Natasha went to see Thalia after she was done eating.
“How are you? Feeling better?” she asked upon entering the room.
When Thalia saw the woman, she sat up at once. For some reason, after learning of Natasha's true identity, she felt much closer to her despite the slight awkwardness. “Yup. I'm much better now,” she said.
“I haven't felt any discomfort since I woke up,” Natasha informed, looking at Thalia, who nodded in response.
Noticing that Thalia was staring at her, Natasha asked, “You have something to tell me?”
Thalia stammered, “Shadow... Miss...”
She wanted to speak but wasn't sure how she should address Natasha. Finally, she decided to ask directly, “I was wondering if I should address you as Shadow Seeker or Ms. Watson?”
After a brief moment of contemplation, Natasha replied, “You can just call me Nat.”
“Nat?” Thalia seemed slightly surprised to hear that.
“It's just a name. If you're not comfortable with that, you can call me anything you like,” Natasha said casually.
She had always given off a relaxed and carefree vibe, and it was easy for one to feel comfortable in her presence.
Thalia gazed at the woman and replied, “No, it's all right. I just need to get used to it.”
She had grown up without anyone by her side and had no other family apart from Spencer. As such, she was rather touched that Natasha had asked her to call her by her nickname, which was a sign of intimacy, trust, and friendship.
“Why don't you give it a try?” Natasha suggested.
“Nat.” Thalia let out a chuckle after saying that. “It's funny that I'm addressing you the same way the kids address you. Will they think I'm crazy?”
“Nah. They won't.”
Thalia thought for a moment and said, “In that case, I will just greet you casually from now on!”
“Sure.”
Just then, Thalia shifted in her bed. When she moved her body, a crease appeared between her brows.
“What's wrong?” Natasha asked.
“Nothing. My legs just feel a little numb,” Thalia answered.
Natasha regarded the woman. “Go for walks outside when you are free. It's good to get some sun. Staying indoors all day is bad for your health.”
When Thalia heard that, she replied helplessly, “I want to go out too, but I don't dare to do that.”
“Why?” Natasha asked with narrowed eyes.
“It's because of Benjamin and Denise. Whenever they saw me, they would ask me what was going on. I'm not sure if you had told them anything, so I didn't dare to say too much. I'm worried that they would start having suspicions,” Thalia explained.
“They can be really curious at times,” Natasha remarked.
“I texted you about it, but you didn't reply.”
“Did I not reply?” Natasha took out her phone and started scrolling through her messages. When she realized that she had indeed not replied, she said, “I didn't have my phone with me then. When I wanted to reply, I ended up being distracted by other things. I must have thought that I had already replied.”
“Did you reply telepathically?” Thalia jested.
“Well, you can think of it that way.”
Thalia could not help but be amused by the woman's reply.
The next moment, Natasha spoke. “Actually, I did consider telling them the truth since they would find out sooner or later. But the thought of them being upset made me want to delay it for as long as possible. One additional day of them not knowing is one more day of them being happy.”
Upon hearing Natasha's words, Thalia gave a small nod. “I understand. I guess that's what all mothers would choose to do.”
“How about you? I know you care about them as much as I do,” Natasha said.
Thalia replied with downcast eyes at the mention of that, “I didn't think that much. I just... I just don't want others to pity me.”
“Is that so?”
Thalia nodded.
“If that's the case, you don't have to tell them anything.”
“But I can't do that,” Thalia said.
After knowing each other for three years, Natasha knew Thalia's character very well and was aware of her stubbornness.
Nonetheless, she decided not to insist as a sign of respect.
Fixing her gaze on Thalia, Natasha said, “Feel free to say anything you want. It's okay even if you want to tell them the truth. Perhaps, after knowing what happened to you, it would be easier for them to accept my situation.”
Thalia looked at her and replied, “How can that be the same? You're the most important person to them in the world. I can't even start to describe how much you mean to them.”
Natasha remained silent as she knew that as a fact.
She was aware of how much she mattered to the three little ones, and it was exactly because of that that she did not dare to tell them the truth.
It would break her heart to see the kids sad.
Natasha glanced at Thalia. Pausing for a second, she said, “But, other than me, you matter a lot to them too.”
Upon hearing that, Thalia lowered her eyes and sighed. “I don't think they still do after I said those things to Anthony. He's so mad at me now that he doesn't even want to speak to me...”
“Do you regret it?”
Although she was reluctant to admit it, Thalia had to be honest with herself. She bobbed her head weakly and responded, “I didn't expect that I would come back. I wouldn't have said anything if I had known that I would be back barely two days after I left. Look how awkward it is now.”
Natasha chuckled in amusement at her words.
“Forget it. I brought this upon myself and can't blame anyone for it.” Thalia felt rather helpless.
“Don't worry. Anthony is not that petty. I guess his pride was hurt, so he just needs some time to get over it. Regardless, this might be something he needed. After all, he had been pampered ever since he was young and had not experienced any setbacks. Having a loved one teach him the lesson is better than letting an outsider do it.”
“Loved one? Me?” Thalia asked.
“Who else can it be?” Natasha questioned back.
Thalia pursed her lips in response, “I finally understand why the three little ones have turned out to be so outstanding.”
“Is it because of me?”
“You're supposed to leave the praising to others,” Thalia huffed.
Natasha laughed. “When others praise us, they might be just trying to be polite. However, compliments we give to ourselves are always genuine.”
“Why does your brain seem to work differently from everyone else's? Is that how all geniuses think?” Thalia asked.
Natasha raised a brow. “You would have to ask this question to the kids. They are the real geniuses. I'm just slightly talented.”
“You're too humble!”
“It's called keeping a low profile.”
Thalia was rendered speechless.
She's definitely their biological mother. Although they all look completely normal and serious, they are all narcissistic.
Just then, Natasha turned her gaze toward Thalia and asked, “Thalia, can you promise me something?”
“What is it?” Thalia's gaze met hers as the former asked.
“After the poison in your body is gone, take the kids back to Darknetz as soon as you can,” Natasha enunciated.
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