Chapter 10 Never Let Him Go

• “Ms. Harper,” Natalie greeted the woman in return. Even if she had only seen her in photographs, she could not pretend that she did not know the other woman. “It’s been a while.”
• “Almost a year, I reckon.” Sally Harper took a seat beside her without an invitation. Her tone was subtle but sharp. “You were an assistant to Claude back then but now you’re a famous show host. Impressive.”
• Natalie curled her lips into a smile. “Naturally, people aspire toward greater heights. With my looks and talent, isn’t it be a given that I should be where I am today?”
• Sally raised an eyebrow but otherwise maintained her decorum. “Is it that easy to join K2TV? I heard that Ms. Cook frequents many different clubs and bars in the company of many different men.”
• “Nothing more than mere hearsay. Why do you believe them, Ms. Harper?” Natalie smiled as she leaned in toward Sally. “I’ve heard that despite your strict upbringing, you knowingly broke up Claude Nealey’s relationship by having sex with him and sending his lewd photos to his girlfriend.”
• “Claude had only entered the entertainment industry then. How could his agent not know if he really had a girlfriend?” Sally smiled as she denied it outright. “As Ms. Cook had put it so succinctly, it’s nothing more than mere hearsay.”
• Natalie sneered and deliberately slowed the pace at which she spoke. “Claude came to me a few days ago and told me that he had broken up with you and wants to be with me instead... Have the two of you really parted ways, Ms. Harper?”
• This turned Sally ashen-faced and had her tighten her grip on her Hermes clutch.
• Just at this moment, the paging system called for Sally’s number.
• Sally jumped at the opportunity to leave Natalie and promptly took her bag with her as she walked into the consultation room. The victorious Natalie smiled radiantly as she went back to browsing on her phone.
• After a few minutes, Sally reemerged from the doctor’s office. She looked sideways at Natalie before leaving hastily. The latter got up when her number was called and made her way into the office.
• Once settled inside, the doctor asked several questions to which Natalie answered accordingly and truthfully.
• When questioned about her last period, her pulse quickened as she counted the days. “I don’t think that I’m pregnant because we’ve always taken precautions. Since I’ve not been working regular hours, could it be my hormones being all messed up?”
• The doctor wrote her a referral. “That’s quite possible too. I would suggest that you complete a urine test first.”
• Natalie went downstairs with her heart in her throat and cooped herself up inside the restroom for a long time. When she returned to the Department of Hematology, she ran into Sally who was coming from the opposite direction.
• As they passed each other, Sally forcefully held her rival by the shoulder and looked askance at her with a cryptic smile. “Even if I stole him, I’ll never let him go.”
• What do you mean?
• By the time Natalie came around, Sally was already out of sight.
• Natalie handed her own urine sample over after the nurse urged her to. She spied some forms left on the table. The top sheet was for Sally’s urine test and the results were marked “Positive”!
• When Natalie made her way to the waiting area to await her own test results, her thoughts went back to Sally. That woman had smiled because she was pregnant.
• Since she was with child, there was no way Claude would be able to leave her. That was what she was so snotty about.
• Natalie’s hands could not stop trembling.
• She had tried very hard to forget the past and would have been able to do so but for the reappearance of Claude and Sally. They just had to show themselves one after the other to remind her of that painful betrayal and of Sally’s pregnancy.
• Recalling the things that Claude said to her back at the studio only filled her with nausea.
• It took a long time before the nurse called Natalie’s name. She hurriedly went to the counter and had to take several deep breaths to calm her nerves before she mustered up the courage to collect her lab test report.
• Fortunately, the test results turned out to be negative. I’m not pregnant!