Please Give Me Another Chance, Mrs. Hamilton novel Chapter 16

Nadine couldn't understand why Brad refused to go through with the divorce.

It didn't make sense that he wouldn't want to marry Jean when he loved her and cherished her as much as he would a precious porcelain doll.

At this rate, he would be doing her a disservice by not making an honest woman out of her.

Nadine had once foolishly believed that her dedication and loyalty could win Brad over. She thought she could break through his walls and melt that frozen heart of his.

That was until she saw the way he treated Jean at the hospital.

Nadine realized then that she had been too naive. Brad did not love her, and her existence was nothing more than a thorn in his side.

Having come to terms with brutal reality, Nadine made up her mind to divorce Brad.

However, Brad threw her a curveball by getting angry at the mention of the divorce and refusing to go through with it. His reaction was maddening, to say the least.

Desperation seized Nadine as she demanded, "If you love her, marry her. Show her you mean it by choosing to spend the rest of your life with her. Wouldn't you want that?"

She saw no point in tying herself to Brad now that she had accepted the truth. The more desperate she was to hold onto this relationship, the faster it slipped away.

It was time Nadine did them both a favor and freed them from this loveless marriage. They would both be happier that way.

Brad snorted and licked the corner of his lips.

He eyed the ashen-faced woman before him scornfully as he drawled, "You're good at spinning all this sensible bullshit, Nadine, but where was your voice of reason when you schemed to marry me?

"Don't you think it's too little and too late for you to tell me these things now? I wasted five years of my life on you! Do you expect me to forgive you just like that?"

All the blood had drained from Nadine's face as she met his gaze. She was shivering like a half-drowned animal, her fear palpable.

And yet, the determination in her eyes did not waver as she stared at him.

Brad nearly scoffed at the absurdity of the situation. He had never been toyed around like this by a woman before.

Did Nadine think so little of him that she presumed she could marry and divorce him on a whim?

He would have pinned her against that wall and made her moan his name if she didn't look so miserable already.

When Nadine realized she was not getting through to Brad, she abandoned her efforts altogether.

Bracing one hand against the wall, she straightened up and pulled down her dress, ready to retreat to the bedroom.

She had only taken a step when her knees gave out. She staggered and fell face-first toward the floor.

Just as she thought she would break her nose on the floor, a strong arm reached around her waist and pulled her upright.

Nadien didn't want to look at Brad's perfectly chiseled face. She turned to look the other way as she huffed, "I don't need your false kindness!"

Even as the words left her mouth, she couldn't help the warmth that surged through her.

Brad was stoic most of the time, and he was apathetic to almost everyone.

However, the fact that he didn't want to go through with the divorce coupled with the way he had saved her from the fall just now must mean he still cared for Nadine, didn't it?

Nadine wondered if she was allowed such a fanciful thought.

Brad was about to say something when his phone rang. He pulled it out and saw the name on the screen: Jean.

He promptly let go of Nadine when he registered the caller ID and put the call through. "Jeanie," he said indulgently.

He wasn't smiling, but Nadine swore the loving look in his eyes was too much for her to look at. Whatever warmth had coursed through her earlier was now dampened.

She shoved her hopes down and braced a hand against the wall as she slowly made her way upstairs.

There was no hesitation in her steps. At that moment, she was but a forlorn silhouette on the stairwell.

After leaving the Hamilton Estate, Jean had not run far. She had been waiting for Brad to find her, but for some reason, he never did.

When the rain started pouring again, she had no choice but to swallow her pride and call Brad.

"Brad, where are you?" Jean asked.

Brad heard the crack in her voice and clutched his phone tighter. "Jeanie, where are you?" he demanded. "I'll go find you right now!"

In between sobs, Jean told Brad her address and said, "It's cold here, Brad. I'm scared, and it's raining. Can you hurry, please?"

Tyler saw how resolved she was and thought she did not love him, so he stormed off.

Nadine stood in the corridor and watched Tyler leave. She had been so heartbroken that she couldn't breathe.

Just as tears streamed down her cheeks, a hand suddenly reached out of the darkness and clamped over her mouth.

Nadine was knocked out after that and dragged into the room next door. That was when her nightmare began.

Her virginity was taken away from her by force that night, and by a stranger, no less.

Nadine woke up alone in the room and was confronted by the mess on the floor. She bit her lower lip and forced back her tears, shoving the horrible incident into the back of her mind.

She had stupidly believed that she could pretend as if the incident had never happened as long as she stopped thinking about it and kept it a secret.

But two months later, Nadine started experiencing inexplicable bouts of nausea. She threw up so frequently that she thought she might have had food poisoning.

She went to the hospital to get examined only for the doctor to tell her she was pregnant.

Nadine thought she might die from the agony of such news. She couldn't understand why the universe was making her go through such suffering after the nightmare she had been through.

On that same night, she found her way to the cliff by the sea. In her moment of despair and desperation, she leaped from the edge without thinking.

Just as she thought she could finally escape tragedy, a pair of strong hands reached for her and pulled her out of the ocean.

It was Brad who had saved her.

He told her he was fine with marrying her and taking up the role of the child's father, but that he would divorce her once the love of his life returned.

From that day on, Nadine became Brad's wife.

However, everyone knew she was his wife in name only and that Brad did not love her at all.

The nightmare was like a vine that grew wildly until it crept around Nadine's heart.

She couldn't breathe as she lay in the dark, feeling as if her heart was being squeezed to the point of bursting.