Chapter 18 The Wrong Man at the Door " Mm . " Seeing Lucy's discomfort , Marcus didn't linger . He turned and quietly left the room . Finished Once the door closed behind him , Lucy rushed over , her face full of excitement . " I can't believe Jackson's Uncle Marcus actually came to visit you . " " He came on behalf of the orphanage . " Natalie said . " Anderson Corp is one of their donors . The director couldn't come herself , so he stopped by instead . " " Rich , powerful, good - looking - and a philanthropist on top of that ? No comparison - he's already better than your ex in every way . " Lucy gave her a big thumbs - up , grinning wide . Natalie's face darkened slightly . " He's not my anything anymore ." " Right , right . My bad . " Lucy clapped a hand over her mouth , then laughed . " Still , you and Uncle Marcus looked way better together than you ever did with Jackson . " That made Natalie lift her eyes instinctively . Her lashes fluttered slightly . " Don't joke like that , " she said softly . " Jackson still hasn't signed the papers . Technically , we're still married ... " " Not for much longer , " Lucy said with a wicked smile . " I heard Uncle Marcus is still single . Why not keep the goods in the family ? If you bag him , Jackson would have to call you Auntie . Just thinking about that is satisfying . " Natalie reached out and tapped her on the back . " I'm hungry . " " Changing the subject , huh ? " Lucy picked up the food container . " Classic you . " Over the next few days , Natalie remained in the hospital to recover . Gabriel somehow found out about her being admitted and insisted on coming to see her . Apparently , he had gotten so worked up at the family dinner a few days ago that it affected his heart . 19:34 Fri , Sep 19 ... : 37 ) Chapter 18 The Wrong Man at the Door Finished After Stella pleaded with him over and over , he finally agreed not to visit Natalie at the hospital . Natalie even called him personally , promising to come visit him at the Collins residence once she was discharged . Only then did the old man relax . During her three days in the hospital , Lucy juggled work during the day and continued helping Natalie track down Lily's whereabouts . At night , she came by to keep Natalie company . Jackson and Aiden never came back . The night before Natalie was discharged , Lucy spent the whole evening ranting about them . " Ungrateful father , brainless son . " " One scolding and they're gone for good ... " Natalie just listened with a smile , never saying a word. She knew Lucy was standing up for her . Only Lucy - her best friend - had ever truly been on her side . On the morning of her discharge , Lucy got a call bright and early - something urgent had come up , and she had to leave at six a.m. She said she'd be back as soon as she could to help with the discharge paperwork. Natalie waited . And waited . But Lucy never came . And without someone to help her with the paperwork , she couldn't leave the hospital . She didn't want to call Jackson . After some hesitation , she finally opened her contacts and scrolled to a number she'd saved a few days ago . She hadn't expected Marcus's number to come in handy like this . When the call connected , a deep voice answered . " Who is this ? " 2/3 19:34 Fri , Sep 19 A 37 Chapter 18 The Wrong Man at the Door Finished " Mr. Collins , it's Natalie ... " She paused , then continued . " I know this might be an inappropriate request , and I'm sorry to bother you , but I really don't want to ask Jackson for help . Would you mind helping me check out of the hospital ? " There was a moment of silence on the other end . She had no idea what he was thinking in those few quiet seconds . Natalie figured he was probably about to come up with an excuse - or maybe he was just too busy . She started again , " If you're tied up with something , I completely understand- " " I'll be there in five minutes . " Before she could respond , the line went dead . Natalie blinked in surprise . Five minutes ? It took about that long to get from the parking lot to the inpatient wing . Was he already planning to come anyway ? Well , it made sense . Marcus was a man of strong responsibility . The incident had happened at the orphanage he supported . He was likely just following up - because she'd saved one of the children . Natalie quickly changed clothes and waited for him to arrive . She even opened the door to keep watch . Eyes scanning the hallway , she lifted her gaze when she saw someone approach . But the first figure she saw .... Was Jackson . She froze . " What ? A few days away and now you don't recognize your own husband ? What's with that look you're giving me ? " Send Gifts 19