Chapter 805 Clayton, Are You Really Back?
Natalie stayed silent.
Her face was cold, but Clayton's hand was warm... She looked up at him.
It had been two years since he left.
In those two years, she had given birth to Haven, who could now walk and talk!
Two years seemed like nothing compared to the decade they had known each other, but the sense of distance was still there...
Before he left, they had been a close couple who shared everything.
But now, Natalie could feel that Clayton was hiding something.
And in Clayton's eyes, Natalie was no longer the naive girl she once was.
She had taken over the company in his absence and done a great job... She had become a mature woman.
After a long while, Clayton lowered his head, seemingly wanting to kiss her.
But just as he was about to, he stopped and instead reached down to pet the Labrador beside him. "This is Gina! Say hi to your sister."
Gina, with its goofy charm, extended a paw.
Natalie shook Gina's paw, then turned to Clayton and softly said, "I want to be her mom."
Clayton's gaze was deep and hard to read.
Natalie sensed the barrier between them. She gently stroked Gina's fur, then wrapped one arm around Clayton, burying her face in his stomach.
The gesture was intimate and dependent.
Clayton, understanding women, knew he had been a bit distant. He touched the back of her ear with his dry fingers.
Natalie shivered slightly, then hugged him tightly.
She held him like that, feeling the joy of their reunion, the relief of having him back.
Their breaths mingled.
She trembled in his arms and cautiously asked, "Clayton, are you really back?"
They didn't go back immediately. They sat on the couch, holding each other, talking about what had happened.
After jumping into the sea, Clayton was severely injured. He was rescued but suffered a concussion that caused temporary amnesia.
By the time he regained his memory, his parents had already held a funeral for him.
Clayton had visited his own grave.
A white tombstone with a photo of him at thirty, Natalie's favorite picture of him.
He could imagine how Natalie felt when she chose that photo.
She was almost due to give birth at that time.
She must have cried a lot!
Natalie lay in his arms, her fingers still caressing him, needing to feel his warmth to believe he was really back.
As evening fell, the room grew dim, and neither of them wanted to move.
It was unclear who started it, but they began to kiss.
They were already legally married, but they had never taken that final step...
Alone together after a long separation, it was the perfect moment.
When Natalie's dress slipped off, her smooth body lying on the dark couch, Clayton couldn't help but feel a strong desire to make love to her.
As they kissed passionately, Natalie's fingers tangled in his hair.
Her face flushed, she murmured his name, "Clayton..."
But Clayton sat up.
He took deep breaths, then gently picked Natalie up and dressed her, piece by piece. His actions were surprisingly tender, but to Natalie, it felt humiliating.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, not letting him move.
She abandoned her feminine modesty, pressing her body against his, her voice husky with emotion, "Clayton... what's wrong?"
At that moment, her clothes were disheveled.
A burgundy shirt hung loosely around her waist, highlighting her smooth skin...
She spoke softly, almost pleading with him, and any man would find it hard to resist.
But Clayton did. His rough fingertips brushed her delicate shoulder.
"I'm a bit tired, maybe another time."
Being rejected by a man was always a bit humiliating, but Natalie didn't want to ruin the mood.
She buttoned her shirt, pretending to ask casually, "So... should we go home?"
Clayton glanced at Gina.
Since they had started getting intimate, Gina had been sitting there for half an hour, watching curiously, probably seeing such a scene for the first time.
Clayton straightened up and lit a cigarette.
He said, "It's not convenient to keep a dog in the apartment. I'll stay here."
Natalie blinked softly.
After a long pause, she said quietly, "Then I'll move in with Haven. Clayton, she's really cute."
Through the thin smoke, Clayton's deep eyes stared at her.
He remembered the day he saw Grant holding Haven, their faces close together, a warm scene.
The way Natalie and Grant looked at each other wasn't without emotion...
When Clayton and Natalie lived together, he thought she was his wife, and Haven was his child.
But that scene reminded him—it actually wasn't!
Perhaps Natalie had always loved Grant, and her feelings for him were just dependence and affection.
Clayton wanted to give her a choice.
He finally spoke, saying what he had been wanting to say, "Natalie, let's take a break. If after two years you still decide to be with me, then we will be together."
"But if you change your mind and want to be with Grant, I'll let you go."
Natalie looked at him quietly.
She didn't move, not even blinking.
After a long time, she found her voice, "Clayton, you mean you want me to choose again?"
Clayton didn't respond.
