Chapter 822 I Can't Hold Back
Natalie turned her face away.
"Natalie!"
Oliver sighed helplessly. He straightened up, cupping her face in his hands, and gently turned her to face him. In the next moment, he kissed her. After releasing her lips, he murmured, "Natalie, I'm sorry."
Amidst her gasps, Natalie heard his low, helpless voice tinged with a hint of supplication. Her heart clenched. She could not bear to see him in such a pitiful state. She heard herself say, "I forgive you."
Oliver was momentarily stunned, seemingly unable to believe it.
Natalie made her decision and said, "Oliver, I said I forgive you. Let's not dwell on this anymore, okay?"
What could she do if she did not forgive him? They could not continue their silent standoff, let alone get a divorce. How could she overlook his compromises during those three months? As such, she decided to compromise; she could not think of a better idea.
"Oliver, let Helen come back."
Helen had called her half a month ago, and Natalie felt it was time. She had decided to agree to Helen's request, but she had not planned to do it immediately. Waiting in hope, day by day, was the real torment.
Oliver asked, "What else did she ask for?"
"In order for Susan to donate the bone marrow, first, she wants to return to the country. Second, she wants Susan released without charge."
"Released without charge?" Oliver clicked his tongue. "Do they not understand 'innocent' or 'guilty'?"
Considering that Helen was Natalie’s biological mother, Oliver took a step back and said, "Helen can come back, but I won't agree to Susan's release!"
Oliver's attitude was firm, and Natalie did not say anything more. She would think of another way. In fact, she was also not willing to let Susan go just like this. Who knew what other tricks Susan had up her sleeve?
"Is your injury better?" Natalie’s hand gently fell on Oliver’s shoulder.
Oliver asked, "What injury?"
"Don’t play dumb with me! I’m not stupid!" Natalie glared at him. "You’ve never wrapped your bathrobe so tightly before!"
"Darling, I was just worried you wouldn't be able to control yourself," Oliver teased.
Natalie pretended to kick him.
Oliver held her leg with one hand and supported her body with the other, saying, "It's me who can't control myself, not you, okay?"
He refused to let her see his injuries.
Natalie's gaze fell on his tightly buttoned shirt for a few seconds, and she gave up. If he did not want her to see, then she would not. If she forced the matter, he would be unhappy.
…
The next morning, the atmosphere at the Rosewood Estate was palpably different.
While Oliver and Natalie had always maintained a peaceful and cooperative front, a subtle tension had lingered between them, suggesting the calm before a storm. But this morning, their interactions were warm like clear skies and sunshine.
"Ma'am, you're in a good mood today, aren't you?" a maid asked. She did not dare to speak to Oliver, but Natalie was far more approachable.
Natalie responded with a lovely, gentle smile and a playful blink, silently answering the question.
When Natalie was happy, Oliver was naturally happy. The duo's mood seemed to lift the mood of the entire estate.
Meanwhile, Marjorie, sitting comfortably on the sofa with a glass of water, let out a relieved sigh.
Following Oliver’s instructions, Liam gathered the servants and bodyguards responsible for the main building, lining them up in an orderly fashion. Unsure of Oliver's intentions, Natalie withdrew to Marjorie's side, where she was promptly handed a glass of water.
The assembled staff exchanged anxious glances, silently wondering if they were about to be warned or dismissed.
"There's something I haven't told you," Oliver began, his voice calm but with a detectable twinkle in his eyes, "Natalie is pregnant."
The announcement stunned the servants into silence for several moments, their expressions shifting rapidly from shock to delight as they turned their eyes darted between Oliver and Natalie.
Caught off guard while drinking her water, Natalie nearly choked as dozens of eyes focused on her. She had assumed that everyone at Rosewood Estate knew of her pregnancy since her first day back.
"Grandma advised keeping it a secret for the first three months to avoid any complications," Oliver revealed, lightly implicating Marjorie.
Due to Marjorie's advice, aside from a few key individuals, the rest of the Rosewood Estate's staff had remained unaware of Natalie's condition.
"There’s no scientific basis for that," Natalie remarked, unable to resist a comment on the superstition.
"Isn't it normal for a ninety-year-old grandmother like me to be superstitious?" Marjorie retorted with a straight face.
Natalie thought that Marjorie must have been the focus of the social circle when she was young. At the same time, she recalled that Jane and Flora were still unaware of her pregnancy, and she decided it was time to share the news with them.
She had been in a bad mood previously and had completely forgotten to tell Jane and Flora about her pregnancy. Now that she remembered, she felt a twinge of guilt. She worried they might scold her for keeping them in the dark for so long.
…
At night, Natalie said, "Oliver, I'm going out with Jane and Flora tomorrow."
Oliver was settled on his usual side of the bed by the window, absorbed in his emails on his iPad. The backlight from the French window cast a halo around him.
Hearing her plans, Oliver looked up from his screen, asking, "Don't you think this scene and conversation feel a bit familiar?"
Reminded by Oliver, Natalie did indeed feel a sense of déjà vu. She had a good memory and quickly recalled a similar scenario, her face coloring slightly with embarrassment.
"Guess what I'm going to say next?" Oliver asked, his tone curious.
"You're going out tomorrow, but you're only telling me tonight?" Natalie ventured, feeling guilty. She quickly searched for a reasonable excuse, saying, "As a pregnant woman, my memory is bad. It's not my fault!"
She glanced at him, her playful expression seemed to say, 'It’s all your fault. I got pregnant because of you!'
"I feel like you've been influenced by Lilian…" Oliver suddenly said. In other words, she was becoming as unreasonable as Lilian.
Natalie raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"
"... Nothing," Oliver said. His gaze unintentionally fell on her lower abdomen, and after a beat, he compromised, saying, "Why don't you invite them here?"
He was concerned about her going out alone.
He added, "It's safer here."
Oliver added, implying that they had enough space at Rosewood for a comfortable gathering, so there was no need to go out.
Natalie considered this. Indeed, there was no difference between going out with her friends and asking her friends to come over.
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