The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus) novel Chapter 425

As soon as Charles finished speaking, Wesley could not hold back his emotions any longer. Tears streamed down his face as he choked out, "Father, I've let you down."

In the next moment, overcome with guilt, Wesley sank to his knees beside Charles' chair. He sobbed, "I haven't been a responsible son. All these years, I failed to care for you, and worse, I failed my duty as a father."

His body trembled as he lowered his head, gripping Charles' hands tightly. Overwhelmed with regret, he kept apologizing.

Charles said, "Get up. A real man stands on his feet and faces his mistakes head-on. Go change into something proper, then come back and have dinner with me."

"Yes, Father," Wesley replied, his voice thick with tears.

Charles helped him to his feet, and in that moment, Wesley could not help but embrace his father tightly. Years had passed; Charles had grown old, and Marcus had turned into an adult, yet he had missed all of it.

Wesley felt as if he had failed his father, his son, and his wife. All these years, Laura's illness remained the same, and despite trying to take care of everything, he had accomplished nothing.

"Wesley," Charles said, clapping a firm hand on his shoulder. "Do you remember what I told you the day you left with Laura to find a cure?

"I told you that we're family. Your only job was to take care of Laura. Everything else, I covered. You never had to worry about Marcus. I told you I would raise him to be healthy, strong, and happy, and look at him now. Your son turned out to be outstanding."

"Yes, Father," Wesley choked out. There was so much he wanted to say, but no words could express what he truly felt.

"I've always said that home is the warmest place, the safest harbor. No matter how long you and Laura were away, Marcus would always welcome you back with open arms. Isn't that right, Marcus?" Charles turned to Marcus, who had been silently watching from his seat.

Natalie, noticing his hesitation, nudged him under the table with her foot. Marcus snapped out of his thoughts. He slowly nodded, stood up, and walked toward Wesley before reaching out and wrapping his arms around him.

"Father," Marcus said, his voice deep and steady. "It's nice to finally meet you properly. I'm Marcus, your son."

His voice was rough with emotion, but aside from that, he was as composed and reserved as ever. The moment Wesley heard those words and felt Marcus' embrace, his composure shattered.

"Marcus! Marcus! Marcus!" Wesley cried out, his voice breaking as he hugged his son tightly. He clutched Marcus' back, patting him repeatedly as tears streamed down his face.

"Marcus, my precious son," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry—I failed you. I wasn't there for you, I didn't take care of your grandfather, and I couldn't even take care of your mother. I have been a terrible son, a terrible father, and a terrible husband."

"Enough with that nonsense," Charles scolded, giving Wesley a sharp slap to the back of the head. "You spent all these years by Laura's side, taking care of her. That is the most responsible thing you could have done."

Charles continued, "A family is meant to stand together. And besides, we're the Holden family. We're rich and have an army of staff at our disposal. So what if we weren't all under one roof? That's barely a hardship.

"From now on, I don't want to hear another word of self-pity. I have no patience for that kind of talk. Now, change your clothes and bring Laura down. It's been too many years. She needs to meet Marcus, too."

"Yes, of course, Father. I'll change and bring Laura down right away," Wesley replied. His entire body trembled. He had cried too hard, and now he could not stop.

"Father, don't cry," Marcus said, his voice rough with emotion. "All these years, I've missed you and Mom so much, but I have never blamed either of you."

When he was younger, Marcus could not understand why his parents had left him behind to travel the world. Every time he showed even the slightest sadness, Charles would stroke his hair and tell him that his parents loved him—that they were searching for the greatest gift in the world just for him.

They would not come home until they found it, and once they did, they would bring it back to him. Now, Marcus finally understood what that "gift" was.

"You're such a good boy," Wesley sobbed, his voice cracking. "Thank you… Thank you."