Chapter 435 Oliver, Let's Get a Divorce
"Oliver, I also know that when Arthur was with Flora, it was you covering for Susan that caused Flora so much hardship." Natalie looked at him with a wry smile. "Tell me, if you were so fond of Susan, then why on earth did you marry me? If you had been honest from the beginning and brought Susan to live at the Rosewood Estate, I would have welcomed her with open arms."
"Natalie!" Oliver exclaimed loudly, his face turning red with anger. "Who told you this?"
"It doesn't matter who told me. Your reaction says it all."
"Natalie, I don't like her." Oliver felt a sense of helplessness. He could only reiterate this point. He didn't know why she conclude that he liked Susan.
"I don't care whether you like her or not." Every time Natalie believed that Oliver had no feelings for Susan, new evidence would surface to tell her that his feelings toward Susan were not simple.
'Not simple' might not mean affection.
But in her heart, there was no room for these things, betrayal, deceit and lies, because they were all intolerable to her.
The marriages she had witnessed growing up were far from ideal and never ended well. The woman who claimed to be her mother was abandoned by Robert. Robert, who once doted on her mother had left her in the end. And Adrian betrayed her for Hailey, only to ultimately part ways with Hailey.
As for love and marriage, Natalie wasn't much of a believer. After she fell in love with Oliver, she couldn't stand the impurities that filled her marriage. It was better to end things now than to witness something that was once beautiful become uglier and uglier.
"Oliver, let's get a divorce."
It took Oliver quite a while to believe what Natalie had just said. "What?"
"We're getting a divorce," Natalie repeated calmly.
"No!" Oliver's face was stern, and he refuted with this one word, "I won't!"
Natalie looked at him and said, "Oliver, I've been with another man. People will laugh at you."
Oliver scoffed. "Am I supposed to be scared of being laughed at?"
"I'm dirty."
"I've told you before, Natalie, I don't care!" He would cover every inch that others had touched her!
Natalie chuckled softly and lowered her head to wash her sullied skin. "But Oliver, now every time I see you, I'm reminded of those men. Do you know that I threatened them with your name? Do you know what they said? They said they dared to lay hands on me because they knew you were out with Susan."
"I wasn't on a date with Susan!" he exclaimed.
"That doesn't matter anymore," Natalie continued. "After they said that, they wanted to hit me with a stick to break my left leg just like they broke my right. They even wanted to break my arms. Because I was defenseless and conscious, they found it entertaining."
"Stop talking!" Oliver's eyes reddened, as if each word Natalie had spoken was a poison-tipped knife piercing his heart.
Just listening to these words pained him. How much pain must she have endured while experiencing it?
"Natalie, stop talking! Please, I'm begging you." Oliver enveloped Natalie tightly in his arms. His arms gripped her forcefully as if loosening the embrace would cause her to vanish.
Natalie winced from his tight hold, hearing the crying tone in his voice.
She was surprised. 'Could a man like Oliver have a crying tone in his voice? Could he cry? But he doesn’t cry.'
"Does it hurt to listen?" Natalie, relentless, whispered in his ear with a laugh, "If it's painful, then let me go."
"Natalie, if you intended to make me feel guilty, then you've succeeded." Oliver, with eyes brimming red, gripped Natalie's arms and gazed into her eyes. "But as for divorce, I won't agree to that!"
The family doctor hurried over to change Natalie's cast. He first took an X-ray of her leg to examine it and said, "This fracture of yours was already difficult to heal, and I heard you had another fall just now. I suggest that you go to the hospital to have another X-ray done, and it would be better to have surgery to ensure a more reliable recovery."
"I won't do it," Natalie said with unwavering determination.
Liam was going to persuade her.
But Natalie spoke first. "If it doesn't heal, I'll just live with the limp. Being Mr. Windsor's wife and a cripple would surely give many people a reason to make fun of."
Ever since coming out of the bathroom, Oliver's complexion had been pale. "Even if you were a cripple, I wouldn't divorce you."
'Divorce?' Liam was shocked. He wondered if he should inform Oliver's grandma about the situation.
Natalie ignored him with a "have it your way" attitude.
She then politely asked the doctor to change her cast and prescribe some medication for external injuries and scar treatment to avoid any lasting scars on her body.
After complying with Natalie's requests, he informed Oliver about the use of these various medications and reassured him that there were no side effects before leaving.
The meal had already been prepared, but Natalie had taken too long in her bath, so most of it had gone cold.
Oliver took Natalie back to her room to apply the medicine and instructed the kitchen to prepare the dishes again.
For convenience, Oliver had dressed Natalie in bathrobe-style lounge wear after her bath. He bent down to untie her belt, but Natalie stopped him.
"I can do it myself."
"Natalie, do you want to make me suffer? Then let me see your injuries," Oliver said patiently. "And you know, Natalie, your refusal doesn't matter."
Natalie glared at him, but her gaze was devoid of anger, outrage, or injustice. It was calm, like a dead pool.
After a few seconds, she averted her eyes, allowing Oliver to do as he pleased, like a doll devoid of spirit.
Oliver's gaze flickered, and there was a self-deprecating smirk on his lips. He had thought his assertive attitude would elicit some reaction from Natalie. But there was no reaction at all.
Was it he who had hurt her?
It was his fault. Oliver gingerly opened Natalie's clothing, revealing multiple abrasions across various parts of her body, from the shoulders, back, arms, wrists, and thighs. They were all there.
The most shocking was the bruising on her abdomen; the doctor had said that if the blow had been any harder, it might have caused a spleen rupture.
Oliver's hands were trembling, finally coming to rest on the scar on Natalie's abdomen, afraid to touch any further.
"Sorry, Natalie." Kneeling on one knee, Oliver placed his hands on the arms of Natalie's wheelchair and buried his face in her embrace. His last words drowned out as he did so.
Natalie looked emotionlessly at Oiver in her arms. To most, this gesture would be seen as one of affection.
But for someone as dominant as Oliver, it was more a show of vulnerability.
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