The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus)
Chapter 388

Magnus stretched out his one good arm and pulled both Natalia and Jonas into a tight hug. "Don't worry, he'll come back. I promise."

"Okay." Natalia swallowed the tears welling up as she stared out of the window. Hector always said the world was too beautiful to miss out on. How could he bear to leave it behind?

As the night deepened, Magnus' stomach grumbled. A hint of embarrassment showed in his eyes as he turned to Natalia. "Natalia, I'm getting kind of hungry."

"What would you like? I'll grab something for you," Natalia said, ready to leave the hospital room.

"No need, baby. I'm just craving an apple. Could you peel one for me?" Magnus asked, holding on to her with his uninjured hand.

Natalia thought he would ask for something more complicated, but it was just peeling an apple. "Sure."

She took an apple from the cabinet and skillfully began to peel it with a paring knife. The peel curled away in a long, unbroken spiral, and soon, she had peeled most of it. Magnus watched intently as Natalia focused on her task. His wife was most beautiful when she was concentrating, like an angel who had mistakenly wandered into the mortal realm.

"That's perfect, here." Natalia threw the peel into the trash and handed the peeled apple to Magnus. "Eat up."

Magnus glanced at his bandaged hand. "Baby, as you can see, my arm's in a cast."

"So?" Natalia squinted at Magnus, curious as to what game he was playing now.

"It's everyone's duty to care for the sick. Could you feed me, please?" Magnus schemed, thankful Jonas was asleep and not there to compete for the apple.

Natalia was frustrated, feeling like Magnus was being unreasonable. Yes, he had an injured arm, but he had another perfectly good one.

"Magnus, you're a grown man and not made of clay. Can't you eat an apple without being babied?"

"Of course not, Natalia. I'm about to pass out from hunger here. Can't you show a little compassion?" Magnus pouted, playing the sympathy card. "You probably think I didn't get hurt enough, right?" Natalia quickly covered his mouth in panic. "Don't say such things! Fine, fine, you win, okay?" She carefully sliced a piece of the apple and brought it to Magnus' lips.

Magnus chomped on the apple slice with a triumphant smile. "You're the best, my love. In this world, only you treat me right."

Natalia rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "Eat up and quit talking before you choke."

Magnus nodded obediently and kept munching on the apple.

Jonas stretched and sat up. "Mommy, I want some too."

"Sure, here you go," Natalia replied, shifting the apple piece from Magnus to Jonas.

Magnus, feeling slighted, grumbled, "I'm not full yet, my love. You can't favor him over me." Magnus stretched his neck and snatched the slice of apple back from Jonas.

Jonas pouted, pointing an accusing finger at Magnus. "Mommy, look at Daddy! He's stealing my food!" "You have to learn to care for your elders, kid." Magnus argued, to secure more apple slices for himself. Jonas rolled his eyes. "I've heard that respecting elders and caring for the young is a virtue."

"Exactly, respect your elders first, and then care for the young. I'm the elder here. How can I care for the young without you respecting your old man first?" Magnus spun the argument in his favor, using his business acumen to win the battle of wits.

Confused by his father's logic, Jonas jumped off the bed and grumbled, "You're just sweet-talking for more apples, Daddy. Shame on you! I'm going to replace Uncle James and have dinner with him. I'm not playing with you anymore!"

Jonas dashed out of the room like a whirlwind.

Natalia, concerned, rose to chase after him. "Be careful. Won't run so fast. Wait for me."

But before she could take a step, Magnus had already grabbed her wrist. "Don't worry. Since the incident, we've had bodyguards with him at all times. You don't need to worry about his safety anymore." Knowing Magnus to be a man of his word, Natalia no longer fretted over Jonas' safety.

However, as it grew late into the night, the thought of being alone with Magnus made her feel suddenly vulnerable. Sure enough, with Jonas gone, the atmosphere in the room shifted, acquiring a sensual charge. Whether it was the night or the lighting, a subtle pink hue seemed to float in the air, and bubbles of affection seemed to float and fell with every breath.

"Come here, baby," Magnus beckoned with eyes aflame, his gaze almost scorching her.

Natalia moved closer and sat down, feeling her body tense up. She tried to stand and leave, only to replace herself rooted to the spot as if enchanted. She was frozen to the point where even her fingertips refused to move.

Magnus encircled Natalia's waist, drawing her onto his chest. "Let me hold you, my love. I swear I won't do anything else." Without waiting for her consent, he pulled her into his embrace with a possessive urgency.

Natalia didn't struggle, fearing she might aggravate his wounds. She settled against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

"Honey, do you have any idea? In the year that you were gone, I went back to where we were six years ago. I was like a zombie, soulless, just going through the motions. I couldn't eat and couldn't sleep soundly. Life felt like a string of hollow moments. It was utterly pointless. Many times, after getting plastered at some bar, I'd think about taking a swan dive off the top floor of the Andersen Corporation building.' "Really, countless times, I wanted to just jump and end it all. Because I figured that way, my heart wouldn't hurt so much.

"But every time I got my feet up on that windowsill, your smile would flash before my eyes. I hadn't found you yet, so how could I just foolishly throw away my life like that?

"So, I held on, time and time again. And eventually, I found you. I've got to pat myself on the back for that, and thank my stubborn heart for letting me have this day. The day I'm finally reunited with you."