Shattered Then Healed By His Love (by Haley Blanton) novel Chapter 1

“Just lay low and stay out of trouble.” With that final warning from the prison guard, Natalie Foster finally stepped out of the cell that had held her captive for three long years.

The sunlight hit her skin for the first time in what felt like forever.

Not far away, a Maybach sat idling. A man and a boy stepped out and walked toward her.

“Natalie, I’m here to take you home.”

Natalie looked up, her eyes settling on the two familiar figures.

The man and the boy standing before her were her husband and son–Jackson Collins and Aiden Collins.

Their eyes met, and for a second, Jackson looked stunned.

She had changed so much in three years..

She looked thinner–much thinner.

The bold, carefree woman he used to know was gone. She looked thin, fragile, like she was barely holding on.

And yet, he had made sure people inside took care of her. So why….

Was this all an act? The thought flashed through his mind. Then came the memories of what she’d done. His expression turned cold.

Even if she wasn’t pretending, she had brought this on herself.

His tone was ice–cold, like she was a stranger. “Get in the car. You’ve been in there for three years. You should’ve learned your lesson by now. Don’t make the same mistake again.”

Aiden hesitated for a moment too.

Mom used to be beautiful.

She was always well–dressed, bright, and cheerful. Her smile was warm and comforting.

But now… he barely recognized her.

After a pause, Aiden snapped back to reality. His face turned cold. “Dad’s right. Ms. Victoria

forgave you because she’s a good person. But if you ever hurt her again, neither of us will forgive you.

“Forgive me?” Natalie’s face stayed blank, but after a moment, pain and mockery shimmered in her eyes. She let out a quiet laugh. “The man who threw his wife and the mother of his child in prison… thinks he gets to talk about forgiveness?”

The man and boy standing before her–once the two people she loved most in the world–had been the very ones who threw her behind bars three years ago.

Jackson had once saved her life. Because of that, she had been determined to marry him.

Back then, the Collins family was far less powerful than the Fosters. She had the money and the connections–and even had a fight with her mom just to marry him.

After they got married, she gave up her career for the family. She was a gifted traditional medicine prodigy, but she walked away from it all to become a full–time housewife–cooking. cleaning, and slowly fading into the background.

She had thought that maybe, just maybe, she’d earn some respect.

But Jackson had always been distant, cold.

And their

, Aiden, had always seemed emotionally detached from her. He even used to say. “Mom, you don’t even have a job. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

Sha

used to think that was just their nature–detached and indifferent.

Then Jackson’s first love, Victoria Hayes, came back into the picture.

Around Victoria, Jackson changed completely. Suddenly, the cold, distant man she knew was smiling–warmly, Softly.

That was the first time Natalie realized… Jackson could be gentle..

Even on their anniversary, when she was hunched over in pain from a lingering postpartum complication….

Jackson had hung up on her emergency call just so he could celebrate Victoria’s birthday. She’d nearly died during surgery. The hospital issued multiple critical condition notices.

And yet, neither Jackson nor Aiden came to see her. Not even once..

Natalie tried to reason it out. Kids don’t know any better. Jackson’s just cold by nature. Give it time. It’ll get better

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify