The Imposter Bride

Chapter 18

James and Chase thought he couldn’t raise the flag, maybe his past traumas had made him detest women. But now he was feeling a feverish heat, his body responding instantly at the sight of her rosy lips. He swallowed hard.

He quickly helped her into a clean nightgown, tucking her in under the covers. He then stepped out of the room

After a while, he couldn’t help but walk back in to check on her. After making sure she was sleeping peacefully, he finally returned to his own room and lay down. Visions of Natalia’s skin marked with hints of redness danced in his mind, lulling him to sleep only when the dawn broke

The next morning, Natalia woke up startled from a series of nightmares. It was already ten in the morning The curtains had been drawn open by the housekeeper. Sunlight streamed in through the cracks of the windows, and the distant sound of waves crashing against the rocks reached her cars

Natalia turned her head gently, feeling a sharp pain all over her body, and her head was spinning. At that moment, May pushed the door open and walked in. “Miss Natalia, you’re awake. You were bitten by Perth, and you had a fever last night Mr Magnus took care of you all night, May entered the room with a cheerful smile. “You must be hungry I made some oatmeal for you Eat something before the doctor comes to change your bandages” Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

It was then that Natalia remembered what had happened last night. She had wandered into the backwoods and almost been eaten by a wolf The last thing she remembered was someone carrying her away before everything went black

“May, who was it that saved me yesterday? I almost got eaten by that wolf,” she recalled, her palms breaking into a cold sweat again

“Linden saved you. That wolf, Perth, was imported from Africa by Mr. Magnus himself. He’s usually not vicious, but he didn’t recognize you and that’s why he hurt you.”

Keeping a wolf as a pet? And it didn’t recognize her? What was he thinking by keeping such a dangerous creature? It nearly ate her, and they said

it wasn’t vicious.

She thought this person was strange, even his pets were ferocious. Natalia slowly sat up. She was dressed in a clean nightgown, her wounds had been treated, but her head was still dizzy.

She draped a robe over her shoulders, and May brought the oatmeal, “Miss Natalia, eat something. The doctor will be here soon”

“Thank you, May.” Natalia replied, her stomach growling at the sight of the oatmeal. She hadn’t eaten anything since last night and was now so hungry she could eat a whole pig.

“May, why does he keep a wolf as a pet? Doesn’t he know how vicious wolves are by nature?” Wasn’t she just lost? How come she end up so close with being eaten by a wolf?

“Hehe Mr Magnus has his reasons for keeping Perth. That year, there was a sudden attack on the island, and he, because of his leg, was almost killed. But after he brought Perth home, the next time bad people tried to attack, Linden released Perth and scared them away. No one has dared

to attack the master ever since.”

May finished her story and looked at Natalia, “Mr. Magnus is a good man. You’ll be happy if you marry him. He’s always been the one getting hurt, and he’s never hurt anyone.”

Natalia finished two bowls of oatmeal and wiped her mouth, “Thank you, May And thank Linden for saving me” Would she be happy? She had never thought about it. The man was unpredictable and had

a bad temper. She was scared of him. She was even more afraid that one day he would find out she was not her sister and would kill her, or throw her into the backwoods to feed his pet wolf

May cleared the dishes and left. Soon, the family doctor came in. He was a man in his fifties. He politely changed the dressing on Natalia s shoulder wound, gave her instructions on medication, and then left.

Natalia didn’t leave her room, just lay on the bed thinking about what May had said, “Mr. Magnus took care of you all night.”

Was it really him who took care of her? She vaguely remembered the warm embrace from last night. She was taken back. Could it be Magnus?

Impossible, he hated her so much. How could he hold her? She remembered him telling her to stay three meters away from him yesterday.

Knowing her sister was Mr. Lucius‘ lover, why did he still want to steal her?

And he said she was dirty.

She laughed bitterly Alright. She would stay away from him. But thinking about his leg, sympathy welled up in her heart again. If he was not physically challenged, maybe his hatred towards the world would be a little less.

She was contemplating these matters when the bedroom door was pushed open The man, neatly dressed, rolled his wheelchair towards the edge of her bed. His gaze still deeply fixed on the girl leaning against the bed. With a neutral expression, he said, “Your fever’s gone?”

“Uh huh, thank you for taking care of me last night,” Natalia sat up straight and looked at him.

The man pushed his wheelchair right up to the bed, reaching out a hand towards her forehead. Natalia flinched. She looked up at the man’s large hand touching her forehead. Her heart skipped a beat

“Hmm, the fever has indeed gone down,‘ he moved back slightly, “Don’t go to the backwoods again. And continue reading that book I need to continue with my rehabilitation.” His dark eyes were fixed on her.

When Natalia looked up at him, she noticed that his dark eyes were like a vortex, capable of sucking anyone in instantly. Didn’t he ask her to stay three meters away from him yesterday? And didn’t he ask her to get lost? Why did he want her to help with his rehabilitation now?

She stared at him, her mouth gaping.

The man noticed her hesitation, his lips pressing into a tight line, “What? You’re not willing?”

“L… I am willing.”

Alright, she could take it as not to stoop to the level of someone with a strange temper. As long as he didn’t lose his temper, she was okay with anything

The man gave her a look, and then glided out of the room in his wheelchair

For the next few days, Natalia focused on her recovery Aside from eating and sleeping, she spent her time on the balcony studying the book. Her wounds were healing well She put down the book, standing on the balcony looking out at the endless sea

She had been here for almost twenty days, her father hadn’t come to see her once, and Magnus never mentioned taking her home Even though she didn’t want to go back to that home, it was where she grew up, and her father was there

Her phone had been turned off the entire time, and she didn’t dare to turn it on She was afraid Hector would find her, and she was afraid Sabrina and Lexi would look for her

It was better this way, maybe in three months, Hector would go to the States and have a new life. Then he’d forget everything that had ever happened between them.

She thought about how after all these years she had finally found a man who wanted to take care of her, and now she had to leave him The thought was so painful she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She leaned against the balcony, quietly looking out at the sea, her long hair tousled by the wind. She looked incredibly forlorn and melancholic

“What are you thinking about?” A deep voice from behind startled Natalia. She turned around to see Magnus sitting in his wheelchair, looking at her intently. His eyes were dark and mysterious, like a starry sky shining with a deadly attraction. His handsome features held not a single flaw as if he was a man graced by God’s own favor Though he sat in a wheelchair, it did nothing to diminish his kingly presence

Natalia stared at him, her mind wandering to the thought that if this man were not trapped in a wheelchair, women around the world would definitely fall for him

“No thoughts really. Sir Magnus, I’m better now. I’ll start assisting with your rehab today. She approached him, pushing his wheelchair out of the

room

The man allowed her to come closer without a word. Sometimes, he found it strange that he did not repel her proximity. It was like he had forgotten that the girl was Kendra, Lucius‘ woman