Chapter 16

In the days that followed, Jayden cleared his schedule and devoted himself entirely to Natalie, doing everything he could to make up for the past. In a luxury jewelry boutique, he waved his hand, and soon dozens of employees stepped forward, each holding glittering pieces of fine jewelry to present before Natalie. After the last piece was displayed, Jayden turned to her with a hopeful smile. "Do you see anything you like, Natalie?" Natalie snapped out of her thoughts and looked closely at the various pieces of jewelry in front of her. That was when she noticed these weren't just random pieces—she recognized them. There were rings she'd once briefly owned before they'd ended up on Clara's fingers. Bracelets Jayden had promised would be hers but ended up getting gifted to Clara instead. Necklaces she'd only been allowed to wear the knockoff version of, while Clara proudly wore the original. Jayden was carefully presenting these jewels to her again, but she no longer wanted them. Natalie remained silent, but Jayden wasn't surprised in the least. If she really was just a substitute, of course she would have hesitated to accept such extravagant gifts. If she were his younger sister, she would have been angry and turned it down. Hence, he didn't wait for an answer. He simply had the staff wrap everything up. Even though the staff had catered to many wealthy clients before, they'd never seen someone like Jayden, who was practically clearing out half the store. As they packed the jewelry, they whispered in awe. "Mr. Carter sure spoils his sister!" "If I had a brother like that, I'd be smiling in my sleep." "I'm so envious of Ms. Carter!" Natalie heard every word, but all she felt was bitter irony. If she had a choice, she would rather never have a brother like Jayden at all. Because he'd believed others' slanders and hurt her time and time again. As the two of them walked out of the boutique, Natalie suddenly stopped in her tracks. Jayden looked over at what had caught her attention and saw a busy ice cream shop across the street, with a long line of customers outside. All of a sudden, an old memory resurfaced in his mind. When they were younger, Natalie had loved ice cream. Every year, before it was even summer, the two freezers at home would be packed with all her favorite flavors. It was an unspoken rule that those freezers were hers, and if anyone wanted to use them, they had to ask for her permission first. But everything changed when Clara came into the picture. Not only were all of Natalie's ice creams thrown out and replaced with Clara's mousse cakes, but even the freezers no longer belonged to Natalie. From then on, Natalie never had another bite of ice cream that was truly hers. Jayden's chest tightened with guilt. He turned to Natalie and said, "Wait here, Natalie. I'll go get you some ice cream." Without giving her a chance to respond, he darted across the street. The midday sun was especially harsh, and sweat poured from Jayden's forehead, soaking through the back of his shirt. But he pushed through the discomfort and bought two strawberry ice cream cones for Natalie. The heat made the ice cream melt fast, and it began to drip, sliding down the cones. Anxious, he quickened his pace, eager to get them to Natalie before they completely melted. However, as soon as he stepped off the curb, he noticed her expression change drastically. "Look out!" Screams erupted from the bystanders. Jayden froze, his body stiffening as he stared in shock at the car barreling toward him. The impact sent him flying through the air before he hit the ground hard. The ice cream in his hand smashed into the pavement, mixing with the blood seeping from his body. In an instant, everything descended into chaos. The panicked screams, blaring horns, and sirens from the ambulance and police cars all blended together, but Jayden couldn't hear any of it. Darkness began to pull him under.