Chapter 20 Sleeping With Jonathan Before Getting a Divorce.
Natalie stopped abruptly. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard and turned around slowly.
“He saved me?”
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Yvonne nodded hard, her head bobbing with determination. “Mommy, don’t you remember Christmas Eve six years ago? That night, Daddy risked everything to protect you. He took the stab for you to lure the killer away.
“And then that jerk actually had the nerve to take the credit for it!”
The more she spoke, the angrier she got.
Back then. Daddy nearly lost his life trying to save Mommy.
Fifteen stab wounds–rack one deep. He was in a coma for a whole month.
And when he finally woke up! He found out Mommy was with Jacques.
Yvonne learned all this from Jeremiah.
Natalie was stunned by the revelation.
Her mind flashed to the scars covering Jonathan’s body–horrifying, unforgettable.
She was a doctor. Naturally, she knew what those wounds meant. The attacker hadn’t held back.
If those injuries had been hers, she’d have died on the spot.
She’d always known Jacques didn’t save her, but it had never crossed her mind that it might’ve been Jonathan.
While her thoughts wandered, her daughter’s voice quivered with tears, as if pleading with her.
“Gianna said you only liked that jerk because he saved your life. But now that you know it was Daddy, can’t you like Daddy
instead?”
Natalie knelt down in front of her daughter, doing everything she could to hold back the complicated emotions swirling in her heart.
How could she not like Jonathan? She’d fallen for him at 18.
But Jonathan had always loved his first love. Why did he risk his life for her six years ago?
Is it out of kindness! But who risks their life for someone they don’t care about?
No. It had to be something else. After much thought, she could only think of one possibility.
She must’ve reminded him of his first love. That was the only explanation. Maybe that tiny flicker of resemblance stirred enough sympathy for him to act.
Either way, she owed him her life.
“Eve, sweetie, you can’t force love. Your daddy doesn’t love me. He’s got someone else in his heart.”
‘No way Dad does love you. How do you know if something’s going to work unless you give it a try?” Natalie fell silen
fell silent for a moment.
Strangely enough, that made a lot of sense.
“Your dad has a first love. He’s loved her for 18 years.
Yvonne grimaced.
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Chapter 20 Sleeping With Jonathan Before Getting a Divorce
With all the time she spent online, of course she knew what that meant.
But this was the first she’d heard of her dad being hung up on someone for nearly two decades.
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“Mommy, how can you let a first love beat you? Think about it–he’s loved her for 18 years, and they’ve still never ended up together. Doesn’t that tell you something? Maybe they just aren’t meant to bel
She was speechless once more.
Natalie tried to poke holes in her daughter’s logic.
But from both a rational and emotional perspective, there weren’t any.
“So what if she’s his first love?” Yvonne continued. “I’ve got a first love, tool I love crawfish–but I’m allergic. They were my first love, sure, but I can’t eat them anymore. So I eat crab and abalone instead. And they’re even tastier!”
Somehow, Yvonne had found a pair of glasses and perched them on her tiny nose. Instantly, she transformed into a little life coach, taking Natalie’s hand in hers.
“Mommy, you’re Daddy’s legal wife. Even if his first love came back, you would still be his wife. You’d still be our mom.
“And think about it would a man risk his life to save someone he didn’t love? There’s that saying–when someone saves your life, you marry them to repay the kindness. Right?”
The little girl’s lecture enlightened Natalie.
So what if Jonathan had a first love? She was his wife. If he wanted to chase after a woman from his past and divorce her, that was his choice. But before they signed the papers? She was planning to sleep with Jonathan at least once.
No! Once isn’t enough. It has to be at least 216 times.
Three times a month, that’s 36 times a year. Multiply that by six years? 216 times.
She wasn’t taking advantage of him, nor would she suffer a loss.
That was just compensation for six years of cold, lonely nights. And payment for being a stand–in for the woman he really loved.
But then…
Natalie stared at the little life coach still babbling in front of her and narrowed her eyes.
“Eve, do you really have autism?”
She’d done her research.
Children with the condition were often called children of the stars.
They were brilliant but quiet. They lived in their own world and prefered not to interact with others.
Yvonne? She was a clingy little chatterbox who never stopped talking.
The little girl couldn’t lie to her mon
She bit her lip, twisting her fingers in her shirt, on the verge of shedding tears.
“Mommy, please don’t be mad at me. I just didn’t want you and Daddy to get divorced. The kids at school say that having a mom makes you feel special. Not having one makes you feel like nobody. I don’t want to be a nobody, Mommy. I want to be your precious girl”
Natalie’s heart melted at this. She pulled her daughter into her arms and held her tight. Tm not mad, sweetheart. I just feel like I’ve failed you both.”
Her mother’s embraces were warm. Safe. Yvonne wished she could stay wrapped in them forever.
Chapter 20 Sleeping With Jonathan Before Getting a Divorce
Then she suddenly thought of Christopher.
If only Mommy and Chris could make up.
“Mommy, can I ask you a favor?
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Jonathan felt like he had a long dream.
In the dream. Natalie was holding him. Telling him she cared.
Maybe the dream was too beautiful. He would rather not wake up,
And when Natalie started to vanish in his dream, Jonathan reached out and grabbed for her.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Bartemius standing awkwardly by the bed.
He followed Bartemius’s line of sight and realized he was still clutching Bartemius’s wrist.
Jonathan cleared his throat and coolly let go. He changed clothes and headed downstairs, To his surprise, Milo Pope was still
in the house.
Christopher himself had brought Milo here.
Apart from Yvonne and Jonathan, Milo was the person his son trusted most.
At 18. Milo was 13 years older than Chris, but he treated the boy with respect and regarded him as his leader.
“You didn’t go to Chris’s parent–teacher meeting?” Jonathan asked with a frown.
It was today.
Milo always went in his place.
Jonathan wanted to go, but his son simply wouldn’t let him.
Occasionally, he couldn’t help but feel that Chris trusted Milo more than his father.
Milo looked confused that Jonathan was around. He explained, “Ms. Yvonne said you were going this time. If you’re here, then who went to the conference?”
Regalia Academy – Grade Six
Natalie stood outside the classroom, peering in through the glass. She spotted Christopher right away.
He was sitting in the far corner, chin resting on his hand, staring out the window as the noise of the class seemed to fade around him.
His tiny figure looked especially lonely among kids much taller than him.
All around, children huddled in groups, chatting and laughing
But Christopher sat alone. No friends No desk partner.
Natalie’s heart ached for him.
She took a step toward the door–only for a voice to stop her.
“Excuse me, who are you?”
Tim Christopher’s mother.”
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Chapter 20 Sleeping With Jonathan Before Getting a Divorce
The homeroom teacher–Iris Parker–looked at her with suspicion.
“You’re his mom? But Christopher said his mother passed away three years ago.
Natalie was speechless.
She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. He’s my son. He’s my son.
Natalie gave Iris a polite smile and said, “Kids say the craziest things occasionally. They’re just being silly.”
But Iris still looked unconvinced. “Hold on. I’ll go ask him.”
Natalie stood at the door and watched Iris walk in and speak to Christopher. He glanced over at her.
That look was one full of gloat.
Before she could make sense of it, a security guard came rushing in and grabbed her by the arm.
Iris stormed up, her expression grim. “I’ve already called the police. You’re not going anywhere!” Natalie blinked, stunned. It suddenly dawned on her. “W–What did Chris say to you?”
Iris folded her arms, full of righteous fury. “Don’t play dumb. You’re a stalker and a child trafficker!”
