Chapter 13 " No. Tur visiting Orandma Plona . Anathea adjusted the camera . Fiona seemed to have woken up . She was leaning against the bed as she waved at Kander " HI , Xander " " Grandma Fional " Xander greeted in a sweet voice . Flona would den sneak him some of his favorite snacks , so he was quite close to her … However , Flona was always ill , so Bisa forlade Xander from visit her in case he got sick too . It had been a long time since they'd last met . A radiant smile bloomed on Xander's face as he showed Gregory the screen . " Dad , It's Grandma Flona ! " " Yeah . " Gregory nodded lightly at Fiona through the screen . Then , he continued striding upstairs . He never said a word to Anathea the entire time . It was as if she'd never existed on the other end of the ne Anathea was used to his coldness by now . She asked Xander , " What's the matter ? Did something happen ? " Xander immediately apologized to Anathea . " I'm sorry , Mom , I was naughty yesterday . " His teacher had encouraged them to be brave children who owned up to their mistakes . His private tutor only ever taught him that nothing was objectively right or wrong and that he should judge things based on how beneficial they were to him . Still , he felt that he'd indeed done something wrong . After all , Anathea didn't talk to him much these days . She'd stopped making his favorite dishes , and she no longer read him bedtime stories . So , if an apology could make Anathea return to normal again , Xander was willing to do it . When Anathea heard Xander's apology , she was stunned for a moment . Tears welled up in her eyes , but she held it in as she said in a gentle voice , " It's getting late . You should get some rest , Xander . You still have school tomorrow . " " Aren't you coming home tonight , Mom ? " Xander asked . He wanted Anathea to read bedtime stories for him that night . Anathea had recalled their unhappy moments from the day before when she'd seen Gregory head up the stairs just now . So , she refused . " No. I'll be staying with Grandma Fiona in the hospital tonight . " " Okay . " Xander was a little disappointed . Then , he asked , " Mom , will you make shrimp and zucchini oatmeal pancakes for me tomorrow ? " Thomas made great pancakes , but compared to Anathea's , they were still lacking a little . " Sure . " " Anathea was a little glad about Xander's change in attitude Curving her lips into a smile , she agreed . " Now go to sleep . " " Yay ! " Xander leaped into the air . He noticed that Natalie had just arrived home , so he happily told her , " Ms. Whitman , Mom is making shrimp and zucchini oatmeal pancakes for me tomorrow ! They're super delicious ! You should try them too ! " When Anathea heard his words , the smile froze on her face for a moment . The joy in her heart faded . But Xander had already hung up on her . " Ms. Whitman ? " Fiona noticed Xander's tone . " Is she a new caregiver ? Xander sounded quite close to her . " Anathea lowered her gaze . If she told Fiona that the " Ms. W s . Whitman " Xander was so c close to was none other than Natalie , she might just faint from fury . Fiona would be scheduled for surgery soon , so Anathea decided not to take the risk . She simply nodded and said , " Yes . 1/3 " What's the matter Nat ? You don't look too good . " As Anathen's mother , Flonia tunediately noticed the sorrow deep Anathea's gaze Frowning , she asked , " Did something happen between you and Gregory ? " Anathea was shunned for a moment . Smiling , she shook her head . No. You're overthinking it , Moin " " Did you get Into a fight ? " Plona asked . She was ill , but that didn't mean she was any less wise , Gregory ha greeted her just now , but he'd never said a word to Anathea , They were so distant that it looked like they were strangers . " No. I just miss Dad a little . " Anathea changed the subject . " I wonder how he's doing . " Even though Adam had received a lighter sentence gli erod trial , he'd been sentericed to 20 years in prison . He was still in prison right now . It was all because of Gregory , who'd wanted to exact revenge i It only because Adam had forced Gregory to marry her ? Anathea couldn't understand why Gregory b hated them so much . Was it only Yet , the last time Anathea had seen Adam before he'd been sent to prison , he'd told her not to worry about anything . He'd also warned her not to dig deeper . He'd only told her to play her part as Gregory's wife . Anathea was still puzzled over why he'd said such a thing . When Fiona heard Anathea's reply , a complicated look flashed across her eyes . Taking Anathea's hand , she said , " Don't worry , Nat . If your dad behaves in prison , his sentence might be reduced . We will be reunited then " Anathea's mind drifted back to reality . Fiona was right . 