\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 6\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third person\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nathaniel grew more restless with each passing day at the estate. On the seventh day of Vivienne\u2019s absence, he smashed the bowl Estelle handed him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Irritably, he snapped, \u201cDon\u2019t you know people with stomach issues can\u2019t have pumpkin bisque? Vivi would never be so careless.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A cramping pain spread from his stomach, making it hard to breathe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He used to lock himself in his studio for days, sometimes drinking heavily to chase inspiration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was Vivienne who, day after day, would prepare hangover remedies and have a soothing broth ready before he drank himself into pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In these days without her, Nathaniel found life had lost all its color.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStill haven\u2019t found\u00a0<\/p>\n
h he\u00a0<\/p>\n
is assistant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man shook his head, hesitating before stammering, \u201cSir, our salaries. They haven\u2019t been paid in quit\u00a0<\/p>\n
some time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nathaniel answered almost reflexively \u201cTake those matters to my wife. Why are you coming to me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the words hung in the air, and he stood frozen, the reality dawning on him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He then wandered, desolate, toward their bedroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was the longest he had ever been without Vivienne.\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the living room, Estelle watched him walk to his bedroom and stamped her foot in fury in the living room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVivienne. Vivienne again! Can\u2019t she just stay gone, even now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seething, Estelle collapsed onto the sofa and buried her face in her hands, weeping.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy does she get to have everything\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Years ago, it was she who had found Nathaniel at his lowest, suicidal from his psychological torment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was she who had tried tirelessly to help him overcome his crippling indecision.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But after three years together, his condition had nearly driven her mad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t take it, want to waste her life on him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We didn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
She left Nathaniel and attached herself to a wealthy man willing to buy her a mansion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hadn\u2019t known she was already pregnant with Nathaniel\u2019s child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the man\u2019s wife confronted her, thinking of the company Nathaniel\u2019s parents had left him, Estelle secretly had the baby.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not long after, Patrick was diagnosed with leukemia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had no choice but to come back to Nathaniel with Patrick again, only to discover he was already married.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She lied, telling him her family had been in trouble and she had left to avoid burdening him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That night, Nathaniel held her, his eyes red, and promised he would cure\u00a0<\/p>\n
25.92%\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:59\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Patrick before the targeted drugs failed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later, Nathaniel\u2019s company flourished\u00a0<\/p>\n
He became a celebrated artist with immense social standing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Estelle hated it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hated that when she was with him, he had nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why did Vivienne get to be his wife and enjoy the benefits?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fortunately, Nathaniel\u2019s indecision had finally subsided over the years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And when forced to choose, he would pick her over Vivienne.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So one night, after making sure he was drunk, Estelle stopped Patrick\u2019s medication.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She orchestrated events, making it inevitable that Nathaniel would see Veronica as the potential donor for Patrick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was meant to break Vivienne\u2019s heart and drive her away for good.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Nathaniel was still pining for the woman who bore him a brain- damaged child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Crying, Estelle took out her phone and made a call.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI need you to take care of someone. Once I\u2019m Mrs. Sanford, name your price.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in the bedroom of the Sanford\u2019s villa, Nathaniel dialed Vivienne\u2019s number over and over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Each time, he was met only by the cold, automated message that her phone was switched off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVivi, I miss you. Please don\u2019t be angry with me anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
55.13%\u00a0<\/p>\n
10.59\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 Vouchers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom now on, I\u2019ll always put you and our daughter first. I won\u2019t choose anyone else\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He paused, suddenly remembering that Veronica was gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A wave of unprecedented panic washed over him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVivi, we can have other children, okay? Vivi, please don\u2019t shut me out\u2026 I can\u2019t live without you\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room was empty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Night after night, when he fell apart, she had been there, easing him with a touch on the back and a quiet song. That solace was now forever out of reach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Time blurred-maybe hours, maybe days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, Nathaniel\u2019s phone rang.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He answered it eagerly, but it wasn\u2019t Vivienne.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you not to disturb me unless it was important,\u201d he barked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The frantic voice on the other end sounded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Sanford, you need to get to the company immediately! Mrs. Sanford is turning everything upside down!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
81.30%\u00a0<\/p>\n
10.59<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Broken Yet Untouched by Mark Twain 6 \u00a0 Chapter 6\u00a0 Third person\u2019s POV\u00a0 Nathaniel grew more restless with each passing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bound-to-him-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22846"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22846\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}