She wanted to watch it again to ascertain whether she had missed anything.
She needed to know whether it was Shane that night or another man who bore a close resemblance to him.
However, after she watched the security footage, she was all the more certain that it had indeed been Shane.
Why did all three paternity tests indicate that the kids weren’t his then? What exactly went wrong?
At that thought, a shiver ran down her spine, and goosebumps broke out all over her.
She felt as though she had fallen into an abyssal trap that she could never again crawl her way out.
Tossing her cell phone away, she sprawled onto the bed wanly and stared at the ceiling.
Her gaze remained vacant for a long while until her eyelids started growing heavy. Only then did she turn on her side and close her eyes.
Everything that had happened in the past two days had been a great burden to her, exhausting her both physically and mentally. It was so taxing on her that she couldn’t even sleep well at night.
Now that she was finally feeling drowsy, she promptly dozed off.
After sleeping for a few hours, she was awakened by a great thirst. Massaging her temples, she slowly sat herself up.
When her mind was much clearer, she flipped the covers and got out of bed to go downstairs for some water.
Just when she stepped out of the room, she was greeted by a sight that had her eyes narrowing a fraction and her expression darkening.
She saw Jacqueline exiting the guest room in which Shane was staying in a thin nightgown with spaghetti straps.
Closing the door, Jacqueline then turned around. When she caught sight of Natalie, she was stunned for a moment before her lips curved into a smile. “Good evening, Ms. Smith.”
Conversely, Natalie didn’t respond to her greeting. “Ms. Graham, why are you coming out of my husband’s room at this hour?” she demanded coldly.
Jacqueline nonchalantly flipped her wig. “Oh, that… Well, it’s nothing scandalous. Shane just came home, and he’s foxed, so I helped him back to his room.”
Shane went out for some drinks? Natalie’s brows creased as chagrin swamped her. He didn’t even tell me he was going to do so! And when he came back foxed, he actually allowed Jacqueline to help him back to his room! Argh!
As that thought occurred to her, her hands clenched into fists, and her voice hardened. “Oh, really? Then, I’ve really got to thank you for taking such good care of my husband, Ms. Graham.”
“No worries. Shane wants some water, but there’s no water in the room, so I’ll go downstairs and get him some.”
As Jacqueline said that, she made to descend the stairs.
However, Natalie called out to her, insisting, “It’s okay, Ms. Graham. Since I’m now here, I should naturally be the one to take care of him since I’m his wife. So, you don’t have to go to the trouble, Ms. Graham.”
Nonetheless, Jacqueline merely chuckled. “It’s no trouble at all. It’s only right that I take care of him since he’s been so good to me.”
“That isn’t how the world works. Don’t forget; I’m his wife, Ms. Graham. He has me, so it shouldn’t be you taking care of him. The person you should be caring for is Mr. Baker. Therefore, I hope you’ll be mindful of your boundaries. Otherwise, Mr. Baker will be heartbroken.”
After her words fell, Natalie retracted her gaze and glided down the stairs without looking at the other woman anymore.
Rooted to the spot, Jacqueline clutched the banister tightly. The smile on her face crumbled and twisted a touch.
Damn it! She was obviously warning me! But never mind… I’ll just see how long she can remain smug!
Alas, Natalie had no inkling of her thoughts. After drinking some water, she poured a glass of water and took it upstairs. Then, she opened the door of the guest room Shane occupied and went in.
The room was brightly lit. Shane lay on the bed with his eyes screwed shut and his cheeks flushed red. He was completely wasted; a strong stench of alcohol was emanating off him.
The man’s jacket was gone, leaving him in his shirt. His shirt, however, was wrinkled with two buttons at his collar undone, his tie hanging loosely around his neck. On the whole, he appeared utterly pathetic.
Sighing, Natalie softly called out to the man, urging, “Wake up, Shane.”
It wasn’t certain whether he heard her, but the crease of his brows deepened.
Upon seeing that he remained unconscious, Natalie had no other choice. Taking a sip of water, she lowered her head and fed it him mouth to mouth.
