Marcus' shoulders trembled lightly. He gritted his teeth, unable to control his tears.
Natalie knew he had finished reading the letter. After a while, she gently pulled the letter from his hands.
"Marcus, Grandpa left this for you. Keep it safe."
Natalie's voice was soft as she looked at the letter that was soaked with tears. She got down from the bed, walked into the bathroom, turned on the hairdryer, and carefully dried the letter.
Marcus remained seated on the bed, his tears falling even harder. He covered his eyes with his hands, his heart aching with every throb. For days, he had been suppressing his emotions.
He had done many things to get revenge on Yvette.
Yvette and her daughter, Lina, were both executed. Charlene would likely suffer the same fate.
However, even after all he had done, nothing could bring Charles back to life.
Charles had lost his will to live, and no one could save him—not even Natalie.
He and Natalie had obtained the marriage certificate, but deep down, he was hesitant. He wanted to observe a mourning period for Charles, but he was afraid that bringing it up would upset Natalie.
But now, this letter from Charles gave him the answer he needed.
Tears continued streaming down his face uncontrollably while his shoulders trembled even more. Charles had said that he would still be his grandfather in their next life.
But in this life, Charles wanted Marcus to live happily, healthily, and peacefully.
Natalie finished drying the letter, carefully folded it, and then walked over to place it into Marcus' hands. After that, she grabbed a tissue and gently pulled down the hand that covered his eyes.
She gently wiped the tears off his face.
Neither of them spoke.
Soon, the tissue was soaked in tears. Natalie threw that into the bin, then grabbed another tissue.
The tissues were soaked one after another as his tears seemed endless.
Natalie unwrapped a fresh pack of tissues, sitting beside him silently, continuing to wipe away his tears.
After a while, Marcus reached out and held her hand. "Nat, do you blame me?" His voice was hoarse.
"No," she answered softly. "Marcus, if you want to cry, just cry. I won't laugh at you."
After a short pause, she continued, "We're now husband and wife. We will share everything and support each other as we spend the rest of our lives together. Marcus, I understand your pain and grief. So cry."
Natalie put down the tissue and embraced him. "Let it all out."
Marcus buried himself in her arms. He didn't make a sound, but his body trembled even harder.
After a long time, he gradually calmed down. He pulled away from her embrace and stared at her with his bloodshot eyes.
"Grandpa wanted me to be happy. Nat, I won't disappoint him."
After saying that, he forced a smile. However, the smile looked worse than when he was crying.
Natalie didn't call him out on it. Instead, she mirrored his smile. "Yes, we'll be happy together and remember Grandpa's words."
"Yes." Marcus patted the spot beside him. "Nat, come to bed. Let's sleep."
Natalie climbed onto the bed. Once they both lay down, Marcus pulled her into his arms.
Sheldon stepped inside, and the bookshelf silently closed behind him. After descending a long staircase, an underground chamber appeared in front of him.
Sheldon reached out and pressed a switch on the wall, lighting up the underground chamber. In the corner, inside a cage, a woman buried her head, trying to avoid the light.
After a while, she slowly lifted her head. The woman pushed away the messy hair blocking her face as she watched Sheldon walk toward her.
Soon, he stood before her.
"Cassie, it's been a while. Have you been enjoying your stay here?" Sheldon asked.
Cassie glared at him. She lunged forward angrily, only for the chains on her hands to clank loudly against the cage.
"Sheldon, you're nothing but a dog to the Holden family. How dare you do this to me?"
"You're right. I'm nothing but a dog of the Holden family, but I'm Mr. Holden Senior's dog."
Sheldon smiled and walked forward. He crouched in front of her and stared straight at Cassie.
"Back then, both him and I cherished you. Now, my hatred runs as deep. You're not his biological daughter. Your very existence is the biggest stain of his life.
"I always wondered why the Holden family, with such perfect genes, would produce an abomination like you. It turns out that you aren't his biological daughter. Vivian deceived Mr. Charles.
"You're just a bastard born from her betrayal. What makes you think you could still carry the Holden name and enjoy everything that comes with that?"
"Wesley is looking for me. You tricked me into coming back, knocked me out, and then locked me here. Do you think Wesley won't find me?" Cassie roared.
"Sheldon, Dad adored me the most when he was alive. Does blood really matter that much? Even if I wasn't his biological daughter, he still raised me and treated me like a treasure. Aren't you afraid he would crawl out of his grave and come after you for treating me like this?"
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