Sophia felt like her throat was stuffed with cotton, and her eyes burned with a sudden sting. She clutched her phone tightly, but for a moment, no sound came out at all. She couldn't speak—couldn't even breathe properly.
"Sophia, are you crying?" Natalie's cool, calm voice came through the phone.
She repeated the question when she received no response. "Are you crying?"
Sophia quickly shook her head, then realized Natalie couldn't see her. She hurried to speak. "Nat, I'm not crying. I'm just feeling a little down."
"Where are you?"
"I'm not far from the parking lot entrance. Where are you?"
"On the beach. Come over."
"Okay."
Neither of them hung up. They stayed on the line, occasionally checking in to confirm each other's location.
Soon, Sophia spotted Natalie. She and Marcus were walking hand in hand along the beach, speaking softly to each other. Sophia saw Natalie smile at Marcus, her eyes curving sweetly.
The air around Natalie had changed. She used to keep her distance from everyone, never warm, often even cold and detached. That was especially true for Marcus. She would avoid him as much as possible, always keeping her distance.
But now, standing beside each other, the two of them looked perfectly matched. Their gazes were gentle when they looked at one another, and the happiness between them was so tangible it couldn't be hidden.
Sophia looked on with envy. If she hadn't gone through all those terrible things, maybe she, too, could have been like an ordinary girl, happy and carefree with someone she loved.
Still, seeing Natalie and Marcus happy was enough for her.
"Nat, I see you," Sophia said, sniffling as she tried to steady her emotions. "I'm coming now."
"Okay."
Natalie ended the call and turned toward the shore. Sophia was dressed in black sweats and sneakers, which made her stand out among the swimsuit and t-shirt clad crowd.
But Natalie understood. After the psychological trauma Sophia had endured, her sudden shift in clothing style made sense.
Sophia quickly approached. "Nat, Marcus, hi!" She greeted them with a smile, handing Natalie the interlocking circle sculpture and placing the rest of the gifts in front of them. "A wedding gift for you both. Congratulations, Mr. Holden, on finally marrying Mrs. Holden!"
Sophia remembered what Zachary had told her. She followed his advice and presented the gift, calling Natalie "Mrs. Holden".
Sure enough, in the next second, Marcus' smile spread across his face, bright and uncontainable. "Thank you."
Natalie held the sculpture and motioned for Marcus to open the box. "Marcus, open it and see what Sophia got us."
"Alright." Marcus opened the box and found the love lock and the set of uniquely designed jewelry inside.
Natalie, being a designer, understood the meaning at a glance. "Marcus, the bracelet is mine. You use the necklace to open it and put it on me. The necklace is the man's piece. From now on, the key to my bracelet will be around your neck."
"Really?" Marcus was clearly delighted. He looked at Sophia. "Ms. Sinclair, thank you for the gift."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus)
This one gets us readers asking for more! Excellent story, great twists......
Hope Grandpa Charles lives long enough to see Marcus and Nat's children, please. It will make him happy to see life is still worth living and that he didn't fail raising Marcus at least. Let him be happy at least in this aspect. Thanks...
Finished till 538....Waiting for more...
This really hurts. I am confused if Yvette sent a msg saying old love to Charles through Charlene. Why isnt it in her confession. Or did she actually set vivian up into sleeping with that man? And later blackmailed vivian with it till vivian commited suicide? Did Yvetty yhinks Charles would marry her after vivians death but he remained loyal. Hence her anger?...
Hope Nat can cure Marcus' mom. Looking forward to new updates. Thank you...
When will other chapters be updated...
Every chapter gets sweeter..and oh! I'm sure Nat's new patient is Marcus' mom - though the illness is quite intriguing....anyway, looking forward for the next updates! Thank you...
What an ending to the chapter...nice one..hoping for more updates...thank you...
OMG, OMG, OMG, this is getting better and better. Nat and Marcus are getting married!!!!! Yehey! Please update more..after a big drama ot is really nice to have love and a little happy events in between. Pretty please, update more. Can't wait!! Thank you so much!...
Recent updates are so good. Natalie's and Marcus' love story is also progressing...so, so good and exciting. Please update more. Thank you...