Jasper Milton did not call her for the whole day.
When she returned to the hotel arranged by Allen in the evening, she gave Jasper a call.
“Hello,” Natalie Wheeler spoke first.
“Yes?” Jasper answered in a deep voice.
“It is done,” Natalie said.
“Oh,” Jasper just responded calmly.
“Good night. See you in Amsterdam tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Jasper then hung up the phone.
Natalie had a strange feeling in her heart. It felt so heavy as if a stone was pressing down on her heart.
She wanted to call Jasper again, but she didn’t know what to say. She was never a good conversationalist after all.
She put her mobile phone on the side table and went to the bathroom to take a bath. She thought of an article she had read before and felt that it was particularly useful.
The article was about a man who wanted to return home after working for three years. Before he left, his boss gave him three pieces of advice.
First, he should not search for an impossible shortcut. There would never a shortcut in this world.
Second, he should not be too curious about things which he clearly knew that were not good for him. It would be very likely that he would lose everything because of them.
Third, he should not make any decisions impulsively. He may end up regretting them for the rest of his life.
When the man went home, he did not take any shortcuts. Instead, he chose the main road in which a lot of people were traveling on. When he stayed in the hotel, he heard a woman crying and screaming, but he didn’t come out of his room. The people who came out were all killed by the crazy woman. When he reached home, he heard the voice of a man, but he didn’t kill his wife impulsively. Then, he realized that the man was his child, who had grown up.
Natalie turned off the shower.
Therefore, she decided not to call Jasper. Even though he did not seem to be happy now, he would, at most, break up with her. She would be okay with it, because, after all, that was her original plan.
She should relax and try to live a peaceful life every day. Then, she would not end up hurting anyone.
After taking a shower, she turned off her phone and lay down on the bed. She didn’t want to think about anything else, so she went to sleep.
She didn’t know how long she had slept, but she woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing.
Natalie turned on the bedside lamp and got out of bed wearing a pair of disposable slippers. She looked through the peephole and realized that it was Jasper.
She opened the door in surprise, “Why are you here?”
When Jasper entered the door, she smelled a strong smell of alcohol from him. As soon as she closed the door, he pushed her against the wall and kissed her forcefully.
Natalie pushed him away. He held her waist so tightly that she couldn’t breathe.
He was so powerful and domineering that she couldn’t resist his advances. After half an hour, he finally calmed down.
Jasper then carried her to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and washed his face without saying a word.
Natalie was also speechless.
He was drunk. She guessed that he would not listen to her even if she reasoned with him. However, things should not be happening in this way.
After washing up, he took a towel and wiped her down.
Natalie grabbed the towel in his hand and threw it on the ground.
A sharp light flashed in Jasper’s eyes, and he turned around and went out.
Natalie was still speechless. She lay in the bathtub and took a bath for another half an hour before coming out of the bathroom. He was still there.
She didn’t want to talk to him either. She lay back on the bed, turned her back against him, and closed her eyes.
She was in a daze. When she was about to fall asleep, she felt the space beside her sinking, and her waist was being held by a hand.
Natalie looked back, meeting his deep eyes. She was displeased, “Don’t you think that you are being too overbearing?”
“Yeah,” he simply replied.
Natalie turned around and faced him, “What are you thinking about? I feel like you are unhappy every day.”
“You should know what I’m thinking about,” Jasper said in a low voice.
“I’m not a mind reader.”
“Go to sleep, it’s getting late,” Jasper turned off the lights, and the room fell into darkness.
Natalie turned around and had her back against him once again.
A thought flashed across Jasper’s eyes and he sat up.
Natalie turned to look at him again, and she said, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m wondering just how long you’re planning to hide it from me. Or perhaps, you’ve already guessed that I knew who you really are,” Jasper said in a deep voice.
“What do you mean?” Natalie had a bad feeling in her heart.
“I’m wondering if you’re still her or not. Perhaps, you’re no longer her,” Jasper then stood up from the bed. His expression was solemn and serious.
Natalie’s face turned pale gradually, for she understood what he meant, “Do you think I am Stella Grace?”
“Even though you knew that I was waiting for you, you still pretended that you’re not her.
Even though you knew that I didn’t like the fact that you were with Allen, you still chose to stay out until it’s dark before coming back.
Even when I wanted to have sex with you, you were still resisting me.
From the beginning till the end, it was me who forced you to do everything.
I’ve always remembered you deeply, but it seems that you just wanted me to let go of you.
Three years, then another three years, and yet another two years. It has been eight years in total, and our child is already seven years old.
I thought I wouldn’t stop you if you wish to go on like this. But, deep down, I am suffering, and it feels like I am unable to see a future with happiness in it.
So, Stella, I think I should give up on you.”
Natalie stared at Jasper.
“Also, don’t come to find Dante anymore. Now, he just thinks that his mother is dead. If one day he finds out that his mother is still alive and was unwilling to admit it and stay with his father, he will definitely hate you.
Moreover, I will get married again, and your existence will only make it hard for Dante to get along with his new mother.
Don’t worry. Dante is my child. I will take good care of him and raise him well. Although I may be very strict sometimes, I believe that my future wife will treat him like her own child. I will find a partner who is willing to take care of him,” Jasper said coldly.
Natalie did not say anything. She lowered her eyes and teared quietly.
Jasper sneered. Even though he had said all these, she still did not express her desire to be together with him.
“We don’t have to see each other again,” Jasper turned around, opened the door, went out, and closed the door for her.
Wasn’t this the result that she had wanted all along?! She had successfully pushed her beloved man out of her world, and she would only live alone from hereon.
However, what was the point of her staying alive? Perhaps, she shouldn’t have survived at all.
Natalie did not fall back asleep. She sat on the bed in a daze, and her eyes had turned red from crying. She made a decision.
In the morning, she bought a ticket back to A country and went to the sanatorium to visit Celine Grace. However, she found out that Celine had committed suicide.
Natalie was shocked and she ran to ask the doctor-in-charge, “How could she have committed suicide? She was still fine before this.”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry. She hit the wall suddenly and she was already dead when we entered the room. Are you her family?” The doctor-in-charge asked.
“Where is she buried?” Natalie asked.
“As she has no family, we did it according to the procedures. Please come with me,” the doctor-in-charge said and he took Natalie to the cemetery behind the sanatorium.
Celine had been buried, and the grave was new. The tombstone was engraved with her name, ‘Celine Grace’, as well as her daughter’s, ‘Stella Grace’.
Stella knelt in front of the grave.
Now that Eli’s affairs had been resolved, there was no longer anything or anyone whom she cared about nor was tied to in this world…