Dumping Him for His Uncle (Natasha and Zachary)

Liana said, "He's been looking out for you, sure. But to be fair, he hadn't crossed any line. It's the way you talked to him-like you were suddenly too good for everyone else."

Liana gave a quick rundown of the situation. Natasha slumped onto the couch and buried her face in a pillow with a muffled whimper of regret.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just... all this chaos keeps happening around me. If he stayed away, maybe he wouldn't be dragged into it."

Years with the Bradley family had taught Natasha to keep her guard up. Her icy demeanor and sharp tongue were more about survival than pride. She simply didn't want to owe anyone anything.

"If you really feel bad about it, then just find a chance to apologize to him," Liana said with a smile as she grabbed her coat and left Natasha's apartment.

Natasha stared at the ceiling and let out a deep sigh. She had already said those awful words. Explaining herself now would only make her look guilty, like she was scrambling to cover it up.

Meanwhile, in front of a bathroom mirror clouded with steam, Zachary's hand wiped the fog away.

His brows were furrowed, and his normally bright, clear eyes were now dimmed with frustration.

The line, "It's better if we don't stay in contact," repeatedly echoed in his mind. The moment replayed over and over, and the memory alone made it hard to breathe.

"Mr. Foster, I don't think you should take Ms. Bradley's words too seriously. Anyone in her shoes would've snapped tonight. She probably just needed some space," Julian said carefully.

Zachary had been sitting in silence for over half an hour, surrounded by a heavy cloud of tension.

For Julian, the atmosphere was suffocating, but that didn't stop him from speaking up when it mattered.

"By the way, I found out that Ms. Bradley has been looking into what happened seven years ago."

That finally pulled Zachary out of his thoughts. He looked at the tablet, eyes darkening at the information on the screen.

"This person hasn't turned up in years, but the university might still have something on file," Julian continued.

The next day, Owen delivered the same update to Natasha.

"Alright. I'll call you when I finish up here."

Inside a private recording studio, Natasha hung up and gave Amelia a nod.

A crisp, striking female voice rang out through the room. "Whatever we had ends here. Let's not meet again..."

As the lyrics echoed in the room, Natasha couldn't stop thinking about last night. A wave of frustration bubbled up again.

"Since when do you let things get to you?"noveldrama

Amelia had noticed something was off the moment Natasha arrived.

"Ms. Brown, hypothetically... if someone ruined a relationship without meaning to and wanted to fix it, what would you do?"

She asked seriously, but Amelia raised an eyebrow, teasing, "Wait... did you and your boyfriend get into a fight?"

Natasha had been in the industry for a while, but she rarely talked about her personal life.

Amelia only found out she was seeing someone because she once overheard Natasha on the phone with Matthew. That was when she realized Natasha had been in a relationship all along.

Amelia's advice was based on her own experiences. "Even when couples fight, it's important to take it seriously. You can't just brush it off and expect it to go away. If you want the other person to forgive you, you need to show you're willing to make an effort and be a little more sincere with your attitude."

At 38, she was still navigating the world of relationships, so Natasha wasn't sure if she should take her advice at face value.

As soon as Natasha dialed Owen, she heard his excited voice. "Good news! Good news! It's like when you're in need, and help just shows up out of nowhere."

After hearing Owen's explanation, Natasha finally understood what the good news was about.