The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus) novel Chapter 20

Natalia couldn't sleep. She felt extremely uncomfortable, knowing that she had chosen this path herself and was determined to follow it, no matter how challenging it might be. However, his attitude today had truly left her feeling hurt.

“What’s the matter, Natalia? Are you throwing a fit because I didn't kiss you today? And now you refuse to eat?” The man’s face was stern as he looked at the hair peeping out of the covers.

Hearing his words, Natalia’s anger surged. She furiously threw off the covers and sat up, glaring at him. “Magnus, I am a human being. I deserve some respect. I am here to take care of you, not to be humiliated by you. Who cares about your kiss!”

Tears welled up in her eyes. It was the first time she had raised her voice at Magnus since she had arrived over twenty days ago.

Magnus looked at her sitting on the bed, yelling at him, and he couldn't help but chuckle. “Respect? So, not kissing you hurt your self-esteem? If you don't care, why aren't you eating, huh?”

He casually took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket, lighting one up right there in the wheelchair, completely disregarding that this was her bedroom.

“I'm not hungry, okay? And Magnus, smoking is not good for the recovery of your legs. Please, try to smoke less.”

Magnus looked at her with interest as she sat on the bed. “Are you worried about me?”

May entered the room with freshly heated food. “Please eat something. I’ve warmed it up.”

Natalia shook her head. “I'm not hungry, May. Take it away, please.”

But...”

“Leave it.” Magnus ordered.

“Yes, sir.” May put down the food and exited the room.

Natalia looked down at the quilt on her bed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Magnus wheeling himself over to the bedside, with a plate of food in hand.

“Eat.”

Natalia glared at him. “Leave it. I can eat by myself.”

Magnus extended the plate towards her, giving the impression that he would continue to hold it until she took it. “Will you eat on your own, or do I need to feed you?”

Natalia quickly took the plate, beginning to eat under his watchful gaze.

Magnus left the room as she was halfway through her meal, wheeling himself into his own room and shutting the door. He stood up and went to the bathroom, looking at his reflection in the mirror. What was wrong with him today? Why was he so patient with that girl?

He was well aware that she belonged to Lucius. He had a strong aversion to anyone else's woman. Yet, he had held her, and almost kissed her. Even though he had said that it was to humiliate her, at that moment, he had genuinely wanted to kiss her.

Was he going mad? Perhaps he was just longing for a woman's touch after so long. But even so, there was no way he could harbor such feelings for Lucius' woman.

The bathroom filled with the sound of running water as Magnus undressed and stepped under the warm shower.

Meanwhile, Natalia finished her meal and cleared up the dishes. She wanted to check if Magnus had gone to sleep and wanted to give him a leg massage. She had read in a book that a pre-bedtime massage was very beneficial for recovery.

As she was about to push opon his bedroom door, she hesitated, thinking it might be inappropriate to come so late at night. She withdrew her hand and went back to her own room, lying down on her bed. She turned on her phone, which she hadn't used in over twenty days. Hundreds of messages popped up. Most of them were from Hector and Sabrina, and a few from Lexi. There were also two messages from her dad and some from Kendra. Why did they contact her? Didn’t they just wish she could disappear from their lives?

Seeing almost seventy missed calls from Hector, her heart twinged with a momentary pain. Over the years, Hector had been like a ray of sunshine, bringing warmth into her life. She didn't know what her feelings were for him. He was like a brother, a confidant, always there in her life. She had once planned to be with him after graduation. But all of that had been outweighed by her need to take care of her father, and she had to let Hector go.

She opened Twitter and saw a photo of a haggard Hector, which caused her heart to ache even more. His tweet was simple, a photo and a message, “Natalia, I believe in you. Wait for me.”

Natalia almost burst into tears. He believed in her, and he was asking her to wait for him. She quietly turned off her phone and lay on her bed, tossing and turning until she finally fell into a fitful sleep in the middle of the night.

The next day, May woke her up. “Mr. Magnus wants you to help him with his exercises.”

She immediately got up. “Alright, I'm coming.”

Natalia walked into Magnus’s study after freshening up. She saw Magnus in a black shirt, lounging in his wheelchair. He had a contract in one hand and a cell phone in the other.

She made him a cup of tea and lit some incense. Seeing him finish his phone call, she walked over to push his wheelchair. “Today, I want to try a different kind of exercise with you. Do you have anything else planned for today?”

“Yes.” He didn't look up at her but continued to wheel himself over to the table to sign the contract. He then turned his chair to face her.

“What kind of exercise?” He rested his hands on the wheelchair, with an indifferent expression on his handsome face as he waited for her reply.

Natalia turned to retrieve a blanket from a cupboard and spread it out on the spacious balcony. The study’s balcony on the second floor was quite large, about the size of a room. After she had set everything up, she wheeled Magnus over. “Come, I'll help you lie down.”

Magnus complied, curious to see what she had in mind. He realized that he was even more patient than she was. He was even willing to spend time with her, despite his innate aversion to her being Lucius’ woman.

When Magnus was lying down on the blanket, Natalia fetched a small wooden hammer from the cupboard. She then took off his socks. Magnus watched everything she was doing and had a feeling like a fish on a cutting board, ready to be carved up.

Natalia started by using the wooden hammer to tap his legs. Once, she hit a nerve and his leg tingled sharply. Magnus bore the discomfort in silence. Finally, she sat at his feet, using the wooden hammer to tap the soles of his feet.

“Can you feel that?” Her deep blue eyes met his.

Magnus responded with a blank expression. “No.”

Natalia put down the hammer, grabbed his foot with both hands, and pressed her thumb into his sole.

Magnus felt like there was a feather brushing against the soles of his feet, and he suddenly shuddered. It was so itchy. He raised his gaze and saw the girl staring straight at him. He tried to resist, but the tingling sensation under his foot made him break out in a sweat.