Natasha lowered her gaze, looking at the little one hugging her. Without her noticing, he had grown a lot taller, but his palm-sized face still looked as fair and tender as ever.
“Thank you? For what?” Natasha asked in a low voice.
“I don't know. I just want to thank you,” Anthony said, burying his face in Natasha's body, as if he was acting cute.
Natasha looked at him. Anthony was a person who was not good at expressing his feelings. The fact that he could come up and hug her was a rare occurrence.
Such a characteristic was a strength at times but can also be a weakness.
Natasha gently blinked and looked at him. “If you don't even know what you're thanking me for, then I can't accept your gratitude.”
“Nat...” Anthony held her, whispering softly.
“It's no use saying my name,” Natasha said softly.
At that moment, Anthony lifted his gaze to look at her.
Natasha also lowered her gaze to look at him, their eyes meeting each other.
After a moment of hesitation, Anthony said, “I want to thank you for protecting us, for allowing us to grow up safely, and for your tolerance all this while. No matter what we do, you are always supportive. I'm also grateful for the education you've given us, teaching us to distinguish right from wrong, and helping us understand what we truly want.” As he spoke, he lifted his gaze to look at Natasha steadily. “And... thank you for not breaking down over Daddy's incident. You didn't let us worry to the point of being unable to do anything. Nat, thank you for your strength. Thank you.”
After he finished speaking, he looked at Natasha, his gaze dark and resolute.
Natasha was also gazing at him.
For a fleeting moment, joy turned to awkwardness, but they quickly regained their composure.
At that moment, she suddenly realized that her actions had such a profound impact on them.
With those thoughts in mind, Natasha sat down, her gaze almost level with theirs.
She smiled and began to speak. “I know that after what happened to your father, you all have been worried about me.” She nodded. “Yes, I am upset, saddened. Indeed, it was a blow to me.”
As she spoke, Natasha's gaze turned to the person lying on the bed. “I've witnessed my loved ones leave one by one since I was a child. I thought that with time and by increasing my capabilities, these things wouldn't happen again. But unexpectedly, I still can't prevent or change them.”
Listening to her words, both Anthony and Benjamin furrowed their brows, their gazes filled with heartache as they looked at her.
“Nat...”
Natasha looked at them with a slight smile. “What I want to tell you is that life goes on no matter who is gone. Apart from being their relative, I am still me. I still have Gramps and you. Moreover, your father ended up like this because of me, so I should take on his responsibilities. That's who I am.”
Listening to Natasha's words, Anthony once again reached out and embraced her.
It was unclear whether it was to comfort himself or her.
“Nat, I understand, don't worry. I will take good care of myself and Benjamin. We will definitely stay healthy and safe.”
Upon hearing his words, Natasha smiled contentedly. “Hmm, it seems you've grasped the key point of what I said.”
“I understand now. It has been seared into our minds.” Anthony nodded.
At that moment, Benjamin, who was standing by, said, “Daddy is just sleeping, he will definitely wake up.”
Upon hearing Benjamin's words, Natasha laughed and nodded. “Yes, I think so too. I believe he will definitely wake up.” As she spoke, her gaze turned to the person lying on the bed.
Seeing this, Benjamin reached out his hand. “I want a hug too!”
Natasha laughed, extending her hand to pull Benjamin into her embrace as well.
At that moment, they didn't notice that on the bed, Kenneth's fingers twitched slightly, while the corners of his eyes became moist.
After leaving Kenneth's room, Anthony and Benjamin felt much more relaxed emotionally.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Not twins novel (Natasha and Kenneth)
Why are these novels always stopping halfway...