“I’ve already tore it apart,” shared Shane calmly.
Natalie frowned and asked, “What’s the point? We’ve already reached the point where divorce is the only route. I honestly don’t see any alternatives.”
“Of course there is. I know that I made a mistake earlier and broke your heart because of it. It’s only natural that you want a divorce, but that is no longer an issue, so why are you still insisting on getting a divorce?” demanded Shane as he clenched his fists. He simply could not understand why.
“It’s simple, really,” answered Natalie before she took a deep breath and smiled wryly. “I’m insisting on getting a divorce because the pain is etched into my heart. I can’t pretend that nothing had happened just because the misunderstanding is cleared. Besides, this incident taught me something crucial.”
“And what is that?”
Natalie tilted her head down and replied, “Trust. We do love each other, but Shane, don’t you see? There is no trust between us. You don’t actually trust me, and that is the root cause of this incident.”
“I know that I was wrong. I should’ve trusted you, but I promise that this won’t happen again,” declared Shane before he reached out to hold her hand.
Natalie stepped back and pointed out, “Don’t be so certain. No one knows what will happen in the future. What if someone malicious comes up with something once more to cause a misunderstanding between us? I don’t think that you’d trust me enough to not fall for their tricks.”
What she needed was someone to trust her completely.
That was something she didn’t think Shane could ever give her. He can’t do it because his upbringing made it impossible.
Natalie understood that being in the Thompson family meant that one had to deal with schemes and traps from a young age. She believed that Shane would never trust anyone completely because that would mean putting the entire Thompson Group on the line. She understood that that was impossible for him, so she wouldn’t force him to change.
That was why she thought that their best option was to get a divorce. By doing so, she wouldn’t have her heart crushed because the man she loved can’t trust her the way she needed him to.
Similarly, Shane would no longer need to struggle with whether or not he should trust her.
Thinking about all that prompted Natalie to smile at Shane and said, “That, Mr. Shane, is why we should get a divorce. Besides, I think that we were too impulsive when we got married. We just started dating at the time, and we don’t know each other well enough to build a lasting marriage. All it took was one conflict to topple us. It’s too painful to go through this every time a conflict arises, Mr. Shane.”
“No, I will never sign those divorce papers,” insisted Shane before he stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. He held her so tightly that it seemed like he wanted to meld her into his body.
It hurt Natalie a little when he hugged her so tightly, but she didn’t push him away. She simply let him hold her.
“Stop being so stubborn, Mr. Shane. Maybe this will turn out to be a good thing for the two of us,” said Natalie as she rested her chin on his shoulder.
Shane buried his face in her neck and spoke in a deep voice. “No, this is not a good thing. All I know is that I can’t live without you. If you really want to leave me, then you will have to kill me. Can you bring yourself to do that?”
He looked at her. His gaze was gloomy when his eyes met hers.
Natalie sighed and asked, “Why must you force my hand like this?”
“I am not forcing you to do anything. All I want is to take my wife home. What’s wrong with that?” asked Shane as he squeezed her shoulders a little.
Natalie closed her eyes in exhaustion.
She was about to reply to him when her cell phone rang.
She pushed him away and checked the screen before quickly accepting the call. “Hi, Mr. Horner. Sorry, I will head over right away… Okay… Alright… Bye.”
Natalie put her cell phone away and turned her attention to Shane one last time. She said, “Mr. Shane, I’ve said all I need to say. Please consider the divorce. Marriage is not something that can be maintained with just love. It also needs courage and trust to thrive, and there is no trust between us. A marriage like ours will only end badly even if we keep pushing.”
Natalie walked over to pick up her bag from the sofa. “You can leave immediately after having your breakfast. I’ll do the dishes when I get home later.”
She turned toward the door after saying her piece.
However, Shane grabbed her wrist and pulled her back before she got to take another step.
“What are you… Mm…”
Shane had sealed her lips shut before she got to finish her sentence.
Natalie was stunned for a second there, but she came around soon after. Anger filled her, and she pushed him to get away.
Unfortunately, Shane had already anticipated that, so he locked the back of her head in place. She couldn’t break free no matter what she did.
