable. "And how will you exin that to Joanna?" she asked, her voice dripping with irony. "How will you exin it to the public? To the Scott family? We''re not divorced, yet you won''t even acknowledge me as your wife. You and Joanna are inseparable, a perfect pair. Why don''t you keep your distance from her?"


    Sebastian froze. He hadn''t thought about that. Joanna had always been by his side; everyone assumed they were meant to be, and he''d never corrected them.


    Seeing his silence as confirmation, a sharp pain stillnced through her heart. "You can''t have your cake and eat it too, Sebastian. You''re the worst kind of hypocrite. If you care about Joanna so much, you should divorce me. A man who treasures her as you do shouldn''t be willing to let her be the subject of a single whisper of gossip." Her voice was calm, a chilling tranquility that sent his world into a tailspin.


    "Natalie, I..."


    "Miss, get in." Luna pulled the car up to the curb, leaning over to open the door. Without another nce at Sebastian, Natalie got in.


    He watched her go, his jaw tight. Fine. He would wait for her toe to her senses. It used to only take a few days. This time, he''d give her a little longer. After the partnership. with James was finalized bed be too busy to coax her anyway.


    But a heavy pressure settled in his chest, making it hard to breathe.


    Sean returned after dropping off Joanna. Sebastian got into the back seat and told him to drive home. He leaned his head against the cool ss Natalie''s words echoing in his mind, fueling his irritation. Herolled down the window. Her recent appearances, her clothes her confidence... Natalie was moreplex than she appeared on the surface. When they divorced, she had chosen to leave with nothing. He had assumed it was a matter of pride, that she didn''t want anything from him. Now, he wasn''t so sure. Maybe she simply didn''t need it.


    The diamond ne she wore at the Spencer family g... he felt like he''d seen it somewhere before, but he couldn''t ce it.


    The image of herughing with Matthew sent a fresh jolt of anger through him. And how did she know French? He felt like Natalie was aplete enigma.


    Sebastian turned to Sean, his voice


    raspy. "Sean, I want you to investigate Natalie.


    morowal


    don''t care what it takes, I want to know who she really is."


    Sean looked puzzled. “Sir, you''re already divorced. Why investigate her now?"