Chapter 518 Has Nathaniel Returned?
Joe knocked and entered the room. "Grandma, it's getting late. If you don't sleep now, you'll have insomnia again."
Cathy shot him a glance. "You think I could actually fall asleep if I went to bed right now?"
She'd rather stay here watching over Burry—it gave her more peace of mind than tossing and turning in bed. When elderly people got stubborn, they could be just as difficult as children, leaving others completely helpless. Joe's expression showed his resignation.
"Grandma, please go get some rest. We're taking Burry to the hospital tomorrow, and you'll need your strength. Or would you prefer to stay home and catch up on sleep instead?"
Cathy considered this, her expression showing displeasure. "Fine, I'll go to bed."
He always found ways to coax her, and she was powerless against his tactics.
Once Cathy left, the siblings were alone. After spending these past few days together, they'd grown comfortable with each other. Burry's lips curved slightly. "Joe, is Aurelia asleep? I'd like to talk with her for a while."
"I'll go get her for you."
At that moment, Aurelia sat in her room trying to call Nathaniel. After that one successful connection earlier, every subsequent call had gone unanswered, now going straight to a busy signal.
Lost in thought, Aurelia barely noticed when Joe knocked on her partially open door, pushing it halfway open. "Aurelia, Burry wants to see you."
Aurelia looked at Joe, words forming and dying on her lips. She couldn't understand what could possibly make Nathaniel and her brother conspire to keep secrets from her. This was actually perfect timing—she wanted to probe Burry for information anyway.
"I'll sleep with her tonight. Don't worry about us."
Joe nodded. "Good idea. You sisters should bond, but don't stay up too late chatting. You need your rest."
"I know. Joe, you should get some rest too. These past few days must have been exhausting."
"I'm fine. I'll head to my room now. Remember, don't talk too long—we have that specialist appointment at the hospital tomorrow."
"Got it."
After Joe's repeated reminders, he finally returned to his room.
Wearing her pajamas, Aurelia entered Burry's room. When Burry saw her, she scooted over to one side of the large bed, making space and patting the mattress in invitation.
"We never got to share a bed as children—I guess we're making up for lost time now. Could you tell me about our mother? What did she look like? She must have been beautiful and elegant."
Aurelia climbed onto the bed and slipped under the covers, facing Burry. It felt like looking in a mirror, confronting another version of herself. Having someone to share her deepest thoughts with felt different from even her closest friendships.
She opened her phone and scrolled to old photos of their mother. "Mom lived with such refinement. She valued ceremony and ritual, took meticulous care of her appearance and figure, and kept every aspect of her life perfectly organized."
Burry took the phone and studied the images carefully, murmuring softly, "So this is what Mom looked like. She really was beautiful. She must have been a wonderful mother, wasn't she?"
Aurelia nodded.
Burry's voice grew wistful. "I was unlucky—I never had the chance to receive her love."
The sisters comforted each other beneath the covers. Once they'd collected themselves, both remembered the questions they'd been wanting to ask. Burry spoke first, "Aurelia, have you ever met Marcus?"
Aurelia answered honestly, "Often. He helped me tremendously in the past. He returned to Imperick a few days ago. Haven't you contacted him since coming back?"
As she spoke, Aurelia opened her phone's contact list, but Burry stopped her.
"Aurelia, don't call him yet."
Burry harbored doubts. Marcus was someone who approached relationships with unwavering devotion and possessed an almost obsessive need for emotional purity. After all these years trapped by Alex, she felt uncertain about facing this relationship again. Would Marcus mind what had happened to her?
She felt tainted now.
Because of her, Alex had orchestrated that avalanche. If not for sheer luck, Marcus wouldn't have survived. She didn't know if Marcus would hate her for nearly costing him his life.
Aurelia hesitated. "Then save the number and call him yourself."
Burry stored the number in her phone, knowing she lacked the courage to dial it.
Suddenly, Aurelia's phone rang. In what might have been cosmic timing, the caller was Marcus.
The sisters exchanged glances. Burry waved her hand dismissively. "You answer. I don't want to talk."
Understanding, Aurelia answered and put the call on speaker. A familiar voice came through, "Aurelia, has Burry made it home?"
Aurelia answered truthfully. "Yes, she has."
A few seconds of silence followed.
"How is she? Is she sleeping?"
Aurelia glanced at Burry and lied. "She's asleep."
"Good. I'll fly over tomorrow."
Thinking of his location in Imperick, where seeing Nathaniel would be more convenient, Aurelia asked, "Marcus, where's Nathaniel? Did he make it home?"
After her question, another few seconds of silence stretched between them.
"He's home."
"Why isn't he answering his phone?"
Another pause from the other end, then Ashley's voice came through clearly, "Marcus, the doctor's here."
"Aurelia, something's come up here. I have to go."
Just when she'd reached the crucial point, the call was cut short again.
Aurelia's anxiety intensified. "Burry, I need to ask you something, and you can't lie to me."
"Go ahead."
"There was another person who went to Elvenia to rescue you—Nathaniel, my child's father. Why didn't he return with you? Did something happen during these past few days?"
Burry reached over and turned off the bedside lamp.
"Aurelia, he went back to Imperick. We flew to Imperick first, dropped him off, then continued to Coral Bay."
Aurelia asked uncertainly, "You're sure he made it back to Imperick?"
"Absolutely. We all traveled together on Joe's plane. He even asked me to give you a message—he said you should start planning because he wants to travel to Casaviya together for your birthday."
Aurelia's anxiety eased somewhat. She trusted her sister wouldn't lie to her, and no one else knew about that birthday travel plan. If Burry mentioned it, Nathaniel must have truly asked her to relay the message.
"Tell me everything that happened these past few days."
Aurelia needed to know every detail to finally put her worries to rest.
They settled deeper into the covers as Burry began recounting the events from the first day she met Nathaniel.
"It was the day of my hospital examination. The hospital didn't allow companions in the patient rooms—only the patient could enter. After my tests, I saw this tall, distinguished-looking man emerge from behind a curtain.
He told me he'd come to take me away. I was so excited—I'd been dreaming of escaping that hellish place and breaking free from that man's control."
Aurelia swallowed nervously. "Did everything go smoothly in Elvenia? Did anything unusual happen?"
Burry cleared her throat and paused.
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