Chapter 350 I Will Seriously Consider It
Nathaniel's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. From Aurelia's tone, it was clear she had no intention of having any further involvement with him. Her mind was now solely focused on the two children.
He could sense that she was avoiding the issue.
Ultimately, it boiled down to her deep-seated inability to trust him.
Nathaniel sat down on the sofa next to her, his hands unconsciously crossed in front of his knees.
"Aurelia, I'm a straightforward person and can't say sweet things to please women. But now I want to seriously tell you, I've only ever loved one woman in my life, and that's you. If it's not you, there won't be anyone else. You're right, life is too short. I don't want to settle for less."
Aurelia swallowed. "Nathaniel, you should be able to feel that I'm not mentally prepared for this."
"I know, I'm not forcing you to give me an answer now. I just hope you can seriously consider it and not avoid the issue."
The living room fell into a long silence.
Aurelia's fingers gently traced the patterns on her nightgown as she carefully thought about what he had said that day. She indeed was avoiding the issue, just as he had pointed out.
The two sat there stiffly, and Aurelia could feel him secretly observing her in the moonlight.
After a while, Nathaniel spoke, "Let's go to sleep. Don't you have to go to work tomorrow?"
"Okay."
Mentioning sleep reminded her of why she had come downstairs. She pursed her lips and asked him, "Is there another blanket in the house?"
Nathaniel responded with a puzzled look.
Aurelia spoke honestly, "Why did you bring that quilt here? I can't sleep with it."
Nathaniel was silent for a moment. This was indeed his little scheme. He not only brought the quilt here but also hoped to sleep under it with Aurelia again.
Of course, it was just a thought. Facing her now, he only dared to approach cautiously. That kiss was an accident. He was half-awake and didn't have the rationality to restrain himself, so he followed his heart.
"There's a blanket."
Nathaniel stuffed the blanket from the sofa into Aurelia's arms. "Sorry about earlier."
He was referring to the unexpected kiss.
Aurelia didn't respond, holding the blanket as she went upstairs.
Nathaniel lit a cigarette downstairs. His mind was now completely clear, and he was wide awake. A few minutes later, he heard her coming downstairs in her slippers.
Aurelia brought the quilt down and gave it to him. She couldn't hog both the quilt and the blanket; she had to leave one for him.
Aurelia gently placed the quilt on the sofa, looking at the flickering light by the floor-to-ceiling window. She felt a mix of emotions. For someone she had truly loved, no matter what the outcome, she hoped he would be happy.
He didn't used to have such a heavy smoking habit, but now he was addicted.
"Aren't you going to sleep?" she asked.
Nathaniel exhaled a ring of smoke, his face becoming more blurred in the moonlight.
"You go ahead. I'll be fine."
After a pause, he added, "If you can't sleep, we could keep each other company."
Aurelia had no intention of keeping him company. Her mind was a mess, and she needed time to sort out her thoughts. She looked at his lonely figure, feeling a faint pain in her heart.
She stopped at the staircase. "I will seriously consider what you said today."
Nathaniel was so happy he almost choked on his smoke.
"Aurelia, if you're willing, we can start over."
Aurelia didn't respond this time and went straight upstairs.
Lying on the big bed, her heart was still racing. She hadn't thought much when she took the blanket from Nathaniel, but once she calmed down, she realized it was filled with his scent.
It was even worse than the quilt.
Now she was completely unable to sleep. She had brought this trouble upon herself.
Aurelia lay stiffly all night, only falling asleep at dawn. She hadn't slept long when she was awakened by a knock on the door.
Aurelia reached for her phone and saw it was 6:30. Jacob woke up at this time every day. Unsure of what he needed, Aurelia was about to get up when she heard Nathaniel's hushed voice talking to Jacob outside the door.
Nathaniel said, "Mommy didn't sleep well last night. Let's not disturb her, okay?"
Jacob's voice also lowered.
"But I can't find my shorts. I need to change clothes. Mommy packed the suitcase yesterday, so I wanted to ask her."
Nathaniel replied, "You can ask someone else for help, like me."
Aurelia lay there listening carefully to the conversation outside. After Nathaniel spoke, there was a brief silence from Jacob. Then Nathaniel asked, "Why are you running around barefoot?"
Then, Aurelia heard Jacob's resistant voice. "Don't carry me. I'm a big kid now; I don't need to be carried."
"Let's go wash your feet."
The air conditioning had been on all night, and the morning temperature was a bit chilly. Aurelia pulled the blanket over her shoulders and closed her eyes to sleep again.
She woke up an hour later. After washing up in the bathroom, she opened the door and smelled the aroma of food.
Aurelia thought he had hired a cook, but when she got downstairs, she saw Nathaniel busy in the kitchen wearing an apron.
Curious, she walked over. Aurelia had never imagined someone like Nathaniel would cook. He was a man who hated the smell of cooking oil and always preferred eating in the dining room.
Aurelia walked over in the new slippers he had prepared for her. Nathaniel was so focused on his work that he didn't hear her approach. He was still frying eggs on the breakfast machine.
A small pot next to him was heating milk, emitting an enticing aroma.
"What are you making?"
Aurelia rolled up her sleeves, ready to help. Nathaniel turned around at the sound of her voice, a smile forming on his lips.
"I made two servings of kids' noodles, milk, fried eggs, toast, and your favorite sandwich. I'm not sure if Jacob and Dorothy will like it, so I prepared a few extra options," Nathaniel replied.
Holding a spatula, his usual cold and domineering demeanor was completely gone, replaced by the image of a househusband.
Nathaniel had barely slept all night, yet he looked energetic.
Following his gaze, Aurelia saw peeled nuts, Dorothy's favorite strawberry jam, Jacob's favorite animal-shaped bread, vegetable salad, and sliced fruit on the counter.
The kids' noodles were already cooked and neatly placed on the counter.
Aurelia carried a bowl to the dining room. As she set it down, she noticed the design on it.
One bowl had a picture of a boy with the caption 'Jacob,' and the other had a cute girl with bangs and the caption 'Dorothy.'
She went back to the kitchen to get the bowl with the sandwiches and saw it was labeled 'Mommy.' She didn't need to ask to know there was another bowl labeled 'Daddy.'
Aurelia felt a small touch of emotion. It gave her a fleeting sense of happiness, as if they had never been apart as a family.
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