20 years might be a long time , but they would have hope as long as they were alive . So , she had to take good care of Fiona until her illness was cured . Only then could they await Adam's release from prison . It wasn't even 7:00 am by the time Anathea returned home . She was planning to wash up before making pancakes for Xander , After all , in her moment of weakness , she'd said yes to his request yesterday . However , when Anathea arrived at the entrance of the master bedroom , she paused in her steps . At this hour , Gregory probably hadn't left for work yet . Anathea decided not to think about it . They were already divorced , anyway , and there shouldn't be anything she should be scared of . Exhaling deeply , Anathea opened the door to the room . To her surprise , Gregory wasn't on the bed . In fact , the sheets were completely free of creases . It was obvious that he hadn't spent the night here . A look of realization flashed across Anathea's eyes . She'd forgotten that , now that Natalie had moved in , Gregory would sleep in Natalie's room just like he'd done the night before . Anathea was fine with that . It would be even easier for her to pack ter clothes now , At 7:20 am , she went downstairs after washing up . Thomas was already in the kitchen , bustling about to prepare breakfast . When he saw Anathea coming over , he smiled and greeted her , " Good morning , Mrs. Sinclair . " " Good morning " Anathea smiled back . Noticing that Thomas had already prepared the ingredients for shrimp anucchini oatmeal pancakes , she casually took over . " Let me do it . " Chapter 13 +25 BONUS After handing the frying pan to Anathed , Thomas poured out some almond milk for her . " This was freshly blended . Please try it , Mrs. Sinclair . *** Thank you . " Anathea reached out to take the glass of almond m if she fumbled . Thomas was quick to react . Reaching out with his other hand , he managed to catch the glass while holding Anathea's hand as well . Stunned by the unexpected skin contact , Anathea looked at Thoma " Forgive me , Mrs. Sinclair . " Thomas hastily let go of her as he apologized Anathea shook her head . " It's okay . Just leave it there . I'll try it late " Thomas gave her a careful glance . He didn't say anything else as he worked on his own tasks . At 7:30 am , Anathea had just placed the pancakes on the table when Xander skipped downstairs . " Mom ! " Xander jogged up to her . He was quite happy to see her as soon as he woke up . " Come have breakfast . " Anathea poured out a glass of milk for him " Okay ! " Xander eagerly took a bite of the pancakes . He smiled joyfully as he said , " Your pancakes are the best , Mom ! Can you take ine to school later ? " Anathea's lips curved into a smile . " Sure . " She could actually sense that Xander had changed a little after he started going to school . He wasn't as distant as he used to be , and they looked just like any normal parent and child . She used to dream of such scenarios in the past , but now , it was happening in reality . A gentle look flashed in her eyes . e you eating . Xandy ? " But in the next moment , Natalie's voice rang out . " Something smells nice ! What are you +25 BONUS Another looked in the direction of the voice , Ratalle was coming down the stairs , and Gregory was walking a short distince behind her . Their footsteps were almost in sync . It looked like they'd woken tip together , washed up together , anden come downstairs trigether . Sure enough , as Anathea had muessed , Gregory had spent the night in Natalle's room . Anathea averted her gaze away from them . Meanwhile , Xander immediately shifted his attention from Anath to Natalie . " Good morning , Ms. Whitman ! " Picking up the plate of pancakes Anathea had made for him , he ran up to Natalie . He was eager to share it with her . " Mom made this . Try it , Ms. Whitman ! " " Sure . " Natalie glanced at Anathea . Then , she smiled as she picked up a piece and took a bite . " This is nice . " " Right ? " Xander grimest . " It you like it , I'll ask Mom to make some for us next time . You can eat all the pancakes you want Anathea didn't say a word as she quietly ate her breakfast . " I didn't expect you to be so good at cooking , Ms. Jacobson . " Natalle took a seat opposite Anathea . " I can see that Xander really likes pancakes you make . Why don't you teach me how to make them ? - Meeting Natalie's gaze , Anathea leisurely stirred the oatmeal in her bowl . " I've already taught Tom how to make them . Yourtan just ask Tom if you want to learn the recipe . " " Tom ? " Natalie was a little confused . Gregory glanced at Anathea as well . " The new chef , " Anathea explained , " His full name is Thomas Morgenstein . " " I see . " Natalie glanced at Thomas , who was busy cleaning up the kitchen . She seemed to be scrutinizing him . Thomas looked quite young and looked decent as well . Still , he was a far cry from Gregory . Natalie had no idea why Anathea would get so friendly with a mere chef . Still , she didn't care who Anathea was close to . She only cared about Gregory . Natalie looked at Gregory . When she noticed