Chapter 1985

"The doctor said you should get more sunlight. It's good for your health." Mavis was annoyed. "The UV rays are too strong. It's not good for the baby." Besides, the sunlight was so bright that it was uncomfortable. Eventually, Nathaniel set down the soup and reluctantly helped her shut the curtains. After doing so, he returned to the bed, picking up the bowl again and blowing on the soup to cool it. For a moment, Nathaniel seemed like a perfect husband, taking care of her with such attention to detail that Mavis was dazed. However, she quickly noticed that his face betrayed no particular emotion. Although his actions were gentle, his eyes lacked warmth, and he appeared to be carrying out duty instead. This growing realization made her uneasy, and she turned her face away, refusing to look at him. "Here, have some breakfast. Be careful, it's hot." He held the spoon with soup to her mouth, but she kept her lips tightly closed and turned her head away. "You don't need to go through this trouble. I can eat it myself." Nathaniel paused, his eyes flashing with a momentary coldness before he suppressed it. He replied patiently, "I'm your husband, and you can ask me to do these things. There's no need for you to use a requesting tone or to feel inconvenienced." "But I don't want to eat right now." Nathaniel withdrew the spoon and set the bowl down. "Fine. Let me know when you're ready to eat, and I'll heat it up for you." Mavis secretly scoffed. While he seemed patient, she knew it was not much. "Nathaniel, is it a matter of pride? Are you pretending to be nice to me to avoid others saying you mistreat your wife? Aren't you tired of living a lie and wearing a mask?" Nathaniel furrowed his brow and met her gaze in silence. "Do you really… love me?" The only response was silence. Her nose tingled with a hint of sadness as the lack of an answer was the clearest answer Nathaniel could give her. "You don't actually love me. You chose me because I was obedient and infatuated with you, making me easy to control. So, when the Nicholls family elders pressured you into marriage, you picked me, didn't you?" He had indeed thought that way back then. Yet, faced with Mavis's questions, Nathaniel could not find the words and chose to remain silent. Mavis looked up at the ceiling, fighting back her tears. "Our contract was only for a year, and I signed the divorce agreement decisively. Now that you've realized you no longer have control over me, you're panicking and desperately trying to convince me to stay. You're not driven by love or concern for me. You're just reluctant and guilty. You feel you owe me because of the misunderstandings surrounding Kristen and the internal betrayal at the company that forced me out. But Nathaniel, I don't need you to make amends, and I'm not interested in your gestures of goodwill." He did not love her, and she understood that a union built on guilt and compensation would never bring happiness. Nathaniel's face hardened, his displeasure evident. "Yes, I owe you a lot from the past, but can you say that you were without fault?" Mavis met his gaze firmly. "I've done nothing wrong to you. Perhaps my biggest mistake was loving you in the first place." Nathaniel scoffed, his gaze drifting to her belly. "What about the origins of this child? Do you not feel any guilt?" Her face paled. The lies she had told before were being used against her by Nathaniel, leaving her with no defense. Seeing her discomfort, Nathaniel's expression grew even more disdainful. "Have you ever mentioned the true origins of this child to Nana and Elliot? They all think this illegitimate child is mine, yet I can't get myself to tell them the truth. Don't you feel any guilt toward me?" Mavis clutched the blanket with both hands, biting her lip. "Stop calling him illegitimate. He's my baby."