Chapter 957: Chapter 957

Chapter 957

Marcus held her tightly and said, “If you have another nightmare, even if it’s just a dream, remember I’m right beside you. That way, you won’t be scared

anymore.”

Cornelia nodded and replied, “Okay”

Waking up from her sleep, Cornelia felt refreshed and rejuvenated. However, she had this nagging feeling that she was forgetting something. After some thinking, she finally remembered and quickly asked while getting out of bed, “Is Natalia awake?”

Marcus replied, “She’s awake. But she doesn’t want to talk or leave her room. Patricia prepared a lot of delicious food for her but she refuses to eat.”

“She had been abused before, so she might resist people getting close. I’ll go check on her” Cornelia hastily got out of bed, didn’t even bother to freshen up, and was ready to dash out of the room.

Marcus pulled her back, “Cornelia, let me finish”

Although Cornelia was physically in the room, her mind was already in the other bedroom, “Go on.”

Marcus felt a bit disappointed, “I think she might feel uncomfortable with me around. I have some work to do, so I’ll go to the office. Patricia will stay here to take care of you guys. I’ll come back later.”

Cornelia agreed, “Okay”

Marcus added, “Cornelia,”

Cornelia asked, “Yeah?”

Marcus wanted her to show a bit more concern for him, but didn’t want to pressure her, so he said, “Never mind, go ahead”

“Okay.” Cornelia turned and left without hesitation.

Marcus watched her leave, speechless.

Cornelia came to the other bedroom and said, “Natalia”

Upon hearing Cornelia’s voice, Natalia, who had been lying on the bed like a lifeless doll, immediately turned her head towards her, “Cornelia.”

“It’s me.” Cornelia sat by her bed and gently stroked her hair, “Natalia, are you hungry? Do you want to get up and eat something?”

Natalia clung to Cornelia’s clothes, her eyes filling with tears as she cautiously asked, “Cornelia, is it really you? Am I dreaming?”

Cornelia pinched Natalia’s chubby cheek a bit harshly, “Did that hurt?”

Natalia shook her head slightly. “No”

Her answer made Cornelia feel a pang in her heart, “Natalia, if it hurts, you should say so. You don’t have to bear it anymore. I will protect you and won’t let you get hurt again.”

Cornelia knew she had pinched Natalia a bit too hard. Surely, it must have hurt.

Natalia’s denial of the pain could be because compared to what the Reese family had done to her, this was nothing. Or perhaps, Natalia had been abused so much that she had become numb to pain.

Natalia asked, “Cornelia, do you still want to be my good friend?”

Cornelia replied, “I don’t want to be your good friend,”

Before Cornelia could finish, Natalia’s eyes dimmed, “But I really like you and want you to be my good friend.”

Cornelia said, “Can I be your sister? I’m an only child and I’ve always wanted a little sister. It would be great if you could be my sister.”

Natalia’s eyes lit up, yet she couldn’t quite believe her ears. She cautiously asked, “Cornelia, are you serious? You really want to be my sister?”

Cornelia responded, “I’d be happy to, but the question is if you’d like to be my sister.”

Having received an affirmative answer, Natalia leaped into Cornelia’s arms, “So, can I call you ‘sister‘ from now on??

Holding Natalia, Cornelia said with a mix of happiness and sorrow, “Of course you can, Natalia.”