Brandon stubbornly fixed his gaze on the door,replying,”Il be worried until she’s back.”
Garrett.so frustrated he felt like knockina Brandon out cold just to make him rest,retorted.What is there to worry about?
Laney and I will take good care of her!”
“Tll rest once she’s back”Brandon replied,a distrustful look in his cold eyes.
Regardless of Garrett’s persuasions,he was adamant about waiting for Natalie.
Only when the night had deepened did a bodyguard report, “Mrs.Larson has finished speaking with Mrs.White.”
As Brandon started to rise.Garrett pushed him back down.
“You can’t move.Your wound has just been stitched.”
Knowing Garrett meant well,Brandon didn’t resist.Instead,he frowned at the bodyguard and asked,”Why hasn’t Natalie returned yet?”
“Mrs.White took her to the restaurant for dinner.Do you want me to call her up?
Only then did Brandon realize that after everything that had happened throughout the night,not just Natalie,but he also hadn’t eaten.He waved a dismissive hand.Never mind.
Bring me some dinner.As for Natalie,bring her to me when she’s done eating.”
Meanwhile,in the restaurant,Natalie was dining with Johanna and Beal,reminiscing about her past.
When Brandon’s name came up.Natalie blushed,asking in a soft voice,”Is he.…really my husband?”
Johanna covered her mouth,her eyes crinkling in a smile.
“Indeed.You two were incredibly close.Always inseparable.”
Beal echoed her sentiments.”Apart from us,he’s been the most distressed about your disappearance.Brandon has been tirelessly searching for you day and night these past few months.He’s worn himself thin.”
Hearing Johanna and Beal’s words,a warm feeling welled up in Natalie’s heart.
After finishing her meal,a nearby bodyguard promptly approached her and respectfully guided her towards Brandon’s room.
Before even entering,Natalie was struck by the intense smell of blood.
Fear clutchina at her.she hurried into the room.Only when she saw Brandon safely reclining against the headboard did she let out a sigh of relief.
A soft smile finally graced Brandon’s typically cold expression as he caught sight of Natalie.”Have you eaten enough?Did you enjoy the restaurant’s food?”
Natalie,however,couldn’t bring herself to answer his questions.As soon as she entered the room,she noticed his alarming pallor,as though he could faint at any moment.
“What happened to you?”Alarmed,she quickly pulled back the covers to inspect his wounds.”Have you been hurt again?
Did the wound reopen?”
Brandon felt warmth spreading through him at the sight of her worried expression.Suddenly,the pain in his waist didn’t seem as bad anymore.
Observing his silent,intense stare,Natalie’s anxiety mounted.
“ll call the doctor immediately.”
Brandon reached out and held Natalie’s hand.the soft touch of her skin calming him.He assured her gently,”It’s okay,I’m not hurt.”
However,the strong smell of blood and Brandon’s noticeably pale lips made it hard for Natalie to believe him.”The scent of blood in the room is overwhelming,and your face is so pale.
How can you say you’re okay?”
Not wanting to worry her further,Brandon chose not to divulge the details about the stitches.He simply said,’T had a bit of bleeding when I went looking for you earlier,but the doctor has taken care of it.Honestly,it’s okay.You don’t need to worry.”
Even though Brandon was trying to keep his voice calm,the pungent scent of blood and his ashen complexion made it impossible for Natalie to be fooled.
Natalie had pieced together the truth:that Brandon had aggravated his injury while he was out searching for her.
Swamped with quilt,she avoided his gaze.Her voice,a whisper,was heavy with remorse.”I’m sorry.I brought this on you.”
As the words slipped from her lips,a single tear traced a path from her eye and fell onto the back of Brandon’s hand.
Brandon,aware of the unexpected wet warmth on his hand furrowed his brow.lgnoring the fact that Natalie was grappling with memory loss,he gently tilted up her chin, taking in the tear-streaked face.Why the tears again?Who’s been making you upset?”he inquired softly.
