Chapter 797 Natalie Gives Birth
Gavin left and met up with Kingsley at the airport.
Clayton was Natalie's husband and the father of their child. The Devereux and Hawkins families had pulled out all the stops, mobilizing the best search and rescue teams from the area, with at least 300 people conducting a thorough search.
After a week, they had searched everywhere they could.
But Gavin refused to give up.
He had lost a lot of weight, standing at the site where the helicopter went down, staring at the marked-off area. He lit a cigarette to stay awake.
Kingsley wasn't faring much better, looking just as worn out.
He walked over from a distance and patted Gavin on the shoulder.
"Take a break, man. You've been up for almost 24 hours."
Gavin took a slow drag on his cigarette, his gaunt cheeks hollowed out. After a moment, he smiled faintly. "You too."
Kingsley silently put an arm around him.
Neither of them was willing to give up, even though they both knew deep down that Clayton's chances of survival were slim.
But how could they give up?
Gavin gazed out at the distant coastline, remembering how he had promised to get Clayton to the airport, to bring him back. How could he go back without Clayton?
Clayton's parents were there too.
Gavin and Kingsley refused to give up, but in the end, it was Clayton's parents who did.
Clayton's mother, Jasmine Marie, dressed in a black dress, knelt on the ground, scooping up some dirt into a small urn. Clayton's father, Clarence Percy, supported her, his expression equally grave.
Jasmine wore a small white flower pinned to her chest.
It symbolized that Clayton was gone.
The wind on the hill was strong, making Gavin's eyes sting. He turned his head sharply, his eyes bloodshot.
Kingsley was the same.
Jasmine held the small urn. She was a gentle woman, her voice hoarse but soft. She spoke to Gavin, "Clarence will manage the company here. As for the one in Seattle…"
Jasmine choked up. "That was Clayton's hard work. We've decided to give it all to Natalie and the child."
Gavin frowned.
There were things Clayton and Natalie had never spoken about, but he knew.
He felt it wasn't right.
But Jasmine insisted, her voice barely audible over the mountain wind. "Clayton made a will. This is what he wanted."
Gavin's heart ached. No one could understand his feelings.
To him, Clayton wasn't just Natalie's husband. He was someone who had been there for Molly. Gavin had always pretended to be jealous, but he truly saw Clayton as family.
Gavin didn't refuse anymore.
He didn't reveal the truth about the child's parentage either. He thought, 'If Clayton is really gone, those left behind need something to hold onto, a legacy for the Percy family.'
Clayton's funeral was held abroad.
It was scheduled for three days later.
When the news reached Seattle, Natalie almost collapsed.
Clayton had been missing for 13 days.
Everyone could guess that survival was nearly impossible.
But Natalie still couldn't believe it. That he had left her, left their child, left this world he loved so much.
Clayton loved this world.
He loved traveling, loved extreme sports. He was always so vibrant and healthy.
Natalie couldn't accept it.
She returned to the apartment she and Clayton had shared. It had been empty for half a month, the air filled with a faint smell of dust.
Natalie gently turned on the light.
The light illuminated the entire apartment.
But it was empty.
Natalie could still remember how Clayton loved to sit by the window on the couch.
After she showered, she would sit next to him, resting her head on his lap while he held a document in one hand and dried her hair with the other.
She could still remember his favorite light gray shirt he wore to work.
Light gray shirt… Natalie walked into the bedroom, opened the closet in the walk-in wardrobe, but didn't see the shirt.
Clayton must have packed it in his suitcase!
Natalie stood quietly, tears streaming down her face as she looked at Clayton's clothes in the closet.
She didn't want to believe Clayton was dead, but everyone said he was gone, that he couldn't have survived.
The baby in her belly seemed to sense her sadness, moving restlessly.
Natalie lowered her gaze, placing her hand gently on her stomach. She spoke softly, "Let's wait here for your daddy, okay? One day, he'll remember and come back to find us."
The baby continued to move… Natalie's eyes filled with tears, falling one by one. She slowly closed Clayton's closet and turned to leave. She would stay here, waiting for Clayton to come back.
In the apartment's living room, Gavin stood, looking exhausted.
In 48 hours, Clayton's funeral would take place.
But he had come back to get Natalie. The private jet was equipped with medical facilities and top-notch obstetricians because this was Clayton's final journey in this world, and Natalie had to be there.
"Gavin!"
Natalie called out to him through her tears. Gavin said nothing, walking over to embrace her.
Molly stood by the door, quietly crying.
These days, she had cried her eyes out alongside Natalie. Clayton meant something special to her too.
Natalie held her belly.
She looked out the floor-to-ceiling window, her voice distant. "Gavin, you know what? I still don't believe he's gone. I feel like he's still alive."
Gavin couldn't answer.
Because the chances… were almost zero.
The crash site was charred, and they hadn't found Clayton's DNA. The coroner said the most likely outcome was… a result he couldn't bear to tell Natalie.
Maybe, living with hope would be easier.
The Devereux and Hawkins families flew out to attend Clayton's funeral.
The funeral was simple yet solemn.
Inside the black coffin was the dirt Jasmine had collected from the crash site. As the dirt was laid to rest… everyone stood in silent mourning. Natalie stood quietly, holding a photo of Clayton.
Her fingers clenched tightly.
