"Natalie..."


    Natalie didn''t waste another second. She hung up and blocked the number. She would never forgive her.


    Closing her eyes, she quickly drifted off to sleep.


    She would no longer beg for, nor did she need, the meager scraps of maternal love Wendy had to offer.


    Back at her office, Wendy stared at her phone where Natalie had hung up on her. She sank to the floor, sobbing uncontrobly, the venomous words she''d hurled at her daughter reying in her mind.


    She wasn''t a real person, and she certainly didn''t deserve to be Natalie''s mother. She had been afraid of Natalie embarrassing her, and she had once looked down on her own daughter.


    Now that their rtionship hade to this, the pain was unbearable.


    Sebastian finished dinner but didn''t leave.


    Instead, he gathered the dishes and took them to the kitchen. After washing his hands, he went upstairs.


    He had seen Natalie go to the second floor.


    He pushed open the door to Natalie''s room. It was spacious but simple, furnished with just a bed and a sofa, devoid of any other decoration.


    Seeing how soundly Natalie was sleeping, he walked in quietly. Her face was pale, her features delicate, closely resembling Wendy''s, but not Nathan Scott''s.


    Her features were sharp and exquisitely defined.


    Sebastian sat beside her for a while before standing up. The vi''syout was exquisite.


    The architecture was unique. He quietly closed her door and saw the room next door wasbeled ''Walk-in Closet.''


    He pushed the door open to reveal a meticulously organized closet. He owned a women''s fashion line and was familiar with clothing, but the styles in her closet were stunningly unique—designs you couldn''t find anywhere else.


    It urred to Sebastian that since she was a designer herself, she must have designed all these clothes.


    It suddenly dawned on him that in the two years Natalie had been married to him, he had never bought her a single thing.


    He finally understood how terribly he had treated her.


    He gave Joanna that much a month for pocket money, while his own wife was treated worse than the staff.


    The maids earned a sry of several thousand a month, but Natalie got nothing.


    Sebastian closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the realization of his cruelty. He vowed to make it up to Natalie in the future.


    But not yet. A murderous glint shed in his eyes.


    He closed the door and walked to the next room, which was marked: Natalie''s Library.


    Curious, Sebastian pushed the door open and was stunned by the sight of the bookshelves inside. It was like a small, private library.


    By the window stood a white desk with a vase of three roses, adding a touch of life to the room.


    Sebastian walked in and saw the books on the shelves were all


    categorized: finance, medicin


    design, and various other subjects,? all neatly arranged.


    Near the window was a sofa, on which sat a yellow teddy bear and a


    beautiful doll of a little girls.


    pink hat and


    holding a small rabbit.


    Sebastian found it endearing. He never knew Natalie liked such girlish things.


    He walked over and sat down on the sofa.


    He noticed a few books on the table, and in the middle, a bowl of sunflower seeds.


    Natalie loved sunflower seeds, but he''d once told her he disliked them because the shells made a mess. After he mentioned it that one time, she never ate them at home again.


    He frowned. She had tolerated far too much from him.


    He sat down and spotted a distinctive notebook with a pink cover, a fountain pen resting on top of it.