Dr. Frankie patiently explained, "Ma’am, you fainted when you came calling for us yesterday, so we decided to let you rest here. I don't want to lie to you. The symptoms of decay you see are due to the toxins in Mr. Andersen’s body. If we can't find an antidote in time, the decay will deepen, and even spread from the outside in and endanger Magnus' organs."
Dr. Frankie's words struck Natalia like a bolt out of the blue, leaving her weak. She knew that when Magnus' poison acted up, he would go crazy, but she never imagined that the toxins would gradually eat away at his health.
"No!" Natalia backed away, shaking her head. "This can't be happening! I won't accept it!"
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed James with trembling fingers. "I need to call James and ask him if he's found that woman named Belle."
The phone was answered quickly, and James' weary voice came through. "Hello, Natalia? Is there another update on Magnus?"
Natalia wanted to tell James about Magnus' condition but swallowed her words. She knew that telling him wouldn't help; it would only make him more anxious. So Natalia steadied her voice, asking as calmly as she could, "Nothing major, I just wanted to ask, have you found Belle yet?"
At the other end, James cursed when he heard Belle's name. "That damn woman, is she a mouse? My men in Europe can't find a single trace of her. She's driving me nuts!"
Natalia's heart sank, and she hurriedly hung up after offering James some weak words of comfort.
Still no sign of Belle.
Natalia clenched her hand around her phone until her knuckles turned white. Her mind was filled with unshakeable anger. She despised that woman, Belle. If she ever met her, she'd slap her without hesitation and demand to know why she'd committed such a heinous act.
"It's bad. It's really bad! Mr. Magnus' poison is acting up again," a nurse rushed in, her voice filled with panic. "He's broken the straps on the bed!"
Out of pity, Natalia replaced the chains that had been binding Magnus with straps. Now, the straps were useless in restraining him.
"What?!" Dr. Frankie turned pale and rushed towards the sickroom.
Natalia followed behind, her steps unsteady. Her world was falling apart!
When they arrived at the sick room, they found Magnus showing uncharacteristic strength. He had shattered the straps on the bed and even knocked the entire bed over. He was kicking it furiously and cursing, "You bastards! Let me out! Give me the tea! Let me out!"
Natalia didn't hesitate. She tried to enter the room, but Dr. Frankie blocked her. "Ma’am, you can't go in there now."
With that, Natalia closed her eyes and waited for the punch she knew was coming. She was betting that even in his madness, Magnus would never harm her.
Now beyond reasoning, Magnus rushed at Natalia and shoved her against the wall. He clenched his teeth and wrapped his hands around Natalia's slender neck. "Give me the tea, or I'll snap your neck!"
People outside the door gasped in horror. Dr. Frankie immediately pushed through the door and rushed in, shouting at Magnus, "Mr. Magnus, stop right there! Open your eyes and see clearly, she's the woman you love the most, are you really going to choke her to death?"
However, at this point, Magnus' mind was buzzing as if it was about to explode, completely deaf to Dr. Frankie's cries. His hands were relentlessly tightening.
Natalia stood in front of Magnus with her face pale, her gaze showing her unbelievable resolve. She believed that Magnus would never harm her even if it meant destroying the whole world.
With his eyes bloodshot from rage, Magnus met Natalia's gaze, emitting a fierce light. His large hand landed on Natalia's neck and began to tremble violently.
Dr. Frankie was so frightened that he didn't dare blink, fearing that a little more force from Magnus would hurt Natalia. But the next moment, Magnus, who was still in a frenzy, suddenly lost all his strength, and collapsed like a ragdoll, knocking Natalia down with him.
This sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard. Natalia, ignoring the pain of being knocked down, voiced her concern anxiously, "Magnus, what's wrong? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
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