After the hypnosis session, Charles looked like he had aged several years. The spark in his eyes was gone, and he seemed drained. This incident might also create a rift between him and Marcus, so it was understandable why Marcus did not want to confront him right now.
"What about Wesley?" Natalie asked after a moment of thought. She wanted to know Marcus'' opinion of him. "What do you think of him?"
Marcus'' expression remained neutral. "A useless man who couldn''t protect his wife and missed out on his child''s life. He''s good for nothing."
Natalie was speechless. If Wesley had heard that, he would probably have been too heartbroken to eat or sleep for days.
"Natalie, do you feel sorry for him?" Marcus narrowed his eyes and stopped walking to look at her.
"Not exactly," Natalie replied, shaking her head. "If anything, I feel sorry for Laura."
"You''re right, though. If we got married and you turned out like Wesley while I ended up like Laura, I''d call you useless and divorce you without a second thought," she added with a slight smile.
Marcus said without hesitation, "That would never happen to me. I''m nothing like him."
"So, when are we getting married?" he asked, changing the subject abruptly. "Wait, what?" Natalie was caught off guard. "You can''t just switch topics like that."
"Right now, I need to contact the Maine family," Marcus replied, shifting gears again. "We''re sending Lucy''s body back to them, and I want to see how they react."
Natalie sighed, unable to keep up with his thought process. Right now, her focus was on taking care of Laura. "Fine. I''ll leave you to it. I''m going to check on Laura."
"Alright," Marcus said, reaching out to take her hand. "Before we part, I want a hug."
Natalie smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. Marcus pulled her close, holding her tightly against his chest.
"Natalie, I''m sorry. We just started dating, and you''re already dealing with so much. I feel bad for dragging you into all this," he whispered.
"Laura is my patient, and it has nothing to do with you. She just so happens to be your mother," Natalie replied, patting his back.
"Marcus, I''m d I took this case. Otherwise, you''d still be misunderstanding her, and the two of you might never have reunited."
"Thank you, Natalie," Marcus said sincerely.
"If you really want to thank me, give me gold. I love gold-lots and lots of it,"
Natalie said with a yful smile on her face.
If Marcus insisted on making it up to her, she would prefer gold or money. Besides, money made the world go round, and while it might sound materialistic, it was practical.
"Deal," Marcus said,ughing. Her words lightened the mood. "How about a house? Or a car? I''ll give you plenty of money and gold."
"Everything I have is yours, and what''s yours stays yours," he added with a grin.
"Oh, now you''re just feeding me lines," Natalie teased,ughing. "Marcus, remember what you said. Everything of yours is mine, and mine stays mine."
"If you ever go back on your word, I''ll make sure you regret it," she joked. "I''m Dr. Elim, after all. I can turn you into an eunuch without anyone noticing. Or better yet, I could stab you a dozen times and make sure not a single wound is fatal."
Marcus gasped, his legs instinctively tensing. He asked, "Nat, do you have to be so ruthless?"
"A woman has to be tough to hold her ground," Natalie replied, blinking yfully before bursting intoughter.
"Rx, I was just kidding. If I were really that ruthless, I wouldn''t have put up with so much in the Langley family all those years," she added.
"Feeling better now?" she asked, her tone softening.
Marcus stared at her deeply. So, she had been teasing him to distract him and lift his mood?
A small smile tugged at his lips, but he sighed, pretending to be hurt. 4 don''t feel better. If anything, I''m
more scared now. I''ll never dare to
cross you again."
"Come on, I was just messing with you," Natalie said, reaching up to ruffle his hair.
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed the corner of his mouth.
"I wouldn''t really turn you into an eunuch or stab you a dozen times. You''re my
lover, not my enemy. Don''t worry," she reassured him.
Before she could finish, Marcus cupped the back of her head and kissed her deeply, his lips iming hers.
That one sentence-"You''re my lover, not my enemy"-had struck a chord with him, melting his heart.
The kiss grew more intense, and Marcus'' breathing became heavier. When they finally pulled apart, Natalie''s cheeks were flushed, and she was slightly out of breath. She yfully punched his chest.
"Go take care of business," she mumbled.
"Alright," Marcus replied, his own face tinged red. He kissed her forehead and gently held her fist.
Since they had started dating, Natalie''s punches had be more like yful taps, never with any real force.
"Natalie, I''ll go now. Make sure you rest and take care of yourself," Marcus said, reluctantly letting her go.
"Got it," Natalie replied, waving him off without much hesitation.
"Come on, you''re a grown man. Don''t get too caught up in romance. Focus on what needs to be done," she lectured him, her tone serious.
"Once you''ve handled your responsibilities, we can enjoy our time together. So, hurry up and get it done," she added with a smile.
Marcus could not help but chuckle. He stepped closer and ruffled her hair again. "Alright, I''ll listen to you. I''ll finish this quickly so we can focus on us."
"Good, now go," Natalie said, shooing him away.
Marcus pulled back but could not resist kissing her forehead one more time. He repeated, "Rest well and stay safe."
"I know. You''re so naggy," Natalie whined, pretending to be annoyed. However, Marcus did not mind. He repeated his reminders a few more times before finally turning to leave.
Natalie watched him go, standing
still for a moment before heading in
the opposite direction. Soon, ske took a different path and arrived at the front of the guesthouse.
Charles'' room had its window open, and the old man stood there, gazing nkly
at the scenery of the herbal garden.
Natalie called out from below the window, "Grandpa Charles, do you want to<pe with me to see Laura?"