Natalie’s heart ached when the baby was mentioned.
She frowned, silent for a long moment, before saying softly, “L… aborted it
Her tone was calm, as if she didn’t care at all.
But Benjamin had seen exactly how much she had sacrificed for Jason over the past three years.
To have a child with him, she had tried everything, from folk remedies to traditional medicine. Bella had even
invented an interventional method for her that was excruciatingly painful, yet Natalie never complained
And now that she had finally conceived, she had just given it up.
Unless out of utter despair, who would do something so destructive to themselves?
It wasn’t hard to imagine just how much pain she was in.
In an attempt to ease the atmosphere, Benjamin joked, “Oh, you aborted it? Good. A scumbag like Jason does not deserve to have a child with you. He should just live out his days alone and childless
“Once you’re out of Grendale, you can have your pick of hot guys to have as many babies as you want. Jason can
eat his heart out in regret.
Natalie looked forward to Jason’s reaction when he saw the “surprise” she would be leaving behind for him
After a while, she said, “Ben, there’s something else I’d like your help with.”
“Sure. What is it?” Benjamin asked
Natalie’s expression grew serious. “No one knows better than I do exactly how well Sienna does at art. Besides. her style has always been realistic in the past, but in recent years, all her works have been abstract, and those
later works are what got her recognition in the art world.
No one’s art style changes at the drop of a hat. That only happens when significant trauma or life events happen that impact the artist on a psychological level — and even so, the change is never completely detached from their original style
Moreover, Sienna had neither talent nor the will to work hard. How could someone like that possibly achieve
Success?
Being a lawyer, Benjamin was keen enough to notice the inconsistencies. “So what you’re trying to say is, those
works that made Sienta famous weren’t actually hers?”
Natalie pursed her lips and hummed in agreement. “I’ve always had my suspicions, but I never gave it much thought. You have a big network. Could you look into this for me? I want to confirm my suspicions
In fact, Daphne had also been a somewhat famous artist before she got married. She only stopped painting after
she married Hugh, who had made his fortune through compensation from urban redevelopment
When she was young, Natalie had shown considerable talent in painting. Daphne had been happy about that.
thinking that she had passed on her artistic genes.
However, when she found out that Natalie wasn’t her biological daughter and brought Sienna home, Natalie’s
talent became a thorn in Daphne’s side, simply because her own daughter had no talent for art
The more she realized it, the more she hated it.
From then on, she forbade Natalie from painting at home. Once, as punishment, she deliberately stepped on
Natalie’s hand. If Bella hadn’t brought Natalie to a skilled doctor for treatment, her hand would’ve been
permanently damaged.
Benjamin agreed to the request without hesitation, saying, “No problem. Leave this to me. I promise I’ll give
you a satisfactory answer before you leave Grendale.
“Oh, by the way, I looked into your car accident back then, too. Go and get your money back–why did you waste money when you’ve got me working for free?”
Actually, Benjamin had been the first person Natalie thought of when she first thought of investigating the
accident. However, since the accident involved Jason, she changed her mind.
Jason had clawed his way up from being a street thug. He knew plenty of dirty tricks.
Natalie didn’t want to drag Benjamin into trouble, so she hired someone else instead.
Instead of saying all this, she explained, “You’ll have enough on your plate soon. I’ve already gotten other people to investigate the car accident for me. Help me look into Sienna first ”
Benjamin rested his hand on the steering wheel, thinking. After a while, he said, “Alright. I’ll do as you say. I’ve found you a new place to stay. Don’t go back to Jason’s ”
But Natalie had her own plans. “Send me back to Avon Villa,” she insisted. “I don’t want Jason to suspect
anything before I leave. This is the calm before the storm.”
She just wanted to disappear from his life completely and without warning.
It wouldn’t be long now.
Sienna was hospitalized again, but this time, she wasn’t as lucky. She had to get over ten stitches on her
forehead and suffered a concussion, so her doctor ordered her to stay for observation
Jason stayed with her all night without rest. After two days of sleep deprivation, even his body couldn’t take it.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaustion written all over his face.
Feigning concern, Sienna moved slightly and offered him part of her hospital bed. “Jason, come lie down and
rest a while. You look exhausted. I’m worried for you.
Jason looked at her. Her sweet, delicate face was just as he remembered, the one he used to love.
But for some reason, when he looked at Sienna now, he couldn’t help thinking about Natalie’s pale face
Abruptly, he stood up, startling Sienna. “Are you leaving, Jason?”
She hadn’t recovered yet–by all logic, he shouldn’t be leaving now.
Especially since she was hurt so badly.
However, Jason was feeling uneasy, especially when he remembered how calm Natalie had been the day before.
He felt restless.
“Xavier is coming back today,” he said. “It’s not appropriate for me to stay here
Sienna took his hand, pouting slightly as she gazed up at him. “What’s inappropriate about this? We grew up in the same orphanage and even slept in the same bed when we were kids. Xavier knows we’re close He won’t
mind.
After being swapped at birth, Sienna had been abandoned at the steps of an orphanage, where Jason had grown
up
Jason had been a withdrawn child, often bullied, and Sienna would always step in to protect him.
So, it wasn’t surprising that fason loved her. As a child, he had sworn to protect her forever.
Back then, when Sienna had hit Natalie with her car, she had called Jason, who had rushed to the scene immediately. Sienna had cried, claiming that her eyesight was failing and that she didn’t want to go blind.
Jason couldn’t bear to see the woman he loved losing her vision, either, so he set his sights on Natalie
If he took her corneas and gave them to Sienna, Sienna wouldn’t go blind. And that was how Natalie ended up trending on the Internet—by going blind from a car accident and getting dumped by her fiancé
Jason pulled his hand away quietly. For the first time, he went against Sienna’s wishes. “Sienna, you married Xavier like you’ve always wanted. You should focus on settling down with him.”
Sienna frowned briefly, but her displeasure was fleeting, quickly covered up by her sweet–girl act. “Sorry. I
shouldn’t have asked that of you, Jason. You’re right. You should go home.
Her dejected tone made Jason feel guilty. After some struggle, he said, “I’ll come see you again tomorrow.
Sienna smiled at him. “Okay.
With that, Jason left the room without looking back.
Once he was gone, Sienna’s sweet demeanor shattered. She flew into a rage and began throwing things around the hospital room. “That blind bitch! Jason is mine. He’s mine! Just wait and see what I’ll do to you!”
Meanwhile, outside the hospital, Jason got into his car, his brows still furrowed
Chandler glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Mr. Pereira, should we head back to Avon Villa?”
Jason rubbed his temples. “No. Take me to the police station.”
