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Chapter 18
After hearing that, Jayden couldn’t hide the grin tugging at his lips. “No matter what kind of gift you’ve prepared, I know I’ll love it.”
Natalie’s smile widened. “Oh, I hope you love it,” she mused.
In the blink of an eye, it was Jayden’s birthday, and his party was full of socialites. Despite being the man of the hour, he spent most of the night introducing Natalie to everyone he spoke with. As the evening went on, the attention gradually
shifted from him to her.
Natalie knew exactly what he was doing. Back then, Clara had been the one beside him and the star of every gathering. It had been as if he’d completely forgotten that she was the one who
had that spotlight. Now, he was simply returning what had always been hers.
The party reached its peak when the fireworks went off
outside.
Surrounded by cheers and laughter, Jayden took Natalie’s
hand and guided her toward the cake. He looked into her eyes and, in a rare moment of vulnerability, made a wish he hadn’t voiced in a long time.
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“I hope that, from now on, you’ll always be by my side.”
Just then, one of the guests teased, “Mr. Carter, you’re not supposed to say your wish out loud! Aren’t you afraid it won’t come true?”
Jayden laughed it off. “Regardless of whether it comes true or not, I’m not leaving Natalie, and she’s not leaving me. After all, we’re siblings. Right, Natalie?”
Natalie smiled as well, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m not going to leave you, Jayden. After all, I can’t leave until you pay for what you’ve done,” she mused.
The party continued, but Natalie was visibly worn out. Jayden noticed that and told her to head upstairs and get some rest. She didn’t argue; she just gathered her gown and made her
way up.
Compared to the lively party downstairs, the second floor was quiet. There wasn’t a single person in sight.
However, she took a quick look around before entering her room. To be honest, she didn’t need to be that cautious; the system had already blocked all surveillance cameras for her.
Once she was sure that no one was around, she turned and slipped into Jayden’s room. Less than a minute later, she emerged from his room and quietly returned to her own.
After his birthday, Jayden planned to take Natalie on a
Chapter 18
getaway. He was just about to head downstairs with their
packed luggage when his vision blurred and everything went black. He abruptly passed out.
After a thorough checkup, the doctor confirmed that he was
fine. Jayden didn’t give it much thought, but that night, he
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had a nightmare a nightmare he’d experienced in the past.
–
After witnessing Natalie die in front of him that day, he’d been plagued by nightmares. In his dreams, he would see her again, right before the explosion. Over and over again, he watched himself send her onto that cruise ship. Time and time again, he tried to save her, but it was always too late.
In the end, all he could hear were Natalie’s heart–wrenching sobs and screams as she broke down, blood streaming down her cheeks, crying out, asking him why he’d put her on the
ship.
Then, the dream would shift. Jayden saw Natalie again. This time, she was tied to a chair on the cruise ship, repeatedly asking him if she was really going to die there, if she would never be able to see him again.
The nightmares played on a loop, over and over again, until he completely broke down and could no longer sleep. No matter
how many doctors he visited, no matter how many pills he
took, nothing worked.
He knew, deep in his gut, that he was a big part of the reason
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Natalie died. And every night, he tried to beg for her forgiveness in his dreams.
But she never forgave him. In fact, she would glare at him and seethe, “I will never forgive you!”
His condition had started improving after her substitute entered his life, and he’d stopped having nightmares about Natalie. He’d thought he was finally healing. But then… they
returned.
This time, however, he found himself in Natalie’s shoes in his dream. He saw everything through her eyes and experienced the pain she’d once suffered. He experienced firsthand the
wounds he’d inflicted on her.
He cried, begged, and crawled on his knees just like she had. Yet, the “Jayden” in his dream didn’t care. He even ordered the bodyguards to throw him out–into the snake pit, the wilderness, and all the places where he’d once abandoned
Natalie.
as jolted awake over and over by the nightmares, but trong urge to sleep soon overcame him, and he fell back into a deep sleep.
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Chapter 19
