Shattered Then Healed By His Love (by Haley Blanton) novel Chapter 165

Chapter 165 Close Quarters

Natalie quickly pushed the man onto the balcony and pulled the heavy curtains closed. Only after confirming he had crossed to the adjacent balcony did she smooth her clothes and compose her expression before walking to the bedroom door.

She opened it to find Stella standing there, her face a thunderous mask.

“What took you so long? I’ve been knocking forever.” Stella’s eyes darted around the room before settling on Natalie’s face.

Just as Natalie was about to speak, the door to the next room opened. Marcus leaned against the frame, his voice a low rumble. “What are you shouting about?”

Stella turned, startled to see him. “Marcus, you’re back too?”

“I came to see my grandfather,” he said, his expression darkening slightly. “I was just about to get some sleep, but you disturbed me.”

Natalie looked at him, her heart pounding. She knew exactly what kind of “sleep” he was talking about.

“It’s not even evening yet. Why are you sleeping so early?” Stella asked, surprised. “I just came up to get Natalie for dinner.”

“You eat when you’re hungry and sleep when you’re tired. Isn’t that normal?” Marcus said, his tone casual. He then turned his gaze on Natalie. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

Already on edge, his question made her entire body go rigid. She forced a smile. “That’s right.”

“Well, since you’re both back, come down for dinner. Jackson is waiting for you.”

“Oh?” Marcus replied, a note of casual indifference in his voice that was laced with something else. “So he’s still here.”

The words were cryptic, but Natalie understood the danger they had just narrowly avoided. If Jackson had come back to the room a moment sooner, their secret would have been exposed.

She nodded and headed downstairs.

Gabriel was still recovering, so it was just the few of them for dinner. It was only then that Natalie realized Aiden was there as well.

“Mommy is beautiful today, so Daddy can’t help but look,” Jackson said, the out–of–place compliment so bizarre it made Natalie’s skin crawl. Is he out of his mind?

“You never say Mommy is beautiful,” Aiden said, confused. “Why are you being so strange today?”

After dinner, Marcus went up to see Gabriel. When he came out, he found Jackson waiting for him.

“Can we talk?” Jackson asked, his voice low.

Marcus’s eyes turned cold. He walked to the far end of the corridor, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it, his gaze fixed on the darkness outside the window.

Jackson came and stood beside him. “Why have you been so close to Natalie recently?”

Marcus’s hand, holding the cigarette, paused for a fraction of a second. “I believe I’ve already answered that question.”

“But even for the child’s sake, you don’t need to be this close.” Jackson took out his phone and held it up for Marcus to see.

Marcus glanced at the screen, his expression unreadable. It was the photo from outside her apartment, him with his hand braced on the door, trapping her in his arms. It looked intimate. They looked… good together.

A slow, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips. “And what does this picture prove?” he asked, his voice a cool, dismissive drawl.