She knew that once the funeral was over, Clayton would no longer exist in this world.
He would no longer exist in this society, and all his identities would need to be canceled. His residency was abroad, and Clayton's parents would handle the process.
Natalie couldn't stop it. No matter how much pain and reluctance she felt, she couldn't make a scene to keep Clayton's presence in this world.
But then she thought, 'I'm still alive. I'm Clayton's wife... No one can change that. I am the proof that Clayton had existed in this world.'
Natalie didn't cry hysterically; there was only a faint sadness.
In the afternoon, she visited the crash site.
The mountain had almost been flattened by Gavin and Kingsley's search efforts. The area where the helicopter had crashed was charred black.
Natalie stood there for a long time.
Later, she returned to Seattle, and Clayton's company was temporarily managed by Gavin.
Natalie planned to take over after she had given birth and recovered.
She began learning about business, planning her life with her child… She lived normally in the apartment she had shared with Clayton, and she got a new phone card for Clayton's number.
Every month, she received many billing and bank notifications.
At the end of October, various banks sent Clayton birthday wishes early in the morning.
Natalie sat in the living room, quietly smiling.
She always felt that as long as she persisted, as long as she maintained the semblance that Clayton was still around, one day he would come back… She hadn't yet told him that marrying him was the happiest thing in her life.
Natalie didn't know that every quiet night, there was someone else sitting quietly outside her apartment building.
It was Grant.
He knew about Clayton's accident; it had been widely reported by the media both domestically and internationally.
He knew Natalie was heartbroken… but he didn't disturb her. He just often sat outside her building, sometimes for the entire night.
No one knew Grant had this habit.
In early November, Natalie gave birth, but the delivery wasn't easy.
It took a full eight hours.
When the baby finally cried, Natalie felt a heart-wrenching pain that slowly eased… She was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily.
Molly was with her during the delivery.
She held Natalie's hand tightly, excited and choked up. "It's a beautiful little girl! She's so beautiful! Natalie, you'll definitely love her."
Natalie turned her body with effort to look at the newborn baby.
Beautiful? She was pink and wrinkled.
Molly, worried that Natalie might be upset, quickly said, "She'll look better in a few days."
Natalie's hand trembled as she carefully touched the baby's soft face, her voice very gentle. "Let's name her Haven Percy."
Molly held back her own emotions and tears, quickly agreeing. "That's a great name, much better than the ones Gavin usually comes up with. Haven it is."
Natalie gently held Haven's hand. 'Haven, Clayton will come back.'
During Natalie's hospital stay after giving birth, Alvina had a fall and suffered a minor fracture.
She was in a VIP room, just across the hall from Natalie.
Clara often came to accompany her.
Of course, her goal was also to pressure Grant into getting married, but despite Alvina's constant urging, he wouldn't budge. They had the process, but no wedding date.
Clara, almost 35, was getting anxious.
She supported Alvina to get a CT scan, comforting her along the way. Alvina patted her hand gently. "Don't worry, Clara. I'll work on Grant. He'll give you an answer."
Clara was actually quite unhappy.
Just then, her phone rang with an urgent matter from work. Clara looked at Alvina. "I'll have a nurse accompany you. My assistants are unreliable; I need to go to the office myself."
Alvina appreciated her dedication.
"Go ahead! My leg is almost healed. Don't let this delay your work."
Clara hurried off.
Alvina didn't call for a nurse, slowly walking on her own… thinking about Grant's personal matters. She wasn't entirely unaware.
Grant had been going out a lot lately, not coming home much at night. His relationship with Clara didn't seem like a normal couple's.
Lost in thought, Alvina almost bumped into someone in the VIP maternity ward area.
It was a nurse, carrying a baby to the nursery.
Alvina felt a pang of envy. Grant was in his thirties, and not only was he not married, but he also didn't have children. Look at how beautiful other people's children were, even resembling Grant when he was little.
Alvina had a sudden realization.
She called out, "Let me see that baby."
Before the nurse could respond, Alvina hobbled over, her hands trembling as she pulled back the baby's clothes…
The more she looked, the more the baby resembled Grant, especially the eyes and nose, and a faint red birthmark between the eyebrows.
All the McCall family children had that birthmark.
After a moment, Alvina looked up and asked, "Whose baby is this?"
The nurse thought, "Are you crazy? Do I need to report other people's babies to you?"
Before Alvina could ask more, someone walked out of the room—it was Chloe.
Chloe was surprised to see Alvina.
Alvina, on the other hand, looked like she had seen an enemy… but she was still concerned about the baby. "Is this Natalie's baby? Is it… is it Grant's child?"
Chloe was not pleased.
They had just lost Clayton, and she was in no mood for this!
She didn't hold back. "Mrs. McCall, is Mr. McCall infertile, so you're claiming other people's children? You can't just claim any good-looking child you see on the street."
Alvina had been desperate for a grandchild.
She also had another concern: Grant and Clara didn't live together and probably hadn't had a physical relationship. Clara might have found another man out of loneliness.
Rumors had been circulating for a while.
This was something Alvina couldn't say out loud.
Now, seeing a child who looked like Grant, she couldn't help herself. If this was Grant's child, it had to be brought into the McCall family!
In the midst of the commotion, Grant arrived.
Alvina quickly said, "Grant, look at this child. Doesn't she look just like you when you were little?"
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