Chapter 405 No Future
“I abandoned my child? Why would you say that?” I asked in a mild voice as I stared at Natalie calmly.
“The Shaw family said so when they revealed your disappearance back then. Anna, I don’t believe that you’re such a person. You’re my best friend, and I know you very well. You’d never do such a thing, right?”
Natalie regarded me with anxiety plain on her face. Although she said she believed me, I knew that she was actually very nervous right then.
Meanwhile, my blood ran cold after I heard her words. I never thought that the Shaw family would be so despicable. Lincoln was the one who kicked me out of the family, yet they had the nerve to push all the responsibility onto me later on.
Recalling that I had once lived with that family, I felt a shiver run down my spine. In the past, they were all kind and amiable to me, but I never expected them to be so ruthless. Or perhaps I had been thinking of them too kindly.
“Are you sure it was the Shaw family who said that?” I questioned once more, staring right into Natalie’s eyes.
“Of course. If it weren’t for the Shaw family announcing your disappearance, I wouldn’t have known about it. Anna, will you tell me why you did that? I’m sure you must have a reason for doing so.”
Natalie eyed me apprehensively, her voice taking on a hint of urgency.
Locking gazes with her, I inhaled deeply and suppressed the wrath within me. In a solemn voice, I queried, “Natalie, will you believe me if I say I never did such a thing? That’s my child. Do you think I could bear leaving him?”
She was my best friend. I did not care what others thought of me, but I did not want my best friend to misunderstand me.
Hearing that, Natalie looked into my eyes intently. A long time passed before she nodded firmly. “I trust you. I know you’re a person who cares a lot about relationships, so you’d never abandon your child.”
Her tone was unwavering when she spoke, brimming with conviction toward me.
“Anna, I still don’t understand why you left back then. Weren’t you and Michael a loving couple when I visited you at the hospital shortly after you’d given birth? But why did you leave just a month later?”
Natalie was silent for a while before she looked at me once more with bafflement in her eyes.
“You’re asking why I left back then? Do you really think Michael and I are a loving couple? That was just a fleeting blissful moment of our marriage. As for why I left, I think the Shaw family should know that better than anyone else.” I sneered.
As I recalled Lincoln’s ruthlessness toward me once upon a time, the loathing within me surged again.
“It’s related to the Shaw family?”
Natalie seemingly understood something after hearing my response. Her brows furrowed, and bemusement showed in her eyes.
“I’ll tell you about it next time. You only need to know that the person I love the most in this world is my child. I came back this time because I want to take my child back.”
I did not want to bring up those sad memories of the past anymore, nor did I want her to know about my past sufferings. If I were to tell her everything, she would undoubtedly be dismayed.
Upon seeing that I had no plans to divulge anything, Natalie did not pursue it further.
“I trust you, Anna. No matter your decision, I’ll support you!”
She looked at me with conviction as she gripped my hands tightly.
After chatting with her for a while longer, I went to the office.
Nicholas was in my office, sitting at my desk. I eyed him in mystification, not quite comprehending why he was sitting in my spot.
“Are you waiting for me here? Is something the matter?” I asked evenly while taking in his expressionless face.
“Michael’s secretary just called and said that he’ll be coming to our office in half an hour.”
Nicholas’ voice was flat, rendering his emotions indiscernible. However, I could sense from his gaze on me that he was not in a good mood.
At the mention of Michael’s name, my gaze flickered. Nonetheless, I promptly masked my emotions. Looking at him, I inquired in the same even tone, “Why is he coming over?”
“Can you not guess why he’s coming over? Naturally, it’s because of you.”
While saying that, he let his gaze linger on me, observing my expression. He seemed exceedingly displeased over Michael’s visit, probably jealous.
My movement halted, but I continued straightening the items on my desk the next second. “Got it.”
“Anna, I hope you don’t waver no matter what he says to you. It’s not just because of the company’s interests but also because of… me. You know my feelings toward you. I hope that I’ll be the person who keeps you company by your side in the end.”
Nicholas stood up and came over to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. His tone had never sounded so serious.
I had always been aware of his feelings toward me, but I always brushed it off every time he made it obvious. I never rejected him, nor had I ever accepted him.
An almost imperceptible wave of panic washed over me when he suddenly uttered such words to me in such a solemn voice. In reality, I did not want to accept anyone then and had no interest in dating any man.
“Don’t worry. Nothing will ever happen between us again. Only the past remains between us with no future to speak of.”
I could not reciprocate his feelings, but I had made up my mind where Michael was concerned. Back when the Shaw family treated me in such a manner, it was already destined that we could never be able to get back together.
Nicholas stared into my eyes for a long while. It was not until after he had ascertained that my expression was guilt-free that relief suffused him.
“I’m glad to hear that. Right now, I just hope that the matter between you two will be resolved as soon as possible. Then, you’ll be in the mood to take our relationship seriously.”
He patted me on the shoulder with a slight smile tugging at his lips.
Hearing that he had again shifted the subject to the two of us, I averted my gaze guiltily, stumped for words.
“Go back to work first. I’ve still got some information on a few projects to go over.”
I surreptitiously distanced myself from him, acting as though I had not heard his earlier utterances.
“All right, I’ll leave you to your work. I’ll excuse myself first, then,” Nicholas replied placidly.
Then, he withdrew his hands from my shoulders before leaving.
After he had left, I stood still and stared at his retreating back, my brows creasing slightly. I was troubled as to how I should resolve my relationship with him.
In actual fact, I had an ulterior motive for not rejecting him outright—I still needed to depend on him to get my child back.
