Chapter 26%
“Natalie,” my father said hoarsely, his voice barely above a whisper, “if Hayden ever dares to bully you, come tell Dad. I don’t care if he’s from the Collins family, I’ll still kick him.”
My nose stung, and I smiled through the ache, wrapping my arms around him. My voice trembled softly. “I know.“>
He patted the back of my hand with quiet strength. “Dad knows you’re tougher now. But you don’t have to carry the whole world by yourself.”
That one line hit the softest part of my heart.”
For so long, I believed I didn’t need anyone and that leaning on someone was a sign of weakness. But at that moment, I understood that relying on someone wasn’t a weakness. It was love.
Then, my father solemnly placed my hand into Hayden’s.
“From now on, she’s your responsibility.“}
Hayden stood in a crisp black suit, his expression composed and refined. When he took my hand, he lowered his head and kissed it gently as though sealing a long–cherished vow.“]
For the first time, I truly looked into his eyes and saw pain buried deep beneath the tenderness.
As the priest began to speak, my mind barely registered the words. My heart was pounding too loud.
All I could think of was the path I’d taken to reach this moment, all the heartbreak, the tears, the nights I thought I’d never make it, yet here I was, standing in the light again.
When the wedding march began, I walked forward slowly, step by step, into the chapel.}
With each step I took, the storm inside my heart began to settle.}
And when I finally said “I do” before everyone, Hayden gripped my hand tightly.
His eyes were slightly red, but he held himself together, refusing to break.
“Natalie,” he whispered, “I won’t let you go this time.“}
I looked at him, a gentle smile curving my lips. “And I won’t run anymore.“}
The truth was, I had long seen the shadows hidden beneath Hayden’s affection, his obsession, his possessiveness.
But so what? At least he loved me, truly and completely. He never hid what he felt.”
Not long after, Brynn’s name resurfaced on the trending searches.
Not for any business triumph or grand success, but because someone had snapped a photo of him, pale and haggard, leg bandaged, eating clumsily in a hospital room.}
The moment the news hit, the comment section erupted.
[What happened to President Murphy? Is he crippled now?]}
[Heard it was a family mess. The story goes deeper.]
[Compared to Hayden’s fairy–tale wedding, this looks downright tragic…]
At the same time, my wedding soared to the top of the trending list.
To avoid further disgrace, the Murphy family hurriedly transferred Brynn back to their old home.
But after that, Brynn grew deathly quiet. He said nothing, just sat there in eerie silence, eyes glued to the television.§
He stared at every frame of my wedding footage with unsettling intensity.}]
He watched me hold Hayden’s hand.
He heard me whisper, “I do.”
He watched as I smiled and told the world, “I’ve found the happiness that truly belongs to me.”
At that moment, Brynn crushed the glass in his hand. Blood spilled from his palm, yet his expression didn’t even flicker.
His assistant crept in quietly, voice low and cautious. “President Murphy, the picture frame you ordered has arrived. And the digitally restored video is ready.”
Brynn clung to those words like a man gasping for air
He snatched the silver–framed photo, unwrapping it with trembling fingers. Inside was the old, faded picture, its edges worn by time.N
It had been taken the year we got engaged, during a trip to Japan.]
Snowflakes had fallen into my hair, and I had leaped into his arms, shivering and laughing from the cold.!
He had held me tightly, his ears flushed red as apples.
In the photo, my smile bloomed brightly, love glowing like sunlight in my eyes.
His hands shook as he slid the photo into the new frame, careful as if it were made of glass.
“Natalie, I really was wrong,” he muttered hoarsely, his voice rasping like sandpaper!
After a long, aching pause, Brynn opened the restored video on his computer
