Chapter 404 Meeting Natalie
Not in the mood to hear such remarks from Nicholas, I frostily told him to leave.
After he left, I lay on the couch alone, my irritation mounting. Despite being dead on my feet after working for the entire day, I did not feel the least bit sleepy at that moment.
As expected, I had dark circles under my eyes when I woke up the next day. Gazing at my reflection in the mirror, I could not help but chuckle derisively at my haggard look.
I quickly applied some light makeup to conceal the dark circles, after which I appeared much more rejuvenated.
Then, I went out to buy breakfast. There was a street lined with stalls selling breakfast fare near my apartment, so it was very convenient for me.
Since I was not particular about food, I simply bought something. Just as I was going to leave after paying, a familiar voice rang out behind me.
“Anna?”
That voice was touched with uncertainty and a faint hint of delight.
Hearing Natalie’s voice again after a year, I, too, became emotional.
I turned around and cast my gaze in the direction of the voice. Sure enough, I caught sight of Natalie. At that moment, she was holding Yuval’s arm, her gaze fixed on my face.
“It’s been a long time, Natalie.”
The instant I saw that it was indeed Natalie, a soft smile bloomed on my face. She was my best friend, so my eyes stung when I saw her once more.
When I left back then, I was in such despair that I did not even tell her where I was going.
“It’s really you, Anna!”
Having ascertained that it was me, Natalie hurried over and hugged me.
I hugged her in return, my mood instantly perking up when I saw her there.
“Where have you been in the past year, Anna? Do you know how worried and scared I was when there was no news from you? I was afraid that you met with an accident. In the past year, I’d been praying every day that I’d see you as soon as possible!” Natalie gushed as she hugged me tightly.
Right then, I felt a warm and wet sensation on my shoulder.
I promptly realized that Natalie was crying.
I was similarly touched to hear her words, and tears escaped the corners of my eyes.
If I had to name one person who truly cared about me in Avenport, it would be Natalie.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left without saying a single word to you. I’m so sorry…”
I hugged her, my voice cracking.
“Where exactly have you been in the past year? Why didn’t you give me a call? Do you know many times I cried whenever I thought of you?”
My apology had Natalie sobbing all the more. She thumped my back, her voice brimming with resentment. Nonetheless, I knew that her emotional outburst was only out of genuine worry for me.
“I’m sorry…”
In the face of her tearful complaint, I had no other words except sorry.
I figured she must have been devastated when I disappeared without a word back then. Natalie had always been a carefree person, so she must have lost control of her emotions to be bawling at that moment.
“All right, Natalie. You’ve finally seen Anna now. It’s a joyful occasion, so don’t cry anymore.”
Just then, Yuval stepped forward. Looking at Natalie with all the distress in the world, he wiped her tears for her.
Natalie released her hold on me. Only then did I see that her eyes had long since turned red.
“Exactly! Look, I’m back now, aren’t I? Why are you still crying?”
I reached out and wiped her tears, my nose stinging as well.
“Oh, you still dare mention it, huh? It’s all because of you! Who told you to leave without a single word back then?”
Natalie pouted at my words and glared at me with chagrin written all over her face. Even her eyes glinted with resentment.
“Yes, it’s all my fault. This is all on me. I shouldn’t have left without informing you back then. I’m sorry I worried you.”
“It is your fault in the first place. You’re not going to leave again after returning this time, right? If you dare leave without notifying me again, mark my words that I will sever all ties with you!”
Since I sincerely owned up to my mistakes, the resentment in Natalie’s eyes faded.
“I’m not sure yet. I came back this time because of my child.”
If it were not for the fact that my son was still with the Shaw family, I would probably never return to that city for the rest of my life.
An unfathomable look appeared in Natalie’s eyes when she heard me. She stared right at me, seemingly having something to say yet hesitant to speak.
She had always been a straightforward person who spoke her mind, so I felt a tad disconcerted to see her hemming and hawing then.
“Do you have something to say to me, Natalie?” I inquired in a whisper when I noticed her hesitance.
“Do you have time now, Anna? Why don’t we find a place and have a chat? After all, we haven’t seen each other for such a long time.”
Natalie did not answer my question, merely regarding me with a placid expression.
In truth, I still had many tasks on hand that day, but I also had a lot to say to her after being away for a year.
“Sure. Let me make a call to take a half-day leave. Then, we’ll go to the café at the side.”
I flashed her a smile before I took out my phone and went to the side to make a call.
I told Nicholas that I ran into my best friend and would like to catch up with her, so I would only be going into the office later. He gave me his approval without saying much.
Subsequently, Natalie and I went to the café a stone’s throw away, both ordering a cup of coffee. Then, we sat across from each other.
Natalie’s gaze remained fixated on my face, and she seemed cautious to speak.
“Natalie, do you have something to say to me?”
Even when Yuval was around, I could already tell that she had something to say to me. Since she wished to chat with me in private, I reckoned it must be an important matter.
“Actually, Anna, I have a question for you, but I’m worried that you’ll be upset after I verbalize it.”
Natalie looked at me with a troubled expression, frowning with worry.
“Just ask away. Is there still any topic off-limits between the two of us?”
Never had I seen her acting in such a manner, and the puzzlement within me grew stronger. Inwardly, I wondered what was going on with her that day.
“Anna, I actually want to ask why you callously abandoned your child and left back then. I know you attach great importance to relationships, so I really can’t figure out why you would do such a thing,” Natalie said after a moment’s hesitation, looking me in the eye.
When I heard her saying that I was the one who abandoned my child, I could not help but frown.
There was no way I would possibly bear to abandon my child. Back then, I only chose to leave because the Shaw family backed me into a corner.
If Lincoln had not kept me from seeing my child, I would never have left. That was my son, and no one in the world loved him more than I did. It was because he was the most important person to me that I could not accept the fact of being unable to see him.
