Addiction to Temptation: His Mischievous Sweetheart Captivates Him-Chapter 220: I Watched His Life Fall Apart

Zane Thorne, usually so forthright and uninhibited, felt inexplicably uneasy being stared at by Natalie Vaughn with such a stubborn gaze.

He reached out his long arm to cover Natalie’s eyes.

"Young lady, you’re not shy at all."

Natalie tried to pry Zane’s hand away.

"You’re my husband, not anyone else. Why can’t I look at you?"

Hearing this, a sense of delight surged in Zane’s heart. This young woman had been like this from the start, reaching out to touch him on the street at night, claiming she had only ever touched him.

Thinking of this, the man chuckled softly and asked her.

"Baby, are you only daringly lecherous with me?"

Hearing this, Natalie no longer hurried to pry Zane’s hand away. She casually grabbed a cushion, hugging it close, her eyelashes fluttering faintly, brushing against the man’s palm and making his heart itch.

"Well, it’s not that I can’t look at others."

Is there anything she wouldn’t dare? What a joke.

Zane: ...

The man squinted his eyes slightly, disregarding whether there would be a reaction, and directly pulled Natalie over to sit on his lap.

"Do you dare?"

Natalie’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.

"Why wouldn’t I dare?"

As she spoke, she straightened her back, trying to distance herself from Zane.

Her waist ached from the awkward posture.

Zane didn’t notice Natalie’s movement; he instinctively applied more force, pulling her closer to him.

Natalie: ...

"Baby, other men don’t look as good as I do."

When dealing with Natalie, Zane realized that firmness wouldn’t work; he had to go gentle. This was the conclusion he arrived at after being frustrated by Natalie so many times. This temper of hers was truly like a young deity that needed to be pampered and indulged. In his life, he had never treated anyone this way, but what could he do? This young deity was his, and if he didn’t pamper and indulge her, she could coldly ignore him without hesitation.

He didn’t want to be a foolish man neglected by his wife.

Natalie let out a smug hum, finding truth in Zane’s words. Indeed, all these years, she had only ever been mischievous with Zane.

After being apart for so long, just the day before returning to the country, Zane and Natalie first spent time with Gideon Sheffield’s parents, then hurried back and got tangled in bed for a night without having a proper conversation.

The little teasing earlier was to make up for over a month of separation.

In the end, Natalie still never asked about the events from five years ago, even though Dr. Spencer had already brought it up in front of her.

But she didn’t need to mention it. The fact that she drove alone to the Yenton Countryside to visit Gideon Sheffield’s parents said it all.

Zane hugged Natalie tightly from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, and asked: Do you want to know what happened five years ago?

Natalie placed her hand on Zane’s and nodded.

In those ten minutes, she heard everything Zane had pieced together from the information she had been searching for months.

Five years had passed, but it only took ten minutes to recount that year’s events.

All Natalie felt was heartache for Zane.

Clearly, he hadn’t taken anything illicit, yet he tested positive for stimulants. He only didn’t want to waste the team’s spot and asked Gideon Sheffield if he wanted to compete.

Just like that, he spent five years full of guilt, prematurely ending his racing career.

Natalie felt unwilling, and the more unwilling she felt, the more it pained her.

No wonder the first time they met in a bar, just seeing him holding a cigarette conveyed such deep emotions.

"It’s not your fault."

Natalie turned to face Zane, placing her hands on his cheeks, moving close, with their foreheads touching and noses touching.

"It’s not related to you. You only asked if he wanted to race; the decision was his. You didn’t force him."

Zane smirked slightly.

For the past five years, on those difficult days, he had also comforted himself like this, but.

"Baby."

His voice was dry.

"Hmm?"

Natalie’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, her voice inexplicably trembling.

"If he hadn’t entered that race, he would have retired successfully, full of honors, married with children. He would have become a coach, training more outstanding racers."

Natalie shook her head, not knowing what to say.

"But now, his legs are broken, his fiancée has left, and he has no children."

"Racing has been cut off from him. Let alone racing, he can’t even drive normally anymore."

"His life is ruined."

"I watched his life be destroyed with my own eyes."

Zane met Gideon Sheffield when he was sixteen. When he was too young and reckless, it was Gideon who trained with him. When Zane was impulsive, it was Gideon, as someone who had been through it, who pulled him back.

When Zane hadn’t yet mastered his skills, it was Gideon who generously taught him. When he won his first award, it was Gideon who first gave him a hug.

While everyone praised Zane’s talent, only Gideon noted that he also worked hard behind the scenes.

Gideon had seen his sweaty days and shared honors with him on the racetrack. Long ago, in his heart, Zane had already regarded Gideon as an older brother.

That’s why he followed Gideon back to build a house, and the two even climbed to the roof, drinking and talking about all the events under the starry sky and bright moon.

Critiquing certain turns or saying someone’s drifting wasn’t perfect. Discussing whose new car had excellent performance or which ones were awful, and how to modify the car to not only be high-performing but also look dashing.

...

During the most thrilling years of Zane’s youth, it was racing and Gideon that accompanied him. Anything related to racing was inseparable from Gideon’s presence.

So, when Zane watched Gideon’s life undergo drastic changes, how could he remain indifferent? Moreover, it was inseparably linked to him.

For the past five years, he often thought of if it were him who had the accident during the race, it would be him with the broken leg, and Gideon would be well, marrying the woman he loved, having children, and living a happy life.

However, that was just imagining because Gideon spent every day of the last five years in a hospital, without a fiancée or children.

Alone.

So, Zane didn’t dare to be happy. He stayed away from racing events, he didn’t touch any racing cars, and over the years, there were no women in his life.

If it weren’t for Natalie, it’s very possible that the next five or ten years would have been like that. If it weren’t for Natalie, he wouldn’t have spoken those words to Gideon, secretly hoping he could emerge from it and face the life ahead. If it weren’t for Natalie, he might have just stayed like this with Gideon.

Just continued like that.

If it wasn’t for Natalie, the present wouldn’t exist.

Gideon returned to his homeland, and for him, he finally uttered a sigh of relief. He could love Natalie uninhibitedly and plan shamelessly about how to bring her happiness.

And within this happiness, there was also a part for himself.