Chapter 2

The rain had stopped by the next morning, allowing the sun to peek out from behind the clouds. Natania failed to catch even a wink of sleep the entire night as her mind had been racing nonstop. She had experienced the purest form of love there was, so how could she possibly accept a heart that no longer held her? She was the Natania who loved Stephen deeply, but she was also the eldest daughter of the Wendell family. There was no way she could tolerate such injustice. After a moment of thought, she called her father. "Dad, I remember you said you wanted to expand your business to Ethor. Coincidentally, Sophia's husband is a member of Ethor's royal family. She'll be going over in two weeks, so I wish to go with her. Perhaps I'll get a lay of the land." Albert Wendell was puzzled. "Did Stephen put you up to this?" "No. It's my own decision." Natania smiled wryly. Everyone automatically assumed that she and Stephen were joined at the hip and went everywhere together. Her father was no exception. Hearing that, Albert was even more confused. His daughter had always been reluctant to part from Stephen for even a moment. So, he didn't know why she was suddenly thinking of going to someplace so far away. "Tania, did Stephen do something to hurt you?" Albert's tone instantly became stern. Natania pursed her lips, but in the end, she chose to hide the truth from him. "Dad, please don't probe any further. I'll tell you everything after I've gone to Ethor." The Wendell and Fost families had been longtime friends, and their connection had only deepened after Natania's marriage to Stephen. Hence, she didn't want the Wendell family to suffer any losses because of her. Unable to overcome Natania's stubbornness, Albert had no choice but to agree with her. "Alright. Then, drop by Wendell Group later so you can familiarize yourself with the matter." Natania nodded and ended the call. After that, she left the bed to wash up. As she stared at her swollen eyes in the mirror, she felt a wave of bitterness and despair wash over her. The lawyer she hired had already drafted the divorce agreement and sent it to her. Nonetheless, she still hadn't thought of how she would bring up the matter with Stephen. After all, they had been together for many years. It naturally wouldn't be so easy to cut ties with him. Using makeup to conceal her shabby appearance, she changed into professional attire before leaving the room. Downstairs, Sophia was eating breakfast with Benjamin. The young boy must have been shocked by Natania's demeanor yesterday because the moment he spotted Natania, he darted over on his short legs. Taking her hand, he brought it to his lips and blew on it gently. "Natty, you're awake! Mommy said that your heart was hurting really badly yesterday, so let me blow away the pain for you." At the tender age of six, Benjamin was still incredibly innocent. Natania stroked his face and said, "Good boy, Benjamin. I'm not hurting anymore. Go to your mom." Benjamin nodded with childish naivety and spun around, skipping toward Sophia. Natania recalled the joyful laughter and smile on Stephen's face when he was with the boy from the previous day. If she hadn't lost her baby back then, the child would likely be a little older than that boy. Taking a deep breath, Natania squashed the bitterness rising within her. After telling Sophia where she was going, she left the house. However, she had only just left the villa's gates when she spotted a figure standing beside a Maybach parked not too far away. Stephen appeared exhausted as he smoked a cigarette. There was already a cloud of smoke swirling around him, blurring the edges of his figure. Natania was surprised to see him. According to the information she received, Rosalie Granger and her son both had birthdays in July. At this time, Rosalie's birthday had already passed, but her son's hadn't. Natania wondered why Stephen had suddenly returned then. It seemed that her gaze had been a bit too piercing, as Stephen sensed it and turned to shoot her a questioning look. When he saw that it was Natania, his initially dull gaze lit up. He swiftly strode over and wrapped her up in a hug. As usual, his embrace was warm. However, in that instant, Natania jerked as though she had been burned. "Are you feeling better from your cold? Your voice sounded off, so I rushed back as soon as I could. When I didn't see you at home, I assumed you would be with Sophia." Stephen's voice was filled with concern, and his worried expression didn't appear insincere either. Even now, Natania couldn't understand how a man who loved her so deeply could, in good conscience, sleep with another woman and even have a child together with her. Her lips faintly trembled as she tried hard to swallow the lump in her throat. She wanted to demand answers, yet in the end, she could only numbly say, "I'm fine now. I was just about to head home." Stephen breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that. "Next time you're sick, remember to tell me. Otherwise, I'd worry myself to death." His gentle and low voice almost gave Natania the illusion that everything was fine. However, from the corner of her eyes, she spotted a slender figure standing not too far away. Rosalie was standing under a tree while typing something on her phone. A second later, Stephen's phone chimed with a message. He glanced down at his phone, a conflicted expression flashing across his face. He said, "There's an emergency at the company. I have to go handle it." The air in Natania's lungs seemed to freeze. She wasn't blind. She had clearly seen that the sender of the text was "Rosalie". Her heart felt like it was shattering into a million pieces. Forcing back the sorrow threatening to overwhelm her, she said, "Alright. You'd better go quickly. Company matters are more urgent." Guilt flickered in Stephen's eyes. Nevertheless, he still pressed a kiss to her forehead before getting into his car and speeding off. Once Stephen had departed, Rosalie put her phone away and approached Natania. Her hips swayed as she did so. She said, "Hello, Ms. Wendell. I'm Rosalie Granger, and I'm…" She then paused, appearing hesitant. However, when she noticed Natania's tightly pursed lips, understanding dawned upon her. "I see that you already know of Andy and my existence, Ms. Wendell. In that case, just sit back and watch. The show's about to begin."