Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Chapter 194 Hamilton stood at the threshold, a picture of confusion and distress.

He couldn't answer the question.

Even though he wanted to deny it.

But under the circumstances back then, even Natalia had spoken up, he probably wouldn't have listened.

Now, he replayed the events in his mind, trying to pinpoint when exactly it all happened.

After racking his brain, he recalled it might have been the day Eveleen showed up with a red mark on her face, claiming Natalia had slapped her.

What had he said to her again? He seemed to remember.

Telling her to apologize to Eveleen.

Hamilton's hands, hanging at his sides, clenched tighter and tighter.

"If you had toldthen..." Natalia remained silent, and Scarlett emerged from the sidelines.

"Told you? And then what? Warn Natalia to keep her distance from Eveleen? Hamilton, have you ever considered the extent of your screw-ups?" "You've been hovering around Natalia lately, you've disrupted her relationship with Ryan, you've been begging and sweet-talking, but have you done one substantial thing? Your precious Eveleen is still out there, probably plotting ways to hurt Natalia. Hamilton, have you ever wondered why Eveleen feels so emboldened? Because you're her accomplice, because you enable her!" After Scarlett finished her tirade, she went over and hugged Natalia.

She was nearly heartbroken. Why should her Natalia be treated like this? Hamilton stood frozen, unsure of how to take the next step forward.

Natalia, swallowing the bitterness in her heart, patted Scarlett. "I'm okay." As he watched her, Hamilton's heart clenched in waves of pain.

He had been a real jerk in the past.

He wanted to apologize to her.

But he felt that a simple sorry was far too cheap.

His heart filled with nothing but remorse as the veins stood out on his clenched fists.

The second half of the hearing focused on Eveleen's assault charge.

The proceedings were less a trial and more an excruciation of Natalia.

In the courtroom, lawyers dissected every aspect of Natalia and Hamilton's relationship - how it started, when she becpregnant, when she miscarried - laying bare the last shreds of her dignity for public scrutiny. This was exactly why Caspian had advised her against attending.

The details were not just for the reporters in the room but for the entire nation to judge.

Listening from the break room as the lawyers recounted the story of Natalia's miscarriage, Hamilton felt as if someone was drilling into his chest.

If he could claim ignorance before, this was something he was painfully aware of from the start.

Now, hearing it recounted, he felt as if his whole body ached with her.

What kind of pain had Natalia endured during her miscarriage? Unable to help himself, he glanced at Natalia.

Her beautiful face was expressionless, void of sadness.

Yet, for sreason, Hamilton felt even worse.

The hearing on the assault charge went relatively smoothly, thanks to the solid chain of evidence previously uncovered.

But to everyone's surprise, the defense attorney presented a psychiatric evaluation that diagnosed Eveleen with a mental disorder.

Natalia watched the display of the diagnosis on the screen, her face turning ashen.

A painfully familiar scenario.

Her mother had been pushed aside by Graham years ago, and in the eleventh hour, Graham's lawyer had revealed a similar psychiatric certificate. Scarlett knew about it too.

She cursed, "This is the sdamn thing as with Graham! Like scum always behaves the same, huh?" The reporters in the room buzzed with renewed energy at the sight of Eveleen's psychiatric report. Eveleen had a mental illness? The trial was turning out to be more explosive than anyone had anticipated.

But in the break room, Natalia remained stoic.

Her lips were pressed tightly together, her gaze intense as she watched the scene unfold.

Her mind was in turmoil. Was this coincidence a bit too convenient? Hamilton's expression darkened as well.

Scarlett grew impatient, "What now? Surely they won't just let her off scot-free like Graham?" Natalia's lips thinned, "I trust Mr. Spiegel." Caspian, upon seeing the psychiatric certificate, chuckled.

"Does the defendant truly suffer from a mental illness?"

The defense attorney proclaimed confidently, "Of course. My client is a public figure. We wouldn't usesomething like this to escape responsibility. Plus, everyone here saw my client's mental state - it's genuinely abnormal." The room fell into contemplative silence. Looking back, Eveleen's behavior did seem... unhinged. Caspian, with his piercing gaze, seemed poised to refute the claim but, to everyone's surprise, he accepted it.

"It's apparent that the defendant's mental health is questionable, exhibiting violent tendencies and'a Vent desire to harm others. Therefore, for the safety of my client and others, I request the court mandates psychiatric care for the defendant." In layman's terms, he was calling for Eveleen to be committed to a mental institution.

Such a place could wear a person down far more than prison, particularly someone like Eveleen, who was a celebrity.

Normally, the trial wouldher a few months, maybe half a year, but a mental institution could mean an indefinite stay. Eveleen turned deathly pale.

After deliberation, the judge reached a verdict.

Eveleen was found guilty of defamation and slander, ordered to publicly apologize to the plaintiff, and pay five hundred thousand dollars for emotional distress. As for the assault, due to the dubious nature of the psychiatric certificate, the court would conduct its own mental health evaluation before sentencing. The courtroom buzzed with the weight of the decision, but for Natalia, who had braved the storm with quiet dignity, it was a bittersweet form of justice.

No matter how the chips fell, Eveleen couldn't dodge the bullet.

Whether it was a stint behind bars or a trip to the loony bin, Caspian hadn't left her a single escape route! After the judge declared the verdict, Eveleen just collapsed on the floor like a house of cards.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Natalia, having heard the sentence, stood up and made a beeline for the exit.

But no sooner had she stepped out than something churtling towards her.

Caught off guard, Natalia barely had tto process what was happening when suddenly she was yanked aside.

In the next instant, Hamilton was there, standing in front of her like a protective wall.