The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus) novel Chapter 155

"Magnus, do you still think she's the naive little Isabella from nine years ago? She's cunning now. If I'd been a moment later that day, she would have had you." Chase raised his voice, staring into Magnus' stormy gaze.

"I'm telling you, Magnus, if you don’t take care of the whole thing with Isabella, there will be more misunderstandings between you and your wife in the future." Chase wasn't afraid of Magnus’ outburst. He had a feeling something was off about Isabella. She was a schemer.

The words sent a chill down Magnus' spine. He didn't remember much from the night he was drunk, but he remembered enough to know he had hurt Natalia in bed. She cried.

Annoyed, he got up and walked out.

"Where are you off to?" Chase asked in confusion.

"Home." Magnus was done with drinking.

Chase was left stunned. Magnus had called him here in the middle of the night only to leave so abruptly.

Magnus drove straight back to his home, Maplewood Manor. It was late, so he quietly opened the door to his bedroom, only to find it cold and empty. Right, his wife was in the guest room.

He turned towards the guest room, the door unlocked. The moonlight filtering through the pentagonal window illuminated her sleeping face. She looked troubled even in her sleep. Her pale face looked desolate.

Magnus shrugged off his jacket, slipped into the bed next to Natalia, and pulled her into his embrace, taking in her sweet scent.

Natalia stirred in her sleep, feeling too warm. When she tried to push him away a little, he only held her tighter. With no other option, she found a comfortable spot and went back to sleep.

Only when he heard Natalia's even breathing did Magnus loosen his hold on her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Darling, don’t do this to me. I love you," he whispered.

But Natalia slept through his confession.

The next morning, Natalia woke up to an empty bed. She stretched lazily, suddenly feeling as though someone had been sleeping next to her last night. She sniffed the sheets, detecting the scent of alcohol and tobacco. It was Magnus.

He had left, hadn't he? But he had returned, drunk, and slept with her.

She didn't dwell on it. She got up and got ready for school.

Meanwhile, Magnus headed to work early, leaving town for a business trip.

In a coffee shop in Melfort, Callum sat by the window, watching the bustling crowd. It had been fifteen years, but he thought about the little girl every single day. She would be grown up now.

Last night at the library, he'd seen Natalia's captivating blue eyes and was taken aback. Those eyes reminded him of the girl he was looking for.

She claimed she was born here, and he hadn't seen the pendant. So she couldn't be the one he was looking for.

Fifteen years ago, he was being chased by a Mexican gang due to family interests. The girl had bravely saved him, and he'd made a vow then to marry her when they grew up.

He gave her a pendant as a token. It was his family's symbol - an amulet of the Sphinx. He only knew that her name, Buttercup. She would be twenty this year.