The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus) novel Chapter 380

Magnus wrapped his arms around Natalia’s trembling shoulders. His voice was a soothing whisper. “It’s alright, darling, try not to panic. Maybe the little rascal snuck out while you weren’t looking. Come on, let’s check with the restaurant management. They’ve got CCTV; it’s going to be okay.”

With that, Magnus led a pale-faced Natalia to the restaurant manager to inquire about their son.

After a brief discussion, the manager willingly took them to review the security footage. However, there were no cameras in the restroom itself, just one at the entrance corridor. Jonas’ figure vanished at that spot, and he wasn’t seen leaving the restroom.

Magnus’ heart sank. He had hoped against hope that Jonas was just playing hide and seek. Now, it seemed clear that the situation was dire. He immediately called James, urging him to send people over right away to find Jonas.

The restaurant staff, realizing the gravity of the situation as a child had disappeared on their watch, called the police.

The police, after their initial investigation, found no leads but promised to do everything in their power to find the boy. They asked Natalia and Magnus to wait for any news.

With a storm brewing on his face, Magnus took Natalia back home, never imagining that a family meal could become such a nightmare. To calm the anxious Natalia, he suppressed his own irritation and gently consoled her, “Please, don’t worry too much.”

But how could Natalia not worry? She had been forced to distance herself from Magnus because of a past vow.

And now? With Magnus and their son suddenly reentering her life, her son had vanished as if the vow was fulfilling itself! How could a child just disappear from a restaurant without a trace? It had to be the curse of the vow!

The idea tormented Natalia, and guilt consumed her as tears streamed down her face. “It’s all my fault! If I hadn’t broken my promise, Jonas would never have disappeared like this. It’s all my fault!”

Magnus, equally distressed, felt his heart clench at the sight of Natalia’s tears, but he could only hold her and say futilely, “Darling, don’t talk like that. It’s an accident, not your fault.”

“No, it is me! I was too selfish, too hopeful! If I hadn’t acknowledged you, none of this would have happened. It’s all my fault!” Natalia shook her head in self-reproach. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying.

Magnus clenched his fist and slammed it onto the table beside Natalia, roaring lowly, “Darling! This is not your fault! Forget that damned vow!”

When Hector returned from the office, he was met with the scene of Magnus angrily hitting the table while Natalia wept inconsolably. Enraged, Hector strode up to Magnus and threw a punch. “Magnus, are you even a man!? Show some guts instead of throwing a tantrum in front of a woman!”

Already seething with anger over Jonas’ disappearance, Magnus was taken aback by Hector’s unexpected punch and retaliated, “What gives you the right to lecture me?!”

The punch landed squarely on Hector’s face, drawing blood from his lip, which he wiped away before lunging back at Magnus with contempt. “For your unreasonable behavior, I’m going to give you a piece of my mind today!”

Natalia, already overwhelmed with worry for Jonas, screamed as they began to fight. “Stop it, both of you, just stop it!”

He had heard about Magnus’ futile attempts to win Natalia back and even bringing his son into it. Jonas was Natalia’s weakness; she couldn’t ignore her son.

With a sorrowful lift of her head and a pained smile, Natalia said, “Hector, Jonas is missing.”

“What? What happened!” Hector couldn’t believe it. The idea that Magnus’ child could go missing was absurd to him.

With tears streaming down her face, Natalia recounted the entire episode of Jonas’ disappearance in the restaurant restroom. Hector’s jaw dropped as the tale unfolded before him. They were a tangle of strange events that seemed straight out of a campfire ghost story. “This—this can’t be real. It’s not possible, things like this just don’t happen,” he sputtered, disbelief etched across his face.

Natalia, her eyes brimming with sorrow, shook her head gently. “It’s all my fault,” she said, her voice a whisper of despair. “If it weren’t for me, none of this would have happened—the curse wouldn’t have come true, and Jonas wouldn’t have vanished. This is my punishment!”

Tears began to flow once more as she spoke, tracing paths down her cheeks.

“Hey, it’s okay, Natalia. Don’t beat yourself up,” Hector murmured, trying to offer some comfort. He leaned in closer and asked softly, “Can you think of anything else, anything out of the ordinary that happened that day?”

Natalia paused, her sobbing subsiding as she racked her brain. A furrow formed between her brows as she reflected on that day. “No, nothing else. The diner was bustling with folks coming and going, and several people used the restroom. But nothing seemed out of place, nothing unusual at all.”