Natalie did not believe Stanley's claims of loving her. She was confident that he was only
fooling himself into falling for her because of her similarities to Joyce.
The person he truly loved was Joyce. He was only attracted to Natalie because her
personality at that time reminded him of the old Joyce.
Now, she suspected that Stanley had figured out where his affections lay, which spurred
him to invite Joyce to stay behind and care for him.
It definitely helped when Shane reminded Stanley of his past feelings for Joyce.
Initially, the truth had been difficult for Stanley to accept. After he calmed himself down
and thought things through, it did not seem entirely implausible.
I'm sure of it. Stanley has come to his senses.
Still, a concern niggled at Natalie's mind. How will Stanley treat Joyce from now on,
knowing that the person he has always loved is her?
She wondered if he would let go of the past and focus on building his relationship with
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtJoyce or conceal his feelings in his bullheadedness to continue hating the Rivers family.
Natalie's prolonged silence confused Joyce, who called out to her friend over the receiver.
“Earth to Nat? Are you still there?”
She snapped out of her thoughts and replied with a forced smile, “I'm still here.”
“What happened to you? Why did you go radio silent?” asked Joyce.
Natalie lowered her gaze and mumbled, “Nothing. I just got carried away while thinking
about some things. By the way, you haven't answered my question, Joyce. Did you agree
to take care of Stanley?”
Joyce replied, “I did. What else can I do? We're at his mercy. What if he goes back on his
words if I refuse his request? He could sue my dad and force me to undergo an abortion.
And in any case, he's in this sorry state because of my family. We should take
responsibility for his recovery.”
“Yes, but aren't you worried, Joyce?” Natalie could not hide her anxiety.
Her friend blinked in confusion and asked, “What do you mean?”
“Your feelings for Stanley, of course.” Natalie sighed and continued, “I know you've
forgotten all your shared memories and feelings for him, but you could fall for him again
after being in close quarters for a long time. It might even spur you to recover your
memories of him.”
Her concern warmed Joyce's heart.
Joyce knew her friend was worried about her reliving her past.
She smiled and said reassuringly, “Don't worry, Nat. That won't happen. I've set clear
boundaries this time. I will never develop feelings for him while I care for him, nor will I
recover my lost memories. In fact, I'll make myself scarce only until he needs my help with
anything.”
Natalie was not convinced. She massaged her temples and muttered, “I know, but I just
can't help being worried. You can leave him alone, but I can't guarantee he'll return the
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmfavor.”
After all, Stanley had already realized that he loved Joyce, and there was a high chance he
would try to rekindle a relationship with her.
Allowing Joyce to keep their baby and letting Jonathan off the hook already hinted at his
potentially non-platonic motives in the future.
Otherwise, if he chose to antagonize the Rivers family, he would certainly force Joyce to
abort the baby and insist on sending her father to jail.
Thus, Natalie believed Stanley wanted Joyce to care for him, hoping she would fall for him
again. Then, he would reverse the hypnosis on Joyce and restore all her memories.
She would not put it past him anyway since Stanley did know hypnosis.
Of course, Natalie was supportive of Stanley's acceptance of his feelings for Joyce.
That meant he could let go of his animosity toward the Rivers family.
However, Natalie worried Joyce would suffer an emotional breakdown after recovering her
memories.
Stanley had caused her a lot of pain in the past, and it would be difficult to move on from
the trauma.