And now—Henry.
Her voice lowered to a razor’s edge.“It was him, wasn’t it?He’s the one who hit me with the car.”
John hesitated, just long enough to confirm it.“Yes, ma’am.We have traffic cam footage.He tried to mask it, but…” He let the rest hang in the air as Ben returned to stand sentinel by the SUV.
Henry jerked against their hold, his face flushed with fury.“You have nothing!”His eyes were wild, locking on Natalie with venom.
Natalie took a step closer, fingers tightening around her bag strap as though it could anchor her.“Why, Henry?”she asked quietly, the control in her voice at odds with the storm inside her.“Why would you want me dead?”
He hesitated fora moment, then his expression twisted.“Because everyone wanted you!”he spat.“Every client, every call—your name was all I heard!”
The words hit her like a body blow.“That’s good for you, Henry.You own the agency.You take a cut of everything I do.Why would you—”
“For now!”His voice cracked, desperation bleeding through the rage.He strained against the guards’ grip.“How long before you start your own firm?How long before you steal my clients and leave me with nothing?”
Natalie stared at him, stunned.“That never even crossed my mind.”She shook her head, disbelief hardening into anger.“I’m a designer, Henry—not a business owner.I don’t want to deal with payroll or taxes or managing egos.I want to create.That’s what I love.That’swhy I work for you.”
For the briefest moment, something uncertain flickered in his eyes.
“If I’d ever considered leaving,” she continued, voice rising, “you could have offered me a partnership.Instead, you tried to kill me.Twice.”She jabbed a finger at him, her tone cutting.“Did you honestly think you’d get away with it?”
Henry’s mouth twisted into a bitter sneer.“I didn’t break into your house, Natalie,” he snapped.“And the glitter bomb wasn’t me.”He jerked his chin toward Ben.“But yeah, I tried to kill you.And I would’ve gotten away with it too if it hadn’t been for your damn boyfriend!”
The absurdity of his confession struck her, and despite the knot of rage and fear in her chest, an image of those old Saturday morning cartoons with the meddling kids and their talking dog flashed in her mind.She almost laughed.Almost.
Instead, her teeth ground together.Her hands curled into fists.Her body trembled—not from fear, but fury.
“You’re insane,” she hissed, stepping back as the wail of police sirens swelled.Blue and red lights flashed across the neighborhood.
The guards handed Henry over to the approaching officers.He twisted in their grip just long enough to hurl one last glare at her.“You ruined me, Natalie!And that asshole boyfriend of yours was going to make things worse!You—”
“You ruined yourself,” she cut in coldly.“You tried to kill me because of your insecurities.That’s on you.”
His shouts echoed as the officers muscled him toward a cruiser, his humiliation as loud as his rage.Natalie stood rooted to the spot, her breath shallow, her pulse pounding in her ears.
Her phone buzzed again in her bag.This time, she pulled it free, shaking her head at the madness of it all.Under her breath, she muttered, “I’m sorry I fell in love with a wonderful man, Henry,” then thumbed the button to answer.
“Hey,” she said, her voice trembling but steady enough to pass muster.
“I saw everything on the monitor,” Rylan said without preamble, his tone sharp with concern.“Are you okay?”
She glanced toward the police cruiser just as Henry ducked into the back seat, his head bowed in defeat.Her reply came quieter, weighted.“I will be.”
“You love me?”he demanded.
The question jolted her.She looked instinctively at Tom and John—both casually raising their arms to show the microphones tucked under their sleeves.Heat rushed to her face.She turned away, bowing her head so her voice carried only into the phone.“Rylan, it didn’t mean anything,” she said quickly, knowing that the smallest show of vulnerability could send him retreating.
“It means everything,” he growled, the words low and rough.A taut silence stretched between them before he added, “I love you too, Natalie.Get back here and let me prove it to you.”
For several seconds she couldn’t move.Couldn’t speak.His words seemed to echo in her bones.
“Natalie?”he prompted.
The sound of his voice pulled her back.She blinked hard, her fingers tightening around the phone.“Rylan, you don’t have to say that.It’s okay.”
She heard a low string of words in his native language—none of them sounded polite.When he switched back to English, his tone was softer, coaxing.“Honey, I don’t want to have this conversation over the phone.Will you come back to me?”
“Yes,” she said, this time without hesitation.
