Marshall cried for a long time before finally quieting down. He seemed genuinely terrified, his tall frame trembling slightly.


    He looked up at Natalie, his expression pleading and vulnerable. "Natalie, I feel


    awful again."


    Natalie was stunned by the look of brokenness on his dangerously handsome face. His skin was pale, like cool jade, now streaked with tears. A few strands of hair fell across his forehead, making him look even more fragile and alluring.


    "Marshall, it''s alright. I''m here. It''s okay."


    Her resistance to handsome men was low, and her voice softened unconsciously. Warmed by her gentle tone, Marshall felt a sense offort spread through him. Sebastian, watching the shift in Natalie''s gaze, felt his own expression turn colder, his brow furrowing.


    What was Marshall doing? ying the victim?


    "Natalie, I''m scared. Can you please not leave tonight? The moment I close my eyes, I feel the pain in my arms and legs. The ocean was so, so cold."


    Natalie was taken aback.


    "You... you were thrown into the ocean?" she asked, immediately regretting it. He was clearly terrified; she shouldn''t have brought it up.


    "Yes! I dreamed about it. It was horrible. My whole body hurts now," Marshall said, looking as if he were enduring immense pain and fear.


    His long eyshes fluttered. The nightmare had haunted him for a long time, and all the resentment and agony had finally erupted tonight.


    Natalie''s heart went out to him. Since she had met Marshall, this was the first time she had seen him so vulnerable.


    “Okay. It''s alright, I''ll stay with you. Don''t be afraid." She took his hand and led him back into the room.


    Sebastian followed them in. His wife, in the middle of the night, was nning to stay with another man.


    Swallowing his rage, Sebastian strode into the room after them.


    Natalie helped Marshall sit on the bed, and he suddenly pulled her into a hug.


    Natalie froze. She was rarely this close to a man, not even Sebastian.


    “Natalie, you''ll really stay with me, won''t you?"


    His gentle voice wasced with insecurity, his almond-shaped eyes looking at her with hopeful expectation.


    For a moment, Natalie had the


    strange feeling that the nightmare had extinguished the innate arrogance in his bones, leaving. behind a Marshall who was exceptionally gentle and fragile.


    “Marshall, don''t push your luck. Let go of my wife.”


    A cold voice cut through the air from above. Marshall flinched, looking up to see Sebastian. He became frantic. "Natatie, what is he doing here?" he demanded his voice suddenly full of energy.


    Natalie was also taken aback. This was a "weak" Marshall?


    Sebastian, however, saw right through the act. He could tell Marshall was deliberately ying the victim to win Natalie''s sympathy. The maniptive jerk.


    His voice was deep and resonant. "Natalie, can''t you see he''s just pretending to be weak for you?"


    Natalie turned to him with a mischievous smile. "How could you say that? Marshall is terrified. I have to stay here with him. You should go home."


    "But it''s sote..."


    “What about it beingte? We live in a civilized society. Are you suggesting something indecent would happen between Marshall and me?"


    Sebastian fro?e, a memory


    triggered. Those were the exact words he had once said to her when he chose to stay with Joanna Now, with the roles reversed, she was throwing them back in his face. He felt a surge of rage burn through him, apanied by a sharp pang in his heart.


    Was this how she had felt back then? So hurt?


    Unwittingly, he had caused her so much pain.


    No wonder she had said that he could move on, but she couldn''t.