“Huh?” Natalie was surprised. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you don't look like you're in a good mood,” he corrected, combing her hair with his fingers. “Don't try to
hide it. I can tell you're not happy. You might be smiling, but something is on your mind. Tell me what's going on.”
Natalie's heart warmed when she met his caring gaze. “Yeah... You're right. I'm worried, but it's not about me. It's
about Joyce.”
“Joyce?” Shane frowned. “What about her?”
Deep in his heart, Shane was relieved that the issue did not concern Natalie.
As for other people, he did not really care much about what happened to them.
“Joyce's in deep trouble now,” Natalie informed wearily, massaging her temples. “She called me when I was at the
competition hall.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtNatalie told Shane everything from her conversation with Joyce to her call with Stanley.
Shane raised his brows when Natalie finished her story. “I see. To be honest, Stanley did nothing wrong.”
“I know. Neither of them is at fault, but Stanley is hurting her. I can't just let Joyce go through this alone. I'm
worried. What do you think I should do to help her?” she asked, looking at him.
“There's a way,” he suddenly said.
Natalie instantly perked up. “What is it?”
“Leave J City. Run away from Stanley; the further, the better. She can deliver the baby safely as long as Stanley
can't find her. Of course, she can also bring her family along. Stanley won't be able to do anything to them if he
can't find them. It all boils down to whether she wants to do it or not.”
Here, Shane shot a meaningful look at Natalie. “This means she might never be able to return for the rest of her
life. This is the only way she can make sure Stanley never finds her. She must also be prepared to never see him
again. That is why I said it all depends on whether she wants to do this. If she's committed to it, then this will be her
best way out; if not, no one can help her.”
His words fell into dead silence. After some time, Natalie finally spoke. “I'm not sure if she can do it. She loves
Stanley a lot, so I don't know if she's willing to live without ever seeing him again. If she's willing to, does this mean I
will never see her again either?”
“Well, not necessarily,” Shane replied, shaking his head. “Stanley will definitely suspect that you're the one who
helped her escape J City, so he will keep an eye on you to locate Joyce, but it's fine. I'm here. I will make sure he
never gets to find Joyce through you, so you can still keep in touch with and see her.”
Natalie felt assured. “Good. The biggest problem now is whether she is okay with not seeing Stanley for the rest of
her life. If she can get over him, then everything is pretty much settled.”
“Indeed. What you need to do next is to convince her to agree to this plan. If she's up for it, I can arrange a place
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmfor her and her family to stay. I can also cover their tracks so Stanley can't find them.”
“Thank you so much, Darling,” Natalie purred, looking at him with gratitude in her eyes.
Shane stroked her hair lovingly. “You're my wife. I'll help you do anything—except for running away from me. I'll do
everything I can to help those you love too.”
He was prepared to help her achieve anything because he loved her dearly.
“You're the best!” Natalie exclaimed. She hugged him and planted her head in his chest.
Shane hugged her back, kissing her on the forehead. “I'm always the best, am I not?”
“Yeah. You're my husband—the best husband in the world,” Natalie agreed with a grin.
When Shane felt her arms tightening around him, he hugged her back harder. “You're the best too.”
“Gross.” Upstairs, Lina felt goosebumps spreading across her skin when she overheard Shane and Natalie's
conversation around the staircase. Lina rubbed her arms, looking down at Connor, who was also poking out his
head to get a glimpse of his parents. “Connor, your parents are just too much,” she complained softly.