When She Rose From the Ashes (Natalie and Jensen) novel Chapter 285

Chapter 285 Gratitude Isn’t The Same

Jensen’s brow furrowed slightly. Photos? What photos? I never took any photos with Sharon.

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He had been drawn in by Sharon’s passion before; but at that time, Jensen wasn’t yet head of the Luke family, and the family paid him little attention.

He had been the least favored of them all–Sharon had never even cared enough to take a picture with him.

But Natalie wasn’t the type to speak without cause.

Photos hidden beneath the ones of him and Natalie–even he hadn’t known they existed.

Suddenly, Jensen realized things weren’t nearly as simple as he had thought.

Yvonne, hearing Natalie’s words, grew indignant.

“Natalie, you’re so good; if Jensen doesn’t want you, that’s his loss. Don’t ever think otherwise. You’re more than enough. If he truly loved you, it wouldn’t matter whether you did everything perfectly or not–he would’ve stood by you without hesitation, without reservation, the way my brother does. Honestly, if you blew your nose, he’d probably think it smelled sweet.”

Natalie was left speechless.

“Yvonne, that comparison is a little disgusting.”

“Haha, as long as you understand what I mean. My brother really is amazing.”

Yvonne felt she had to speak on Baron’s behalf.

Natalie reached out and tapped her nose with a smile. “Of course I know your brother is amazing. Otherwise, why would I have gone and gotten a marriage certificate with him? After all, when Sharon deliberately left me trapped in that fire, intending to burn me alive, the man I had once seen as my only salvation, chose to save Sharon first and left me behind. I truly believed I would die in those flames. But your brother charged in, reckless of his own life; he gave me a second chance to live.”

Even now, the memory of that fire made her shiver.

“I still remember how fierce the flames were. If not for the extinguisher Phantom left behind, your brother and I might really have been buried in that blaze. And through it all, he never let go of my hand. In that moment, I felt he was my forever. On top of that, when my burns were so severe, he was the one who found the Witch Doctor to operate on me; he was the one who

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Chapter 285 Gratitude Isn’t The Same

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tirelessly searched for a proper donor to graft skin, and in the process, he found my biological parents.”

“If not for Baron, I might already be nothing more than bones and ashes. Maybe I don’t yet love him the way he loves me, but I believe I can spend a lifetime with him, because he loves me more than he loves himself. For that alone, I could never abandon him–unless, one day, he stopped loving me.”

Yvonne rushed to say, “That won’t happen. My brother will never stop loving you. Natalie, his feelings for you run so deep.”

“Silly girl, love is the most uncertain thing in the world. Jensen and I once leaned on each other too; I once believed he was my forever. But in the end, that story didn’t have a happy ending. I’m not young anymore; love isn’t something I need to survive. What I have with your brother is comfort, happiness, warmth. I’m willing to spend my life with him. As for love–let it come naturally.”

Her words lit a spark of hope in Jensen. Doesn’t that mean she hasn’t fallen in love with Baron yet? That what she feels is only gratitude?

For the first time in a long while, Jensen felt hope–and confidence–stirring again.

Yvonne, though, thought Natalie sounded a bit too pessimistic about love. She opened her mouth to argue, but Natalie stopped her.

“I know you want to defend your brother. Maybe I haven’t fallen completely in love with him yet, but I do care for him. I want to give him the best. I can’t stand to see him wronged; I ache when he’s hurt. All of that is the beginning of love. As long as we keep moving forward like this, I believe I’ll fall in love with him sooner or later. After all, Baron really is extraordinary.”

Hearing this, a smile tugged at Yvonne’s lips.

“Of course, my brother is the best man in the world!”

But Jensen’s gaze grew darker.

He would never allow Natalie to fall in love with Baron.

Hearing their voices continue, Jensen turned and left the studio. Across the street, he stepped into a flower shop.

He remembered that Natalie’s favorite flowers were lilies.

But as he stood there at the shop’s entrance, he realized–in five years, he had never once given her a bouquet.

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Chapter 285 Gratitude Isn’t The Same

He really had been such a bastard.

The florist spotted him and hurried out to greet him.

“Sir, are you buying flowers? For your wife, or for your girlfriend?”

“What’s the difference?” Jensen asked, frowning slightly.

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The florist chuckled. “Well, if it’s for a wife, the packaging doesn’t need to be too fancy–after all, you’re already married, so practicality matters more. But if it’s for a girlfriend, you should put some thought into it; the packaging ought to be as lovely as possible.”

At those words, something in Jensen’s chest twisted painfully.