Shattered Then Healed By His Love (by Haley Blanton) novel Chapter 151

Chapter 151 The Confrontation

The warm, yellow light of the stairwell did nothing to soften the look on Natalie’s face. “I owed him a meal. I was just paying him back.”

Jackson closed the distance between them, looming over her. “You think I’d believe that?”

“Believe what you want.” Natalie had no intention of engaging with him and turned to leave.

“Did I say you could go?” Jackson snarled.

She didn’t stop. The coldness in her eyes deepened as her hand reached for the doorknob. But before she could touch it, another hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, yanking her back against the wall.

Marcus’s hand, all sharp knuckles and long fingers, closed around her throat. His face was a mask of fury. “Natalie, tell me the truth. Are you and I involved in some kind of secret relationship?”

Her heart leaped into her throat. Her back went rigid. She met his gaze but said nothing.

“My mother called me a few days ago,” Jackson said, his grip tightening. “She said Uncle Marcus came out of my room with you. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”

A sharp pain radiated from her neck, and her breathing grew ragged. Still, she managed to force the words out. “I already explained it to her. But since you’re so curious, I’ll explain it to you, too.”

“That day, you and I were arguing in the room. You were choking me, just like you are now. After you left to take a call, Uncle Marcus came in to check on me. That’s it! You were there, weren’t you? Don’t you remember what happened?”

Jackson’s brow furrowed, as if he didn’t quite believe her, but the pressure on her throat eased slightly.

“Let go,” Natalie gasped, her face flushing a deep red. Her breath was coming in short, painful bursts. “I said, let go! Do you hear me?”

She clawed at his hand, trying to pry his fingers from her neck. For a second, she wondered if he was actually trying to kill her.

Natalie leaned against the wall, her gaze fixed on the stairs in front of her, her eyes slowly darkening. Memories flickered through her mind, and a dull ache spread through her chest.

Suddenly, a crazy idea took root in her mind. A seed that had just been severed began to grow again with the ferocity of a weed.

She pushed herself upright, grabbed the doorknob, and walked out without a moment’s hesitation.

Before returning to the restaurant, Natalie went to the restroom. She carefully checked her neck in the mirror. It was red, but there were no other marks. She waited until the redness faded completely, then walked back toward Marcus’s table.

When she returned, she pulled out her chair and sat down, meeting his eyes.

He looked at her with a complicated expression. “What did he say to you?”