Natalie couldn’t help lamenting fate’s cruelty. She was sorry that a life had been lost so young. At the same time, it solidified her resolve to continue living. Nothing in this world mattered when compared to life and
death.
The surgery lasted for a few hours. When Natalie was wheeled out of the operating theater, the lead surgeon
said to Bella, “It was a huge success.
Bella instantly burst into tears of joy. She threw her arms around Natalie and refused to let go. Benjamin heard
her howling over a video call and panicked, thinking that the surgery had failed.
“What the hell are you crying about, Bella? How did the surgery go? Talk to me! Hey, stop crying for just a
second, will you?” he shouted.
Bella continued howling. “Shut the hell up, you idiot! Don’t talk to me right now!”
She and Benjamin had been on a video call while waiting for the surgery to be over, but he’d missed out on what
the surgeon had said earlier because of the noise. All he knew was that Bella had burst into tears after the
surgeon had said something.
Damn it! Had the surgery really failed?
Benjamin was practically bouncing with anxiety. “Say something I can understand, woman!”
Bella wiped her tears, still sobbing as she said, “Natalie’s going to be able to see the light of day again, Ben. I’m
so excited that I can’t even stop crying!”
Natalie could see the light of day again? Why did that sound so weird? Had Bella lost the ability to speak
properly after spending too long abroad?
Whatever. That was beside the point. The point was that the surgery was a success!
Benjamin’s mood soared. “Alright, get your ugly mug away from the camera. I want to talk to Natalie!”
Natalie’s anesthesia had just worn off, and she was still weak. Her eyes were covered by gauze and bandages,
but they did nothing to hide her smile. She said, “Don’t worry, Ben I’m doing well”
Benjamin only truly relaxed when he heard her voice. He and Bella didn’t stop talking as Natalie was wheeled to her hospital ward. Meanwhile, Natalie never stopped smiling. It was clear her joy came from the heart
At the end of the conversation, Benjamin gave Natalie and Bella a quick rundown of the situation in Grendate Since Natalie’s departure, Jason had searched the world for her like he was possessed
Per Natalie’s instructions before leaving, Benjamin had compiled the taunting voice notes that Sienna had sent to Natalie as well as the amorous video recorded at the Spencer residence into a file. Then, he’d shared it online
It had instantly thrown Jason and Sienna into the eye of a storm Benjamin had hired media outlets to blow the thing out of the water, so everyone knew they were cheating assholes.
Benjamin sounded vindicated even just talking about the matter. “I also heard that Xavier’s currently filing for divorce after learning about whatever’s going on between Sienna and Jason. I suppose this is what people call
retribution.”
Leaving Grendale had symbolized Natalie severing her ties to her past. Now, she was going to start afresh “Everyone in this world has to pay the price for the mistakes they’ve made
Once her private investigator gave her what she needed, she would make sure Jason and Sienna ended up
behind bars, too. That was what they owed her
Benjamin and Bella exchanged a look through the video call. The latter said, “Alright, that’s enough talking
Natalie needs to rest, so let’s end the call here. We can catch up another day
The video call ended, and Bella leaned close to Natalie. She asked, “Have you really let go of everything that
happened in Grendale?”
Natalie smiled reassuringly “Jason is just my ex–husband now, and I’ve long since moved on. What’s there to
hang on to?”
Bella was relieved to hear how casual and relaxed she sounded.
The surgery was a huge success. During the day, Natalie could even vaguely sense where the light came from.
The doctor told her that her bandages could soon be removed if her recovery continued at that pace. To Natalie.
that was the best news she’d received in recent times
But back in Grendale, things were far from rosy
