Chapter 172
The Imposter Bride
His heart ached as if it was pierced by a needle. âNatalia, donât you worry. Are you going into labor?â
Natalia laboriously shook her head. âIâm not due for another two months. Itâs too early for laborâ¦â
âButâ
âMagnus, this is all your doing! If anything happens to Natalia, I wonât let you off Hector growled from the floor, his face smeared with blood.
Magnus glared at him fiercely, shouting for his bodyguard âGet over here!â
âSir!â The bodyguard entered the room.
âThrow this man off Sapphire Island immediately. If you see him again, let Perth take care of him!â
âYes, sir!â
How dare Hector lay hands on his wife? Magnus couldnât believe Hector was still after Natalia, even knowing she was pregnant!
The bodyguard hauled Hector up and began to escort him out. Hector was injured and also led away âMagnus, you bastard! How can you torment a girl like this. Youâll regret it. You should let her go!â
Hectorâs shouts echoed as he was escorted to the car Magnus carried Natalia upstairs, and gently lay her down in their bedroom. The doctor arrived shortly afterward to examine her. âSir, she is weak and malnourished. She canât be subjected to any shock, or she could go into premature labor. The baby has formed but premature birth is riskyâ
The doctor left after prescribing some medication to prevent premature birth.
Magnus stared at Natalia as she lay on the bed. Malnourished! He quietly descended the stairs.
âHow have you been taking care of Natalia? Why is she this weak? And malnourished? What on earth are you doing?â He raged at the maids and May.
âSir, itâs not our fault. She barely eats anything. She spends her days staring blankly from the balcony.
She never smiles, and wonât eat anything we prepareâ A maid sobbed in defense.
She barely ate? And she was unhappy every day? Was she still unhappy even if he was not around?
Didnât she hate him? She shouldâve been happy when he was not around Suddenly, he remembered Hectorâs words and a wave of panic washed over him.
Darling, Iâm sorry. I didnât know what you really wanted.â
He walked back upstairs and gently pushed open the bedroom door Sitting by the bed, he held her small hand tightly, gazing at her frail face, wondering how she came to be in such a state. âDarling, what would you like to eat? Iâll make it for you, okay?â
Natalia heard someone speaking She opened her eyes to see Magnus sitting by her bed, looking handsome as ever it felt like a lifetime had passed.
How long had it been? He hadnât returned to Sapphire Island in ages. He and Isabella mustâve been getting along well by now. Once her baby was born, would Isabella be welcomed into the Andersen family? The Simmons family was prestigious, so they would be a suitable match for the Andersens.
Thinking back to Hectorâs battered face, she said, âMagnus, please send Hector to the hospital. Thank youâ He had come to see her after she got hurt, so she couldnât ignore him.
Upon hearing her concern for Hector, Magnus felt a surge of jealousy. âHe wonât die!â He tightened his grip on her hand. He had also been hit by Hector His wounds were internal and not visible, but he noticed that she hadnât shown any concern for him.
Natalia silently closed her eyes, no longer wanting to think about anything. Her baby was protesting fiercely. In recent days, she tried to avoid thinking about these issues. She could feel her baby kicking in her belly.
Magnus watched as she closed her eyes. He reached out to gently touch her swollen belly and suddenly felt a kick from below. The baby was kicking him He looked at Nataliaâs trembling eyelashes and felt his heart soften. The baby knew his father was there. Perhaps he didnât like him either. He kept his hand there for a while, feeling the babyâs kicks Nataliaâs eyelashes were quivering intensely, clearly aware that their baby was kicking him. Slowly, he withdrew his hand and walked out of the bedroom The maid cleaned up the living room and then went upstairs to invite Natalia to dinner. Natalia shook her head, saying she wasnât hungry.
When Magnus heard that Natalia wasnât eating again, he immediately threw back the covers Darling, please eat something. If you donât eat, neither does our babyâ
Realizing that she didnât have the right to starve their child, Natalia forced herself to eat a little.
When Magnus finished his dinner downstairs and returned, she was lying sideways on the bed He picked up his pajamas and went to the bathroom Half an hour later, Magnus emerged from the bathroom. He gently lifted the covers and lay down beside Natalia, who remained silent and rigid Magnus moved closer, and his hand gently rested on her belly Darling, letâs not fight anymore The baby is coming soon. Please.â
His voice was low and he was pleading Natalia closed her eyes and said nothing The thorn of Isabella was forever lodged between them. Could they ever go back to how they were? She didnât want to think about it anymore. She just wanted to give birth to their baby.
Magnus noticed that Natalia remained silent, so he sighed, gently held her, and closed his eyes.
Natalia didnât say anything else and soon fell asleep in his arms.
In the middle of the night, Magnus was awakened by cries. Natalia was sobbing in her sleep. âMom. no.
Hector, no. Magnus, let me go.â
Tears streamed down her face, but her eyes remained closed. Magnus realized she was having a nightmare. In her dream, she was calling for her mother and Hector She was begging Magnus to let her go!
His heart sank. Had he truly lost her heart forever? He wiped away her tears, tucked her into bed, and quietly left the room. He dressed and headed to his study In the dark, Magnus stood by the window, looking out at the bright moonlight and listening to the sound of the waves. He chainâsmoked, pondering if he should let her go. Without him, would she be happier?
But the thought of her leaving, and leaving him with nothing, brought him back to square one. Why did everyone hate him? As a child, his parents hated him. Now, even his wife hated him.
All night, he stayed in his study, smoking and staring out into the night sky.
When Natalia woke up, it was already dawn. She saw that no one was beside her, and she remembered that Magnus had slept next to her the previous night. However, he had already left early in the morning She chuckled to herself. Right, they didnât have anything to talk about anymore. She sat up, put on her slippers, and went to the bathroom. Afterward, she opened the balcony doors, but she quickly noticed that the study light was still on Could it beâ¦
Natalia turned towards the study, finding Magnus sound asleep on the small bed. The room was filled with the scent of cigar smoke, a testament to his lateânight activities. His tall frame was coiled up on the small bed, filling it in its entirety.
So it turned out that he hadnât slept with her last night. Heh It seemed that even when he came home, he preferred to sleep in the study instead of with her. Maybe he was no longer used to being with her.
She turned away from the study, returned to the bedroom and sat on the bed, watching as the sky gradually brightened outside. When the housekeeper began cleaning, she heard Magnus go downstairs. He left without having breakfast, driving off without a word to her.
Natalia stood on the balcony, watching his car disappear into the distance. Her heart was sinking into the abyss.
From then on, Magnus returned to Sapphire Island every day. He rarely spoke to Natalia but still came home to eat in silence and sleep. He still took care of Natalia attentively, but they both knew that their hearts had drifted far apart!