I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 67

Natalie was bent slightly over the bed, her expression filled with concern for Alexander. She hadn't even noticed the gentle look in his eyes as he lay there watching her.

It wasn't until the nurse commented on how sweet they were that she realized her posture was too intimate, and she quickly straightened up.

“Thank you for your help,” Natalie said to the nurse, politely sidestepping the comment.

Once they were alone again, a heavy silence fell over the room.

Natalie cleared her throat. “I only brought you to the hospital because I couldn't just leave you on the side of the road. Don't read too much into it.”

“And what was I reading into it?” Alexander asked with a low chuckle.

Natalie smoothed down her rumpled hair, avoiding his gaze. But his intense stare was fixed on her, making her feel increasingly uncomfortable.

“You can’t even handle spicy food, yet you were so stubborn about it,” she muttered. “You just had to compete with Samuel Thompson, and look where it got you.” If he had just put his fork down sooner, none of this would have happened.

“It’s not just my words that are stubborn.”

“…”

His deep voice was laced with a seductive quality. A blush crept up Natalie's cheeks as she understood his implication.

“I see your stomach isn’t hurting you that much anymore. You can rest on your own.”

She turned to leave.

Suddenly, his hand shot out and grasped her wrist. The grip wasn’t tight, but it was firm, laced with a reluctance to let her go.

Natalie didn’t turn back.

Alexander stared at her back. “I never changed the code at Sagebrush Community,” he said softly. “And I never let Camila stay in the main house. She was only in the guest house for three days.”

Sagebrush Community had a main house and a separate guest house. The main house was where they had lived after their wedding, a space she had never allowed anyone else to stay in. The guest house had rooms for staff and a few suites for visitors.

He was saying Camila had never stayed in their house, and the code was still the same?

Natalie froze.

“That’s our marital home. I would never let an outsider live there,” he added.

He had only said those things back then to make her jealous, to get a reaction from her. He didn't want her to feel nothing for him; he would have even preferred her hatred.

Natalie stood with her back to him for a long time. “Who you let stay there is your business. I have no right to interfere.”

Even if Camila hadn't stayed there, what did it matter? She was his first love, the most important person in his heart. They were on the verge of a divorce; why bring all of this up now?

“How do you have no right? You’re my wife. You’re the lady of Sagebrush Community.”

He gave her hand a gentle tug, trying to make her turn around and face him.

The smile on Alexander's face froze and then vanished, his expression slowly hardening.

The call eventually went to voicemail.

A moment later, the phone chimed with a new message.

Eugene Ramirez: [Veritas Legal has agreed to the partnership with Billy Firth. Thank you for the invitation. Let’s meet sometime to discuss…]

The rest of the message was cut off by the lock screen.

Natalie had invited Veritas Legal to be the legal counsel for Billy Firth’s Asia Pacific Headquarters.

Alexander’s face grew even darker.

There were so many law firms in Cabinda. Did she have to choose Veritas Legal? Even if she was looking for the best, there were other top firms in Kaston. Why did she have to pick Eugene?

And worse, Eugene Ramirez had Natalie’s contact information. Alexander, on the other hand, had been blocked for years and had no other way of reaching her.

Had they been in contact behind his back for the past three years?

Alexander clenched his fist, so tightly that he didn’t even notice the blood backing up into the IV tube.

“Your hand!” Natalie exclaimed as she walked back into the room, spotting the blood in the tube immediately.