Chapter 20
standing there or how much he As they locked eyes, neither of them spoke. Natalie had no idea how long Tobias had been had overheard. But honestly, it didn’t really matter-everything they were talking about was just old news.
The young nurse looked upset, tears streaming down her face. Natalie comforted her, “Don’t cry. I’ll talk to the director later and sort everything out. They won’t fire you.
The nurse looked up, choking back her s**bs. T’m sorry, Dr. Liam I can’t believe I doubted you earlier. You’ll always be my role model.
Natalie gently ruffled her hair, smiling softly. “Go clean yourself up. Otherwise, people might think I’m bullying you.”
The nurse nodded, wiping her tears as she walked away to stop
and
Natalie planned to leave too, but the man in front of her had been staring since earlier. She had no choice but to meet his gaze. Is there something you need?” she asked,
Tobias spoke up. Just now, you reminded me of your old self. You played that role pretty well. He meant how Natalie had kindly comforted the nurse.
Natalie couldn’t help but chuckle. “With you, it’s just acting. But in front of others? That’s who I really am.”
Tobias frowned, looking troubled.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
Not wanting to keep talking. Natalie said. “Howard is out of danger now, You can transfer him to another hospital, but if you leave him here, I can’t guarantee he’ll walk out in one piece. Just seeing Howard filled her with anger, and she was ready to take action. After saying this, she turned to leave, but he grabbed her wrist.
She scoffed, ready to shake him off, but Tobias spoke first, “I heard everything you said in there.”
“Oh So what if he did?
Tobias glanced at the hospital room door before looking back at Natalie, his eyes full of an unreadable expression. “I didn’t know Howard had given you such a hard time before.”
Natalie replied c*o*ly, “And what does that change?”
Tobias paused for a moment, seeming to think over her words before finally saying, “He’s a direct descendant of the Reese family. My grandfather asked me to take care of him.”
Natalie scoffed, “I get it. Just like how your grandpa made you marry me in the first place, right?” To Tobias, his grandpa’s word was everything. That was how she ended up in the Reese family. Natalie wasn’t sad about it; she was just stating a fact. But the look on T***though Tobias had been part of her life for ten years, he felt like just a passing moment. He *was fulfilling a family obligation while she was on a mission. Neither of them owed the other anything.
After Natalie walked away, Tobias stood there for a moment, while Jack, who was behind him, didn’t dare say a word. Finally, Tobias moved, but instead of going into the hospital room, he walked out.
Jack couldn’t hold bark anymore. “Mr. Reese, aren’t you going in to check on Howard?”
Tobias replied flatly, “She said he’s line now, so there’s no need.
“Oh..” Jack replied. He thought to himself that his boss truly believed in Natalie. Bobby had insisted that Tobias go check on Howard, but now one word from Natalie had in changing his mind. However, Howard had really crossed the line, and Jack had no idea how much Natalie had suffered before..
Suddenly, Tobias stopped in his tracks, his voice almost a whisper. “Is that why she left?”
Jack blinked in confusion. He quickly understood what Tobias meant and said. “That’s possible. You know how Howard is. he wanted to mess with someone, he wouldn’t hold back. Did you see how he treated her? It was disrespectful. He must have done it before, but back then, she was trying to protect you…” Jack caught himself, realizing he had just said too much.
Tobias looked down, a self-deprecating smile tugging at his lips. I really am not a good husband, am I? I let someone who hurts her get away with it. He must have hurt her deeply.
Jack wanted to comfort him but didn’t know what to say. This realization felt strong and undeniable. He thought hard and finally said, “Well, you can’t blame it all on yourself, Mr. Reese. Mr. Bobby Reese is also part of it. You were just doing your duty as a grandson. Look at her. She’s never complained all these years; she definitely understands.”
Tobias let out a cold laugh, more bitter than amused. “Understanding means she won’t be disappointed, right?”
Jack didn’t dare speak again. It felt like every word he said was a mistake.
Tobias spoke again, his voice steady. “Get those documents and make them public.”
Jack was surprised, quickly realizing what Tobias meant. His eyes widened in shock. “But Mr. Reese, if you do that, Mr. Bobby Reese will definitely be angry. You can’t-
“I owe her, Tobias said, staring in the direction where Natalie had walked away. “Ten years of her life, and I owe her that much”
Jack swallowed hard, feeling confused. His boss was acting out of character. They had been divorced for a while now, but suddenly feeling protective of Natalie because of her past struggles didn’t seem like the usual Mr. Reese. But maybe it wasn’t so surprising. Natalie had once been so vulnerable; wanting to stand up for her didn’t seem wrong.
Meanwhile, Natalie had left the crowd and was resting in the lounge when she sneezed several times in a row. She checked her pulse and wondered, ‘Am I getting sick? But everything felt fine, so she shrugged it off.
There weren’t any big surgeries at the hospital the next day, so Natalie decided to rest at her new place. That Maddie stopped by with a bunch of ingredients to cook dinner together evening.
“Natalie, just relax tonight! I’ve got everything covered, Maddie said cheerfully. She was a great cook and had no sn**ty attitude. As soon as she got into the kitchen, she started moving around, while Yara, the little troublemaker, played with washing the veggies
Natalie yawned but eventually joined in to help. She often did surgeries, so her knife skills were pretty impressive. Maddie looked over and clapped her hands. “Natalie, your hands are gorgeous! You could totally be a hand model! Can I touch them?”
Natalie smiled slightly and held out her hand, “Of course.”
Maddie held Natalie’s hand and laughed, “I wonder who’s lucky enough to marry someone as amazing as you! You should put a ring on that finger-wait, is that a mark 1 see?” She pointed to the spot on Natalie’s ring finger.
Natalie paused for a moment. It hit her that the mark was from a ring she’d worn long ago. Tobias had given her a ring that had been too small; it was a style for Elle. After wearing it for so long, her finger had been a bit deformed. Even after six years, the trace still lingered.
Maddie froze, and it was clear to anyone that mark meant she’d worn an ill-fitting ring before. “Natalie, you were married?” “Yeah, but I’m divorced now, Natalie replied softly.
Maddie bit her lip, staring at her with wide eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me you got married? I didn’t even get to congratulate you.”
**
Natalie shook her head. She had no intention of sharing the details about Tobias with Maddie.
Maddie’s eyes eyes filled with tears. “You…”
**