Chapter 176 - 176: She's Back

"Wifey?" Nathan asked and Kim Eunji replied with a nod.

"Nod…if you're finally back with me." His voice was shaking due to nervousness.

He really didn't want to raise his hopes up just like the last time she had told him to stay in a whisper.

However, Kim Eunji's response was not only a nod but also a faint smile together with a peck on his lips.

This made Nathan to become emotional and hugged his wife tightly yet carefully because of the surgery wound on her left chest. Still, Kim Eunji could feel her bones snapping from her joints.

"I'm sorry." Kim Eunji faintly said.

"No!" Nathan immediately broke off the hug so he could look at her straight in the eye.

"Don't say sorry. I understand." Nathan immediately dismissed what she was trying to tell him and hugged her back the second time.

"How long was I been out?" She weakly asked him while they were in a hug.

She knew it took her a while to come back to him.

Nathan looked at her and answered. "More than a week."

"Oh...we'll I thought I was only out for a day." She mumbled to herself hoping that Nathan would not hear her but Nathan did.

"Are we still in the island?" Kim Eunji asked him as the last thing she could recall was she passed out after feeling a great discomfort on her left chest while they were inside their room in the island.

"No. We're in Beijing now. We arrived a week ago."

"Oh." Kim Eunji felt bad as she was not able to bid goodbye to the people there.

She felt that it was very rude of her that she left without notice.

"Don't worry, the people there understood our situation. They even sent prayers for your fast recovery." Kim Eunji felt happy yet sad at the same time.

She was happy because she felt the sincerity of the people there and sad because it may took some time before they could visit there again.

"You're not going to leave me again, are you?" Nathan asked with a bit of desperation in his voice and tone.

Kim Eunji looked at him in the eye and she sighed at how hurt and lonely he was during those days she was lost to herself.

She could only make a weak nod together with a hum as her response.

"That's good. I don't want to lose you ever again. I hate to be alone...Those days...were the darkest days of my life. I felt useless for not being to help you with it." Nathan sincerely expressed his thoughts about what they had just gone through.

"Oh hubby. I'm sorry if you have to suffer it with me. I didn't mean to let you feel that way. I can't guarantee that this wont happen again." 'So if that made you tired, I think it's best for us to have a divorce. Don't worry, I'll give you our babies when they're born. I have enemies and your life and their lives would only be in danger if you're with me. I was so selfish to be involved with you.' Kim Eunji continued the last part on her mind as she could not bring herself to say that to him at the moment.

She knew that this news would break Nathan just like how it was doing to her now.

She felt that she was so naive to think that she'll be fine. That she could live a normal life and be happy with the people she loved.

She should have solved her excess baggage first before she dived in this married life.

"Wifey!" Nathan's shout snapped her back to reality. It turned out that she was in daze and lost in her own thoughts.

She looked at Nathan's worried face and her heart ached for him.

"I'm sorry." She said faintly.

Now that she recalled everything, she felt broken-hearted even more.

Had she remembered completely, she should have avoided him at all cost.

Now she knew why Nathan looked familiar especially when he was wearing his glasses.

She had seen his face years back. In a photograph.

She felt bad for her sister. She felt like she had betrayed her so bad.

'I'm sorry Ana.' She thought.

She then felt a pair of strong arms hugging her.

"Wifey...don't worry, from now on, we'll make happy and better memories together with our little ones." Nathan wanted to replace those bad memories of her past with new and meaningful one. Meaningful enough that could overshadow the pain that she was feeling at the moment.

"I hope so." Kim Eunji answered in a depressed mood which she knew would not make Nathan to be happy so she immediately apologized and said, "I'm sorry."

Nathan felt bad for her especially when he heard her sighing deeply.

"So that bastard was indeed telling the truth. My parents are dead." She sadly added.

Nathan knew that he had to interrupt her so she would not continue blaming herself for the things that were out of her control.

Nathan deeply sighed as he broke off the hug and said, "I know it's hard for you to let go and forget about what happened to my in-laws but I still hope that you would not blame yourself because of what happened to them. I love you so much that I hope my love for you would be enough to ease the pain that you're feeling at the moment." Nathan said and the desperation in his voice was still there.

"I love you, too." She faintly said.

'I love you and I would make sure that I deserve you.'

If Nathan would find out what was running in her mind right now, the latter would never allow it to happen.

She knew that Nathan had this possessive and protective tendencies. However, she had to make sure that everyone would be okay when she leave them and keep them safe and protected while she was away.

Was her departure from their lives going to be temporary? She's not sure yet. She had to make sure that she'd eliminated all the threats before she could make the decision to come back.

For how long?

The faster and shorter the time, the better.

But Eunji knew that she and Ana had both offended quite a number of people who were now sitting in higher positions in the underworld. A few of them had influences on the military and politics of their respective countries, too.

It would be hard but she knew there's no other way but to directly confront and stop them.

She also knew that the international authorities were after Anastasia who was her sister because they wanted her to work for them.

It could not be denied that there were many international criminals who were hiding and still at large and they believed that it would take one to eliminate help them eliminate one.

But Ana's dead and they thought she was Ana as only a few trusted people knew that she was her twin. She could use that excuse to be acquitted of the crime.

But she was guilty of the crime too as she had lived in her lifestyle and killed countless of people.

Whatever her reasons, she's still a criminal.

To sum up, there were quite a number of people who would come at her after they found out that the Ana they thought was still alive.

