The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus) novel Chapter 142

He seemed to be yearning for her, and decided that regardless of her anger, he would spoil her. He felt an uncontrollable agitation within him; he wanted her like hell. Damn it, he thought, why did alcohol make him miss her so much?

When Isabella touched him, he felt repulsed. He forced a bitter smile. His little wife, she'd got him wrapped around her little finger for life.

Chase came over, laughing as he helped Magnus to his feet. "Alright, let's go. Back home, back to your wife."

Before he could finish, he found Magnus had fallen asleep against him. He hoisted him up and began to walk out. What had gotten into him, he wondered, he felt so hot.

Shaking his head, Chase supported Magnus as they left the bar, muttering to himself, "When you sober up, you better thank me. If I hadn't shown up like some kind of superhero, you would have ended up in bed with that woman. Natalia would never forgive you."

Of course, Magnus couldn't hear any of this. All he knew was that he needed to see his wife. He really needed her.

Chase grudgingly helped the drunken Magnus into his car and drove towards the Andersen family residence. "Great, not only do I have to keep him company while he's drinking, I also have to save his reputation and then act as a part-time driver. Where would you find a friend as reliable as me?"

As he was speaking, he noticed a smear of lipstick on Magnus' chin and roughly wiped it off for him. "Can't take that home. Natalia would kill you. Ha ha."

However, the careless Chase hadn't noticed there was another lipstick mark quietly resting on Magnus' chest.

Chase drove at breakneck speed to drop off Magnus at Maplewood Manor. After parking the car, he looked up at the house to see the lights still on and let out a sigh of relief. At this hour, he didn’t expect anyone to be awake waiting for Magnus.

He helped the unsteady Magnus out of the car, all the while hearing him repeatedly asking for his wife. Chase chuckled at the sight of this usually mature man turning into a lovesick puppy. He'd never seen Magnus this sentimental when he was drunk before. Now, he couldn’t stop asking for his wife.

As he helped Magnus to the front door of the mansion, he prepared to knock.

Inside the luxurious mansion, Natalia sat dully by the window, staring into the endless night. Her long hair loosely draped over her shoulders, her eyes filled with sadness. She felt lost, unsure of where to go or what to do.

Magnus had repeatedly declared his love for her alone, but reality had cruelly proven otherwise.

She realized that she had nothing to offer him. But then she remembered how they met and how they got together. It was all so clear in her mind.

She had once thought that after graduating and becoming independent, she would go and find her mother. She believed her mother must have had her reasons for leaving her behind.

She didn’t belong here, and Magnus had never truly been hers. Yes, he had said he only loved her, and then he was in the arms of another woman, dancing with Isabella.

Since he wasn't sincere about her, what was she doing here? Even though Magnus hadn't said it outright, as time went on, she knew he would eventually get tired and ask her to leave. And when that happened, she would be left with nothing but a broken heart.

Such was the irony of her life.

As she thought about this, Natalia forced a bitter smile. Her heart felt heavy, as if something was pressing against it, making her want to cry out.

The sudden knock on the door broke Natalia's train of thought. She knew it must be Magnus, and even though the thought of him with Isabella still lingered in her mind, she straightened out the slightly wrinkled clothes she was wearing and got up, heading towards the door.