NovelEnglishChapter 398 A Heart Laid Bare
Beth fell silent, suddenly unsure what more to say.
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There were so many women who lost themselves to love. Natalie had once been the same- blinded by her
devotion to Jensen, wasting five years of her life on foolish choices.
Beth had expected Natalie to mock her. Instead, she simply took the cigarette, tapped out the ash, and pressed
it gently onto Beth's bleeding arm.
That calm steadiness made Beth's throat tighten.
“You don’t think I'm stupid?” she asked softly.
“Everyone’s stupid for love once,” Natalie replied. “I was. | paid a heavy price-nearly died in a fire because of it.”
Beth's eyes
widened. She understood the weight behind those words.
“You're... trying to comfort me?”
“No,” Natalie said evenly. “I'm just stating the truth.”
It surprised her, the steadiness in her own heart. She should have been terrified, waiting to be sold like an
object. But the thought of Baron gave her an unexpected sense of warmth, of safety.
Beth studied her for a moment, then asked, “You sound like you've moved past foolish love. Have you found the
real thing?”
“I don’t know,” Natalie admitted. “But he pulledout of the fire. He spent everything he had to save me. He
gavea second life. To me, he’s more than love-he’s my savior.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHer voice softened with a tenderness she couldn't hide.
Beth's chest tightened. That look in Natalie's eyes—it was painful to see.
“Does he have power? Influence? Without that, you may never see him again. Women brought onto this ship... if
they don’t leave as corpses, they're sold overseas. Once you step onto that stage, you'll never return.”
Beth hadn't intended to say it. She had planned to let Natalie cling to a false hope until the end, until the auction
stripped her of everything. But Natalie’s composure, her clarity, her quiet trust-it made Beth's heart ache.
Against her better judgment, she spoke.
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13:02 Thu, Oct 9
Chapter 398 A Heart Laid Bare
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“Natalie, | lied before. Once you're put up for sale, your life as you knew it is over. You'll never go hagain.”
She gripped Natalie's shoulders, forcing her to meet her eyes. “Do you understand? This is the truth.”
Natalie didn’t flinch.
She had suspected all along. She wasn’t a child-Beth’s reassurances had never truly fooled her. But hearing the
woman admit it aloud still surprised her.
“I know,” Natalie said simply.
“You know? And you can still sit there like nothing's wrong?” Beth demanded.
Natalie only smiled faintly. She shook out the last ashes, sprinkled them over Beth’s wound, then tore a strip
from her shirt to bind it carefully.
When she was finished, she sat back and met Beth's gaze with quiet determination.
“I know what awaits me. But | also know he’ll come.”
“Who? Jensen?”
Beth immediately assumed it was him. After all, the desperate text had been sent to his phone.
Natalie shook her head.
“No. Maybe he’ll come, maybe he won't. But the man I'm waiting for has never been Jensen.”
She glanced toward the sealed walls of the cabin, as though she could see through them, toward the horizon.
Her lips curved in a gentle smile, her eyes brimming with trust.
“He promisedforever. | believe he'll findhere.”
Beth frowned.
“Don't be stupid. Men can't be
trusted. Better to RRYGIUE sold to
I
ope hd @X ledst decent.” The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
Natalie shook her head. “If | couldn't
rely on the man | chose for myself,
what hope would | ha@with @ M
strapgehlfo byslike property?
A man powerful enough to bid here
won't treatkindly. Isn't that true,
Beth?” The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
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13:02 Thu, Oct 9
Chapter 398 A Heart Laid Bare
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Beth blinked at her, caught off guard
by the clarity of eye cho tidn’t
spenbubshe t disagree
iA) The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Instead, something in her stirred. Perhaps it was Natalie's stubborn faith, or her own exhaustion.
“Lettell you a story,” Beth murmured.
Natalie nodded. There was no clock here, no way to tell time.
For all she knew, the auction could begin any moment-or hours later.
Either way, she listened.
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