Natalie lowered her eyes, her long lashes trembling, her neck twitching slightly...
After a long silence, she looked up at him again, her voice strained, "But Clayton, we're married!"
Clayton sighed, "Natalie."
Natalie's lips trembled, a faint, confused smile appearing on her face.
She said, "I get it! You mean that since we didn't go all the way, didn't make love, we aren't really a couple, right?"
"That's why you rejected me just now... Clayton, you're so generous! You can even give up your wife and child."
If Haven were Clayton's, she could argue with him, even jump on him and bite him, do whatever she wanted!
But she couldn't!
Haven was Grant's child. They had discussed this clearly before getting married, agreeing to be the child's parents... But now he was making her choose.
Natalie felt deeply humiliated.
Her body was covered in cold sweat, and the joy of their reunion faded away.
She straightened her clothes.
As she was about to leave, she stood by the couch and said softly, "Clayton, I don't know what to say, but I want to say I'm no longer that naive girl! When I chose to be with you, it wasn't on a whim..."
"But why, after everything we've been through, do you choose not to believe me, not to believe in my feelings for you?"
"You think going back to Grant is better for us, giving me two years... But your choice is not letting me choose!"
"Isn't it true that without waiting for these two years, I can't be with you, Clayton..."
"How many two years does a woman have? You seem to forget, I'm already in my thirties!"
She said these words, hoping to force him to make a statement.
But Clayton didn't pamper her like before, didn't indulge her every whim.
His decision was probably well thought out.
Clayton sat in the dim light, smiling slightly, "Natalie, you've become quite eloquent in these two years!"
She sniffed, "And you've become quite the jerk!"
She wanted to leave.
Clayton stood up and grabbed her wrist, "Have dinner before you go!"
Natalie looked at him, then at Gina, who was sitting there. She threw a little tantrum, "You can eat with your dog! What does this dog call you? Master or Daddy?"
She spoke sarcastically.
Clayton remained silent.
Natalie had imagined many scenarios for their reunion, but never this.
Her legs were shaking as she walked out.
In the twilight, she sat in her car, calming herself for a long time.
Clayton followed her out, opened the car door, and looked down at her, "I'll drive you back."
Natalie looked up at him.
She had calmed down a bit, but now she wanted to cry again.
But she didn't want to show weakness in front of him, didn't want him to treat her like the naive girl she used to be... Saying yes when he wanted, no when he didn't.
Natalie took a moment, choking back tears.
She deliberately misunderstood him, "You want a divorce, right? Let's go to the company and sort things out."
Clayton sighed, "Natalie, stop being ridiculous!"
Natalie gripped the steering wheel, her eyes and nose red from crying.
She said a few spiteful words, "I'm not being ridiculous! You want me to choose again, so I have no reason to let you support me and Haven anymore. After all, she's not even..."
"Natalie!"
Clayton's voice was almost stern, stopping her from continuing.
Natalie's eyes were red.
She stared at him for a long time before asking, "Isn't that what you think?"
"Clayton, if Haven were your biological child, if I hadn't been pregnant when we got together, would you still ask me to choose after experiencing life and death? Would you still give me two years?"
"No, you wouldn't!"
Natalie lowered her head, silently thinking about why she chose to be with Clayton.
Because he made her feel safe.
He made her feel that no matter what, he would hold her hand tightly and never let go...
So even when she got pregnant unexpectedly, they didn't break up.
She never thought that in the end, it would be because of the child that he hesitated.
She had once loved Grant. After they broke up, she didn't date anyone for eight years.
She and Grant broke up because they weren't committed enough, didn't trust each other enough... They couldn't withstand reality.
Now, she and Clayton had become the same.
Clayton didn't believe she loved him!
Natalie gently pressed the gas pedal, driving away. As she left the villa, she cried.
She couldn't drive.
She was afraid of getting into an accident.
She parked the car by the roadside, and once it was stopped, she felt completely drained...
She leaned quietly in the twilight, reminiscing about her newlywed life with Clayton.
Clayton didn't know that those days were the happiest time of her life.
Now he wanted her to choose.
How could she choose? Saying it was a choice was just a way to push her towards Grant over two years.
In his heart, he had already decided the outcome!
Natalie looked up at the night sky... In the distance, someone was setting off fireworks. She didn't know what festival it was, but it was very lively.
She gently wiped her face, her tears cold.
She suddenly felt that this moment was lonelier and more desolate than the past two years.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
