Chapter 216

Harrison's pale eyes instantly welled up with tears. She had always known Nathaniel possessed a special talent for humiliation.

When he wanted to wound someone, he did it with surgical precision - striking at their most vulnerable spot.

She hadn't asked Rosalind to contact him.

Even if she had, what difference did it make?

He was the one who hadn't bothered with protection!

"I understand," Harrison choked out, her voice trembling. "Don't worry, Mr. Falcon. I won't disturb you again. You can go now."

She forced her chin up, blinking rapidly to hold back the tears. Crying in front of him would be the ultimate defeat. Nathaniel noticed her red-rimmed eyes and felt an unexpected rush of satisfaction. It tasted like vengeance, bitter yet sweet.

He knew he despised her. Despised how she'd stood him up that night.

He'd deliberately called Dominic, certain he'd fetch her.

But she never came.

What infuriated him more was her calling him when she collapsed.

She'd taken morning-after pills because of Alexander and still reached out to him? What did she take him for?

Nathaniel's lips twisted into a cruel smirk. His words cut deeper than before. "Let's finalize this divorce. We can keep it from Grandmother, but at least get the legalities sorted—"

Before he could finish, Harrison grabbed a pillow and hurled it at his face with all her strength. "Leave!"

She needed him gone.

The pillow struck his chiseled features before tumbling to the floor. In a flash, Nathaniel pinned her back onto the mattress.

Harrison struggled, but he trapped both wrists against the bed, his voice a dangerous growl. "Harrison, who gave you permission to strike me? Have I been too soft on you?"

Harrison bit her lip, but the tears broke free like a dam bursting.

Her vision blurred as they streamed down her cheeks.

She sobbed openly.

Nathaniel's chest constricted. He'd wanted to see her break, but now that she had, it unsettled him. She always did this—left him conflicted and frustrated.

Harrison drew a shuddering breath, her voice fractured. "Nathaniel, I hate you... I truly, deeply hate you...!"

She repeated it between sobs, each word dripping with anguish.

Nathaniel knew she excelled at manipulating men, yet even now, she reeled him in. His throat tightened. "Why?"

She was the one who'd betrayed him.

She remained his wife!

Tears carved paths down Harrison's pale face, sorrow and fury overwhelming her. "Because you reject me...because you weaponize my love to hurt me..."

He'd promised to want her, yet never had.

Throughout their marriage, kindness had been absent. Only torment.

She genuinely loathed him.

Why was he doing this?

Nathaniel felt something shift inside him—an unfamiliar ache mingled with tenderness. His thoughts scattered like leaves in a storm.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his gaze caught on her collar.

The angle revealed delicate collarbones marred with love bites.

The marks trailed downward, vanishing beneath the neckline of her nightgown.

Nathaniel could easily imagine how passionate things had gotten between her and Alexander.

Dark fury clouded his narrowed eyes. That fleeting softness evaporated, replaced by icy bitterness. This was just another of her manipulations!

She didn't love him.

He released her abruptly and sat on the bed's edge.

Harrison rolled away, presenting her back. She swiped at her damp cheeks. "I'll leave whenever you're ready. Just say the word."