Chapter 343 Regret

“Daddy, Mommy, we...” Lucas was at a loss for words as she stared at them both blankly.

Camila looked up, her lashes wet with tears. “Daddy, Mommy, have you made up? You won’t fight anymore, right?”

It took Christina a while to calm down and stop crying. She gazed at her daughter’s innocent expression and patted her head gently. “Yes, we’ve stopped fighting. We will never fight again.”

“Daddy and Mommy won’t be apart,” Nathaniel said, his voice firm.

Camila’s eyes lit up. “Wow! Look, Lucas. God is amazing. Daddy and Mommy aren’t fighting anymore!”

Mr. Patel really didn’t lie to us!

Lucas broke into a grin. “Yes, Camila. We did it!”

Christina was left speechless as she felt a surge of emotions upon realizing that her children had prayed for her.

Feeling bad, she gazed at them both and said, “Your hair and clothes are wet. Let me bring you home.”

The children had been caught in the rain and were completely drenched.

They were oblivious to their soaked state until Christina pointed it out to them. A sudden chill ran down their spines as they became aware of their sopping-wet clothes.

“Achoo!” Camila rubbed her nose and threw herself into Nathaniel’s arms. “Daddy, hold me. Mommy is going to hit our butts soon!”

Lucas and I loved playing in the rain. Every time, Mommy would scold us and make us stand as a punishment, warning us about catching a cold from being drenched. It had been some time since I had done that, but today I had no choice but to do so.

Nathaniel pressed a kiss on her forehead. “Good girl, Mommy won’t hit your butt today. Let’s head home.”

Christina cradled Lucas in her arms, while Nathaniel held Camila close as they walked out of the church together.

Back at Scenic Garden Manor, Christina gave Lucas and Camila a shower. The children, exhausted from their long walk, quickly succumbed to sleep.

They had drained their energy from walking for hours and fell into a deep slumber.

Christina kissed their foreheads lightly before leaving their bedroom.

In the corridor, Nathaniel seemed to be waiting for her.

They locked gazes, and his tall figure was as intimidating as usual.

“Let’s talk.”

Instead of replying to him, Christina walked into the bedroom and left the door ajar, a clear signal that he should come in.

Nathaniel strode into the room and closed the door.

“I want to talk about Madison and Norman,” he started. Due to the emergency earlier, he didn’t have the chance to explain things to Christina.

Christina lowered her head, her eyelashes shielding her emotions. “I don’t want the children to experience any more heartbreak.

Whatever you decide to do with Madison is up to you, but I won’t allow their actions to affect me and our children-”

Before she could finish, Nathaniel abruptly pulled her toward him with force. His eyes glinted with an icy intensity as he declared, “I am not in a relationship with Madison. She has always been my assistant, and nothing more!”

The atmosphere at the scene grew tense as Nathaniel felt his anger building.

He was furious as Christina didn’t even care about him at all.

-Who would sleep in the same bed with their assistant? If you insist, then tell me who Norman is. If you want to lie to me, at least make up a logical lie!” Christina snapped.

Every questioning word she uttered felt like a stab of a knife, tearing apart her dignity and pride and leaving her feeling exposed and vulnerable.

She deeply regretted her decision of coming back as she was now forced to face the memories that filled her with frustration.

A deep line appeared between Nathaniel’s brows as he pulled out his phone to call Sebastian, ordering the latter to show up right away.

Upon receiving the order, Sebastian quickly ran into the house.

He pushed the door open and immediately sense the tension in the air.

“Mr. Hadley, what can I do for you?” he asked, his heart pounding in his chest. His palms were growing sweaty...

Nathaniel’s face was dark as he commanded coldly. “Tell her who Norman is.”

Unaware of the situation, Sebastian responded honestly, “Mrs. Hadley, Norman is an orphan whom Mr. Hadley sponsors. He is quite introverted, so Mr. Hadley often asks Madison to take him out for walks and ensures he receives a good education.”

“Orphan?” Christina’s heart sank to the bottom of her stomach. Her voice was filled with disbelief as she responded, “Madison told me Norman is her child. Norman even claimed that Nathaniel is his father.”

Sebastian wore an awkward expression as he explained, “Norman adores Mr. Hadley, so he often tells others that Mr. Hadley is his daddy. If you don’t believe me, I can show you his file.”

He pulled out his phone and clicked into a folder containing photos of Norman at the orphanage, along with evidence of Nathaniel’s sponsorship of the orphanage.

Nathaniel had signed a sponsorship agreement, committing to providing Norman with the best living arrangements and ensuring regular outings for fun. This was the reason he had agreed to Madison’s suggestion of sending Norman to an expensive kindergarten.

Alas, his kind intention had allowed Madison to twist the truth.

“Mrs. Hadley, I swear Madison and Mr. Hadley are not in a romantic relationship.” Sebastian added.

Christina furrowed her brows. “What if you’re lying to me?”

Sebastian was speechless. “Uh, if that’s a lie, I will never find a wife this lifetime. I’ll be single forever.” Christina couldn’t believe he was bold enough to make that vow.

Nathaniel shot Sebastian a look. I didn’t treat him well over the years for nothing. Look how he proves himself useful now.

“All right, you can leave now,”

“Yes, Mr. Hadley.” Sebastian hastily made his exit, relieved that he had spoken the truth. The thought of being single forever was indeed a daunting prospect.

Nathaniel fixed his eyes on Christina as though he wanted to burn two holes right through her with his penetrating eyes.

“What else do I have to do to explain my innocence? A pity I cannot dig my heart out to show you that you’re the only person in my heart.”

Christina belatedly realized that Madison had been fooling her all this time.

If she had a knife, she would use it to stab Madison’s mouth without hesitation.

They stared at each other for some time before Christina broke the silence. “I’m tired. I need to rest.”

She needed some time to calm down.

Nathaniel went over and picked her up. “I’ll keep you company when you rest.

Christina’s attempts to free herself only seemed to exacerbate the intensity of Nathaniel’s grip. The pressure on her shoulders intensified, causing pain to radiate through her body.

Her slender figure seemed to embody the agility of a nimble squirrel as if it could slip away unnoticed at any given moment.

“Be good and stay put, Nathaniel said softly.

As they lay in bed, Christina felt her body molding against his muscular body.