that Gregory's gaze always seemed to be drawn to Anathea somehow , she clenched her fingers . Shep placed some food on his plate and said in a gentle tone , " Try this , Greg . You tired yourself out before going to sleep last night , so you should eat more . " When Anathea heard that , she froze mid - motion , the spoon still in her hand . Just then , Gregory's phone rang . It was a call from Martin , who wanted to confirm his work schedule for the day . Gregory immediately picked up his handkerchief and wiped his mouth before getting up . He instructed Martin to schedule an extra meeting in the morning . " Well , Greg has to manage such a huge company , so of course , he'll be a little busier than most of us. " Natalie gazed at Gregory's tall and upright silhouette , admiration almost spilling from her eyes . " Our studio is partnering with Sinclair Group for a project , so we have a meeting to attend together later . " She seemed to be directing her words at Anathea , but the latter didn't respond . In the end , she simply looked like she was talking to herself . However , Xander was quite curious about Natalie's work . " What do you do for a living , Ms. Whitman ? " " I'm a curator for exhibitions , " Natalie replied . 143 S " A catator de Xander blinked , looking a little lost : " I'm in change of planning exhibitions , " Natalie explained pallen " I'm like a bridge connecting artists trezhibitions Investors , collectors , and crifles . " She even took out her phone and showed Xander the art exhibitions she'd coordinated overseas . Just like Gregory , Natalie had skipped a grade to enter college . The'd taken different majors , but since she'd been capable of getting into the same college as Gregory , het competence was undeniable . If not , there wouldn't have been any rumors of het and Gregory being a matchs made in heaven However , Natalie's family had been significantly inferior to the jacobsons back then . Brisa had felt that the Whitmans were below them . That was why Adam had had a chance to get Anthea to marry into the Sinclair family . Now that Anathea thought about it , she felt like she was the bad who'd forced a couple to break up . However , she clearly remembered that she'd already thrown away Gregory's drugged wine back then . After all , despite her love for Gregory , she had her own principles to stick by . She'd never do something so despicable . However , för some reason , Gregory had still managed to drink that wine . On top of that , after Anathea had sipped a seemingly harmless drink , she'd gradually lost consciousness . When she'd woken up later , she'd found herself and Gregory lying naked on a bed . His strong body had been weighing down on her , and she'd felt a painful sensation in the lower half of her body . She'd instinctively wanted to push him away , but he'd just been too strong for her . She couldn't move him at all . Moreover , she'd actually liked Gregory , so when the latter had lowered his head to kiss her , she'd gradually relaxed her jaw and stopped biting her lip . Later on , she'd decided to sneak away after the accident . She had never expected Gregory would keep her by his side the whole night . In the end , she'd been out cold . When she'd finally regained consciousness later , things had already been moving along a predetermined path . Anathea didn't want to recall those things anymore . Fortunately , the mistake back then was slowly being corrected right now . She'd be completely free after a month . She could finally leave this relationship that had given her nothing but scars . " Why is there snow at the venue ? " Xander blinked , his gleaming eyes when he saw pictures of the exhibition Natalie had coordinated . He looked a little bewildered . It was obvious that he was very interested in the exhibition . " That's because this is a winter art exhibition combined with snowboarding , " Natalie replied . " Snowboarding ? " Xander's curiosity was instantly piqued . " Can you snowboard , Ms. Whitman ? " " Of fcourse . " At the mention of her area of expertise , Natalie put on a confident smile . " I'm even a second - tier snowboarder ! " She showed Xander a video of her snowboarding- Wow ! You're amazing , Ms. Whitman ! " Xander's gaze was filled with admiration . He looked at Natalie as if he were looking at his idol As the two chatted enthusiastically , Anathea sat nearby without saying a word . In the past , Gregory had forbidden Anathea and Xander from talking at the dining table . Anathea tried her best to keep quiet during mealtimes so that Gregory wouldn't be upset . Now , by the looks of it , rules could be broken after all . It was just a matter of who was breaking them . Obviously , Natalie was the exception . " When I grow up , I want to be someone as amazing as you , Ms. Whitman ! " Xander said excitedly . " If you work hard enough , I'm sure you'll be amazing too . " Natalie smiled as she put away her phone . Then , she looked at