The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus) novel Chapter 140

For the first time since Marcus had met Natalie, he saw her typically calm and aloof expression take on a look of genuine confusion.

"I blamed you at first, wanting to know what you said to my grandmother that frightened her so much," Natalie said softly, lowering her head. A trace of mockery tugged at her lips. Ultimately, whatever Marcus had told Grace didn't really matter.

If Grace truly had the mental capacity of a six-year-old, as long as Marcus hadn't been excessively harsh, nothing he said should have rattled her that deeply.

After all, he had not threatened or intimidated her. He had spoken calmly, yet her reaction was so extreme.

Deep down, how could Natalie not have her doubts? The truth was, she just hadn't been willing to believe them.

"Ms. Walker, does my opinion even matter?" Marcus' casual tone interrupted her thoughts. His dark, deep-set eyes were fixed on the Intensive Care Unit door.

"Don't you already know the answer?"

His words only deepened the bitter curve of Natalie's lips.

Of course, she knew. She had always known. But she could ignore it as long as no one said it out loud. She could pretend it didn't exist.

As long as Grace loved her, that had been enough. She didn't care how Victor and Diana treated her or about parental love.

Grace had given her tenfold what she didn't receive from Victor and Diana.

Grace's love was more than enough to rival what the other children had. Natalie never felt envious or pitiful.

But today, things had changed.

Today, she saw how Charlotte and William protected and cared for her, and Mason and Hector stepped forward to shield her without a word.

With them there, Victor and Diana couldn't hurt her.

William even told her not to let Victor's emotional manipulation get to her. She had the right to reject any unreasonable attempts to brainwash her.

Being switched at birth wasn't her fault. On the contrary, it was her loss—had she been with her biological parents, her life would have been better and happier.

Charlotte had even said it plainly—Grace's love for her had always had an ulterior motive. Natalie could never surpass Victor in Grace's heart.

There had been times when Victor slapped her over some trivial matter. While Grace would pull Natalie behind her and scold Victor, she never retaliated against him as fiercely as Charlotte and William had done on her behalf.

The difference was stark. And with the comparison came a deep sense of hurt.

Now that she had that comparison, doubt had begun to creep in.

"Even so, without Grandma's protection, I might not have grown up safely," Natalie murmured, lowering her head again.

Draped in Marcus' oversized white sweatshirt, she looked smaller. The sleeves fell far past her hands. Her fingers peeked out slightly, pale and slender, nervously tugging at the fabric.

She looked fragile—vulnerable in a way she had never shown before, like a lost young lady.

Marcus' gaze lowered slightly, his sharp brows furrowing. Which version of Natalie was the real one?

Or was all this still part of an elaborate act orchestrated by her and Grace?

Once Grace woke up, would she resort to guilt-tripping again, pressuring him to marry her?

The possibility seemed all too likely.

But Marcus was resolute. He would never marry a woman who tried to manipulate him, even if Natalie were now revealed to be Charlotte and William's biological daughter—the true heiress of the Walker family.