A Love to Die For (Nathaly) novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Two hours earlier.

The scenery outside the window blurred past, receding quickly as Elijah sat in the back seat, staring at his phone in deep thought.

His mind was a tangled mess, his heart uneasy.

On the screen was his message thread with Nathaly.

Only now did he suddenly realize something-since the day Brenda died, nearly two weeks ago, his conversations with Nathaly had dwindled to almost nothing.

And she’d hardly ever reached out to him first.

Distant, cold-that had become Nathaly’s default state lately.

Just moments ago, in the corridor, her face was so pale it was almost translucent. Yet she gave him the only smile he’d seen from her in ages.

Elijah pressed a hand to his pounding chest, memories flashing back to that night five years ago when he was on the

brink of death.

He’d watched his parents murdered by kidnappers and escaped the mountains, dragging his battered body through the darkness.

He’d meant to call his old friends, but blood loss overcame him, and he collapsed in a filthy alleyway at the edge of a

slum.

He truly thought he’d die there, in that squalid place.

Then Nathaly appeared.

She wore an oversized men’s shirt, her long dark hair tied up carelessly, her bare face small and fair.

She wasn’t like the pampered heiresses Elijah had grown up with. She was like a cool, elegant lily-so beautiful she

made his heart ache.

She saved him.

She encouraged him to start over.

Falling in love with Nathaly felt inevitable.

Elijah had counted himself lucky a thousand times over that he met her before all those spoiled, sleazy trust fund brats ever could.

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He’d even sworn to protect that delicate lily for the rest of his life.

But then…

“Mr. Tuckett, according to the police, the last place Ms. Fridley was seen is right here.” His assistant’s voice broke Elijah’s reverie.

The Maybach stopped at the foot of the mountain, where a dozen police cars and crowds of frenzied reporters were already waiting.

Elijah’s eyelid twitched, his voice suddenly dry and hoarse.

“Who set this up? I told you to keep things quiet-no news, no trending searches!”

If it hit the headlines, Nathaly would see it.

He didn’t want to make her jealous again.

His chest tightened painfully as he impatiently loosened the tie Nathaly had knotted for him that morning, waving his hand dismissively.

“Get rid of all those gossip-hungry media reporters.”

His assistant hesitated, surprised. “But Mr. Tuckett, you personally signed long-term contracts with those outlets. You said any news about Ms. Fridley should be pushed to the top, to help her gain followers.”

Elijah froze, only now remembering.

That was back when things started with Nicole.

He’d already been married to Nathaly for two years, but he’d gotten lost in endless parties, growing irritated by Natha- ly’s constant concern.

In his eyes, Nathaly was beautiful and had a great figure, but she was just too dull in bed. Shy, old-fashioned, refusing to try anything new.

Elijah was in his prime, full of energy, and often left to take care of things himself.

As time passed, he grew tired and stopped coming home.

He’d use business meetings with friends as an excuse, sleeping at the club instead.

That night, after sealing a big deal, it was late, and he didn’t want to disturb Nathaly, so he headed back to the club.

That’s when he ran into Nicole, who’d been drugged.

Their families hadn’t spoken in years, but they’d once been close, so Elijah helped her out.

When he learned her family had gone bankrupt and she was desperate for cash, he got her a job as his secretary at the club.

Nicole was clever and charming, always looking at him with a kind of flattery and eagerness that Nathaly never

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showed.

Elijah found himself drawn to it.

One thing led to another, and they ended up in bed together.

At first, Elijah was nervous.

But Nicole was smart-she promised she’d never compete for the title of Mrs. Tuckett, just stay quietly by his side.

Elijah was satisfied. She had a small social media account with a few thousand followers, so he casually told his as- sistant to push any news about Nicole to the top.

Later, photos of him and Nicole vacationing overseas made the trending lists, and he even had his bodyguard tell Nathaly about it.

He did it just to provoke her-angry that she wouldn’t yield to him.

But now he was determined to end things with Nicole for good.

No more scandals, no more drama in front of Nathaly.

She’d already suffered so much, barely managed to keep their child-he couldn’t let her be hurt again.

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