The Imposter Bride by Sallie Woods

The doctor left after prescribing some medication to prevent premature birth.

Magnus stared at Natalia as she lay on the bed. Malnourished! He quietly descended the stairs.

“How have you been taking care of Natalia? Why is she this weak? And malnourished? What on earth

are you doing?” He raged at the maids and May.

“Sir, it’s not our fault. She barely eats anything. She spends her days staring blankly from the balcony.

She never smiles, and won’t eat anything we prepare” A maid sobbed in defense.

She barely ate? And she was unhappy every day? Was she still unhappy even if he was not around?

Didn’t she hate him? She should’ve been happy when he was not around

Suddenly, he remembered Hector’s words and a wave of panic washed over him.

Darling, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what you really wanted.”

He walked back upstairs and gently pushed open the bedroom door Sitting by the bed, he held her

small hand tightly, gazing at her frail face, wondering how she came to be in such a state. “Darling,

what would you like to eat? I’ll make it for you, okay?”

Natalia heard someone speaking She opened her eyes to see Magnus sitting by her bed, looking

handsome as ever it felt like a lifetime had passed.

How long had it been? He hadn’t returned to Sapphire Island in ages. He and Isabella must’ve been

getting along well by now. Once her baby was born, would Isabella be welcomed into the Andersen

family? The Simmons family was prestigious, so they would be a suitable match for the Andersens.

Thinking back to Hector’s battered face, she said, “Magnus, please send Hector to the hospital. Thank

you” He had come to see her after she got hurt, so she couldn’t ignore him.

Upon hearing her concern for Hector, Magnus felt a surge of jealousy. “He won’t die!” He tightened his

grip on her hand. He had also been hit by Hector His wounds were internal and not visible, but he

noticed that she hadn’t shown any concern for him.

Natalia silently closed her eyes, no longer wanting to think about anything. Her baby was protesting

fiercely. In recent days, she tried to avoid thinking about these issues. She could feel her baby kicking

in her belly.

Magnus watched as she closed her eyes. He reached out to gently touch her swollen belly and

suddenly felt a kick from below. The baby was kicking

him

He looked at Natalia’s trembling eyelashes and felt his heart soften. The baby knew his father was

there. Perhaps he didn’t like him either. He kept his hand there for a while, feeling the baby’s kicks

Natalia’s eyelashes were quivering intensely, clearly aware that their baby was kicking him. Slowly, he

withdrew his hand and walked out of the bedroom

The maid cleaned up the living room and then went upstairs to invite Natalia to dinner. Natalia shook

her head, saying she wasn’t hungry.

When Magnus heard that Natalia wasn’t eating again, he immediately threw back the covers Darling,

please eat something. If you don’t eat, neither does our baby‘

Realizing that she didn’t have the right to starve their child, Natalia forced herself to eat a little.

When Magnus finished his dinner downstairs and returned, she was lying sideways on the bed

He picked up his pajamas and went to the bathroom Half an hour later, Magnus emerged from the

bathroom. He gently lifted the covers and lay down beside Natalia, who remained silent and rigid

Magnus moved closer, and his hand gently rested on her belly Darling, let’s not fight anymore The baby

is coming soon. Please.”

His voice was low and he was pleading Natalia closed her eyes and said nothing The thorn of Isabella

was forever lodged between them. Could they ever go back to how they were? She didn’t want to think

about it anymore. She just wanted to give birth to their baby.

Magnus noticed that Natalia remained silent, so he sighed, gently held her, and closed his eyes.

Natalia didn’t say anything else and soon fell asleep in his

arms.

In the middle of the night, Magnus was awakened by cries. Natalia was sobbing in her sleep. “Mom. no.

Hector, no. Magnus, let me go.”

Tears streamed down her face, but her eyes remained closed. Magnus realized she was having a

nightmare. In her dream, she was calling for her mother and Hector She was begging Magnus to let her

go!

His heart sank. Had he truly lost her heart forever? He wiped away her tears, tucked her into bed, and

quietly left the room. He dressed and headed to his study

In the dark, Magnus stood by the window, looking out at the bright moonlight and listening to the sound

of the waves. He chain–smoked, pondering if he should let her go. Without him, would she be happier?

But the thought of her leaving, and leaving him with nothing, brought him back to square one. Why did

everyone hate him? As a child, his parents hated him. Now, even his wife hated him.

All night, he stayed in his study, smoking and staring out into the night sky.

When Natalia woke up, it was already dawn. She saw that no one was beside her, and she

remembered that Magnus had slept next to her the previous night. However, he had already left early in

the morning

She chuckled to herself. Right, they didn’t have anything to talk about anymore. She sat up, put on her

slippers, and went to the bathroom. Afterward, she opened the balcony doors, but she quickly noticed

that the study light was still on

Could it be…

Natalia turned towards the study, finding Magnus sound asleep on the small bed. The room was filled

with the scent of cigar smoke, a testament to his late–night activities. His tall frame was coiled up on

the small bed, filling it in its entirety.

So it turned out that he hadn’t slept with her last night. Heh It seemed that even when he came home,

he preferred to sleep in the study instead of with her. Maybe he was no longer used to being with her.

She turned away from the study, returned to the bedroom and sat on the bed, watching as the sky

gradually brightened outside. When the housekeeper began cleaning, she heard Magnus go

downstairs. He left without having breakfast, driving off without a word to her.

Natalia stood on the balcony, watching his car disappear into the distance. Her heart was sinking into

the abyss.

From then on, Magnus returned to Sapphire Island every day. He rarely spoke to Natalia but still came

home to eat in silence and sleep. He still took care of Natalia attentively, but they both knew that their

hearts had drifted far apart!