She didn't know how long those people will find her but she knew they would soon come knocking at her doorstep.

Now that she thought of her babies, as their mother, she wanted them to be not ashamed of having her as their mother because she was a criminal. She wanted them to be proud of her.

She wanted to make her sister to be proud of her in heaven, too.

And because of that, she had come up with a decision. And she hoped that she would not regret it.

---

That night, Nathan had not fallen asleep as he watched her peacefully sleeping while using his arm as her pillow.

Though she's back in his arms, he couldn't help not to feel that one day, his wife might leave him again.

The following morning, Nathan pretended that he was asleep and had just woken up to not stress his wife when she woke up.

"Mom...good morning." Nathan greeted and hugged his mom as he entered the kitchen to prepare food for his wife.

Mei was having her cereals as breakfast. She had come back last night to bring a clean change of clothes for her and Sana.

Though Nathan told her that she could ask a servant to do that task for her, Mei declined as she wanted to do it herself. She had been hands-on on everything that she'd do.

On the other hand, Kim Eunji would only eat the food that Nathan prepares. So he had to cook her every meal.

"Good morning son. You looked tired."

Nathan sighed when he heard his mother's remarks.

"Do I look that tired? Am I that obvious?" Nathan asked Mei.

"Yes. Those dark circles underneath your eyes gave it all." Mei honestly told him.

"Oh." Nathan could not utter anything else. He thought that he won't look haggard but the accumulation of sleepless nights and many others had taken a toll on his body.

"Son, I know it's tough but you better be strong for your family. Your wife needs you right now. And seeing you like this, my heart ached for you. Take care of yourself, too. Okay?" Mei patted his shoulder as she told her son.

"I know Mom. Don't worry, I'll go and fix myself after I finished preparing her breakfast shortly." Nathan told Mei.

"Good. I have to leave early as Mom would be bored in the hospital and would start asking questions if I won't return on the exact time I told her I'd be there." Mei said as she referred to grandma Sana who had no idea of what was happening on the couple.

They didn't inform her about Kim Eunji's pregnancy yet as they were sure that Sana would ask the couple to visit her on the hospital.

They decided to keep her in the dark as they didn't want to worry her. They felt that letting her know the truth would make the latter to feel bad and it would only affect her treatment and her over all health.

"Alright Mom. I'll take care of Eunji, you take care of grandma. We can do this!" Nathan said as he tried to cheer her but more like he was cheering himself.

Mei left immediately to go to the hospital while Nathan took a quick shower after he finished preparing her breakfast.

He used the bathroom in his office as he didn't want to wake her.

Shortly after, Nathan knocked on the door as he made his way inside their room.

There, he found Eunji who was sitting on the bed while Master Liu was pulling out the acupuncture needles off her body.

He didn't dare ask Master Liu every time he was performing this method in his wife.

He trusted Master Liu that he could help in treating Eunji's heart problem and improve her over all health.

"Oh Nate boy, you're here! Go and feed your wife. She's starving." Master Liu whispered the last part when he passed by him as he excused himself out of the room.

"Thank you Master. I will." Nathan meaningfully said as he took a quick glance at him and then his attention was fully back to Eunji who was also looking at him meaningfully.

"Hi." Nathan greeted her when they were left alone in their room.

"Hi." Kim Eunji responded faintly.

"How's your sleep?" Nathan asked her.

"Good." Nathan smiled and nod his head. He understood what his wife meant.

Last night was the first time that she finally had a peaceful sleep ever since she had awaken from coma.

"How about you?" Kim Eunji asked him as she studied his face.

"Liar." Kim Eunji softly spat.

She had woken up last night and saw that he was still wide awake. Also, she could see the concealer he used to hide the dark circles underneath her eyes.

Nathan gasped when he heard her calling him a liar.

Just like his mom, his wife had sharp sense as well.

"Fine...I didn't sleep last night as I was afraid that you'll be gone when I wake up." Nathan honestly answered her.

"Oh..." Eunji swallowed the words that she was about to tell him. She felt bad because he was being traumatized because of what happened to her.

"Look. Don't feel bad. I'll take a nap with you today if that'll make you happy." Nathan said.

"You better do it or else I won't talk to you. Feed us! We're hungry!" Kim Eunji pouted as she tried to hide the sadness in her eyes.

"Great!" Nathan said as he took the tray and placed it on top of their bed and revealed the healthy porridge that he cooked for her.

There was a glass of fresh juice and a bowl of sliced strawberries on the tray too.

"Say 'ah'!!" Nathan told her as he placed the spoonful of porridge near her mouth.

Eunji did as what she was told and ate the porridge.

She chewed a little and swallowed the rest.

"Delicious." She complimented Nathan's culinary skills.

The porridge was mixed with the herbs and the tonic that Master Liu had specially made for Eunji.

Master Liu knew that Eunji would not like the taste of the tonic so he made sure to tell Nathan that method.

Nathan smiled proudly when she finished everything on the tray.

She then helped her in taking a bath and changing the bandage on her chest.

When they were done, Eunji asked Nathan if they could stay in the gazebo outside.

She felt bored and trapped inside the four walls of the room.

"Sure! Let's do that." Nathan said after helping her in wearing her vintage over-sized T-shirt.

"Hubby....I love you." Kim Eunji suddenly said which made Nathan to warmly smile at her and kissed her on the lips.

"I love you too, wifey. And I'll never get tired loving you." Nathan huskily said after he broke off the kiss.