But instead of providing comfort,Brandon’s tender voice only served to unleash a torrent of Natalie’s tears.Her voice breaking,she bit her lip.”No one upset me.Im the one to blame.I lost control and worried you.It led to your injury.”
The harsh reality was that if she had been a little less rash, a little less driven by the words of others,Brandon wouldn’t have been hurt again.
Recalling Johanna’s revelation that they had all skipped meals,tirelessly searching for her,added weight to her guilt.
Despite her amnesia robbing her of memories,they all continued to treat her as their beloved kin.friend,and lover.
They bore her whims and selfishness with patience,never holding it against her.
But it was Brandon who stood out.He was injured while trying to protect her,yet her memory loss had prompted her to keep him at arm’s length,time and again.
The more Natalie dwelt on it,the stronger her regret grew.
Her tears,uncontrollable,splattered on Brandon’s hand.
Her sobs made it hard for her to articulate words.Her apologies,incoherent and muffled,filled the air.”I’m sorry …
I’m really sorry…I’m truly sorry for my whims…I’m sorry …”
Brandon,watching the heart-wrenching sight of Natalie in distress,felt the tears staining the back of his hand scorching into his skin,and a sharp pang in his heart.
“It’s not on you.Natalie.We’re the ones who owe you an apology,Brandon soothed softly,brushing away the tears on her cheeks with a tender touch.”We shouldn’t have gone behind your back for the DNA test.Considering your memory loss,your anger is understandable …”
“No….”Natalie argued softly,her eyes glistening with fresh tears.”If I hadn’t let others’words get to me and hid,you wouldn’t be hurt.”
She yearned to examine Brandon’s wound,but hesitated,not wanting to intrude.She asked tentatively,”May I see your wound?”
Concerned that the sight of the injury would only fuel her guilt,Brandon was about to decline.But when Natalie gently squeezed his hand,pleading,”Please?”his resistance melted.
With barely a moment to rethink his decision,he acquiesced, “Alright.”
Before he could retract his permission,Natalie was already cautiously lifting his shirt to reveal the wound.
A grim sight awaited her.A deep,sutured scar that stole her breath away.
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She stared wide-eved at the scar.and the tears she had managed to contain broke loose once more.”How did it..how did it get so bad …
With a sigh of helplessness,Brandon gently stroked her hair.
“I figured you’d react this way….Don’t cry,Natalie.It isn’t your fault.It’s on me.I neglected your feelings.Just….don’t cry, okay?”
Yet,his self-accusations only amplified her tears.
The image of the scar was etched into her mind,causing a dull throb in her heart.
“I’m sorry,truly sorry…”Natalie choked out through her sobs, clutching Brandon’s hand tighter.
Witnessing Natalie’s heartache stirred a deep pain in Brandon’s chest.
After a moment’s hesitation,noticing that she wasn’t pushing him away as before,he pulled her gently into his embrace, whispering,”It’s not on you.It really isn’t.It’s on me.I failed to protect you. …”
As Natalie sobbed into his chest.she lost track of time.
Eventually,exhaustion claimed her,and she found herself quietly resting against Brandon’s strong shoulder.
As her sobs subsided and she seemed to regain some calm.
Brandon reassured her once more,From the moment I first laid eyes on you in the casino,I knew you were my wife.”
Lifting her tear-reddened eyes,Natalie managed a hoarse, “Really?”
Brandon’s fingers gently traced the path of her tears.T
might have been taken aback by your subtle change in appearance,but I never doubted your identity.You’ve always been the one l love the most.Even without seeing your face, Icouldn’t be mistaken.
Pausing,his voice softened further as he continued,”I believe your parents felt the same.They must have recognized you at first glance.”
Brandon’s soothing words seemed to possess a magical quality,dissolving Natalie’s unease and hesitations in an instant.
She found solace as she leaned against his shoulder,inhaling the strange yet familiar scent that enveloped him.Her eyes shimmered with moisture,threatening to spill tears once more.