Dumping Him for His Uncle (Natasha and Zachary)

Natasha scoffed. "Sister?

"Since when have I ever been Nicole's sister? And when the hell did you become my mother? Olivia, I respected you because you married into the Bradley family. Don't think that means I'm easy to push around."

The moment the words left her mouth, Henry struck her across the face. Natasha clutched her smarting cheek, her ears ringing from the slap.

"Henry, you have no right to call yourself my father!" she shouted, her voice cracking.

Without waiting for a response, she bolted through the gated entrance of her building. Olivia tried to chase after her, but the gate closed before she could follow.

Henry said, "Forget it. She's not going to open the gate for you. You'll just end up waiting out here like an idiot."

Olivia stomped in frustration. "Why did you hit her? If we'd just talked a little longer, maybe she would've agreed."

Henry said coldly, "She doesn't get a choice. She'll do it whether she wants to or not."

The next morning, sunlight poured in through the windows, casting wide beams across the bedroom floor. A breeze rustled the trees outside, scattering shadows across Natasha's face.

She frowned and rolled over, only to be jolted awake by a sharp pain in her cheek. It was still swollen and red.noveldrama

When she got home yesterday, she was too upset to ice it, and it wasn't until she looked in the mirror that she realized her entire cheek was bruised and swollen.

She had endured this kind of pain countless times growing up, and each instance only deepened her disappointment in that so-called father of hers. But every time she thought about her mother being so in love with him, Natasha couldn't help but wish he could give her even a little bit of fatherly love.

She wasn't greedy-she would have been content with the scraps. But Henry had never given her any, and like a fool, she kept waiting.

Her phone buzzed with a message.

Still holding an ice pack to her cheek, she unlocked it with her free hand.

Henry's name flashed across the screen, followed by a short, cold message. "Have you thought about what we talked about? Your mother's grave has fallen

into disrepair. It might be time someone took care of it."

Natasha's pupils shrank. Her fingers tightened around the phone until her knuckles turned white.

"Despicable!" she hissed under her breath.

She resisted the urge to throw the phone across the room and forced herself to reply.

It wasn't the first time Henry had dangled her mother's resting place over her head like a bargaining chip. Back then, she didn't have the power to fight back.

But he still seemed to think she was that same helpless little girl.

Natasha slowly exhaled and dropped the ice pack on the counter. Then, she headed into the kitchen.

An hour later, the warm scent of homemade fish chowder filled the room.

Without hesitation, she hailed a cab to the Foster residence.

She knew showing up like this was bold. But if the Foster family didn't step in, she had no doubt Henry would follow through on his threat.

"Mr. Foster Senior, Ms. Bradley is here."

The maids had seen her around before, so they didn't hesitate to announce her arrival once she reached the door.

Steven was lying on a recliner chair, basking in the sun. When he heard that Natasha had come to visit, he immediately instructed someone to prepare lunch.

"Mr. Foster Senior, I made you some fish chowder. Try it and see if it's to your liking," Natasha said with a sweet smile.

But Steven immediately noticed that something was off with her face.

Even though she had applied makeup before leaving, it was still evident.

"What happened to your face? Did something happen?" Steven asked, his concern evident.

Steven had taken a liking to her not just because Natasha was obedient and beautiful but also because she was skilled and kind-hearted. She treated everyone equally, regardless of their status. More importantly, she had a quality that no one else seemed to possess.

"It's nothing. I just tripped in the dark and fell," Natasha said, offering a clumsy

excuse.

But it didn't fool Steven, who pressed further. Natasha had no choice but to tell him the whole story, though she downplayed its severity.

"Parents should never hit their children. Let me see how serious the injury is," Steven said.

His face was full of concern, but he knew it wasn't his place to intervene in someone else's family matters.