You're Out, Daddy novel (Natasha and Kenneth)

After waking up the next day, Thalia stared blankly at the ceiling.

Where am I? A castle? Narrowing her eyes, she wondered, Wasn't I out drinking? How did I end up here? Could it be that everything that happened was just a dream?

Just as she was deep in thought, her eyes turning, she heard someone speaking beside her. "Awake yet?"

Upon hearing that, Thalia was momentarily stunned. She immediately turned toward the source of the sound, only to see Natasha sitting in a wheelchair, looking at her with a smile.

"Why are you here?" Thalia propped herself up, half-sitting as she looked at Natasha.

"I came to see if you're awake, of course. How are you feeling? Is your head hurting?" Natasha asked.

Thalia was still somewhat confused. However, upon hearing Natasha's question, she obediently shook her head.

Natasha nodded. "You're not feeling a headache, but you must be hungry, right?" As she spoke, her gaze fell on the western-style breakfast placed on Thalia's bedside table. "Eat. It's been sitting there for a while now."

Watching Natasha confined to a wheelchair, yet still caring for her meticulously, Thalia really didn't know what to say.

She picked up the bread from the table unwittingly, nibbling on it, while her thoughts were still adrift, “I... I...”

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Thalia looked at Natasha, who was as serene as ever. At that moment, the words Spencer had said echoed again in Thalia's mind. She averted her gaze, subconsciously looking elsewhere with a hint of guilt. "It's nothing..." she said.

"Is there really nothing?" Natasha asked.

Thalia remained silent.

Natasha chuckled lightly. "You seem fine now. Do you know how worried everyone was about you?"

"Who?" Thalia looked up, her gaze meeting Natasha's as she asked softly.

Natasha's gaze subtly shifted, examining Thalia before she leisurely spoke. "For instance, me, Anthony, and Spencer." She deliberately elongated the last syllable of Spencer's name, her eyebrow slightly raised as she looked at Thalia.

In response, a cold smirk appeared on Thalia's face. "Oh, he's worried about me? You must be joking."

Natasha looked at Thalia seriously. "Thalia, Spencer may not be good at expressing himself, but you can't deny his concern for you. You don't know this, but when he heard you were in trouble at the bar yesterday, he was so worried that he immediately took Anthony and went there. If you didn't beat those people badly, Spencer would have done it for you!" Natasha was a bit out of breath after saying all that. She leaned back slightly, changing to a more comfortable position to speak.

However, upon hearing Natasha's words, Thalia was slightly taken aback.

After a brief pause, Natasha continued, "Thalia, sometimes it's not about what a person says, but what they do. The form may vary, but the fact is undeniable!"

Thalia's eyes were slightly red. "I don't want anything else, though!"

Natasha nodded. "I understand, but that's a different matter. If you want my advice, it'll come at a different price!"

Thalia was slightly taken aback, lifting her gaze to look at Natasha in surprise.

Natasha was looking at her, smiling.

Thalia couldn't help but laugh. However, she quickly composed herself, looking at Natasha. She seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

The words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat.

It was because she knew all too well that even ten thousand apologies wouldn't change anything.

Natasha looked at Thalia as if she knew what the latter was thinking. Then, she leaned in and asked, "Are you still angry?"

Natasha spoke in a gentle and soft voice, which left Thalia momentarily at a loss for words. Even though she was the one who got hurt, she still came to ask about me. Thalia spoke softly. "What right do I have to be angry?"

Even though Thalia's voice was soft, Natasha could hear every word clearly.

Natasha laughed lightly. "Thalia, you don't seem like the person I know right now. What happened to that carefree, passionate, lively woman? Why have you become so awkward?"

Thalia remained silent.

The reason Thalia was so carefree was that she had always been true to herself, especially when it came to the people she cared about.

Regardless of Spencer's initial intentions, in the end, it was all for her sake that he had put Natasha in that predicament.

As such, Thalia didn't believe she had the right to be angry, to be so carefree and unbothered.

Lowering her gaze, Thalia pursed her lips, unsure of what to say, but she knew she still had to say something.

After a long silence, Thalia finally spoke slowly. "Nat, you don't need to worry about my feelings. You're the one who's been hurt the most by this. Why are you trying to comfort me?"

In the end, Thalia still managed to steer the conversation in that direction.

Natasha looked at Thalia for a long while before she slowly said, "Thalia, things are not as you think. I made this decision not because of anyone else but because it's what I should do. It's also because I'm doing it for you!"

In response, Thalia lifted her gaze to look at Natasha.

"At first, Spencer did indeed have such thoughts, but he later apologized to me. He respects our choices, so this matter really has nothing to do with him," Natasha said lightly. After finishing, she seemed to recall something. "If you must associate him with this, at most, he could be considered an informed party but nothing more." Natasha shook her head.

Upon hearing that, Thalia was at a loss for words. "What he said was-"

"If I'm not mistaken, he said that just to prevent you from blaming yourself. He'd rather take responsibility for this matter. However, this is just my guess. As for what it really is, you'll have to ask him yourself." Upon hearing that, Thalia furrowed her brows, pondered for a moment, and then said, "He's a fool. Does he think I won't be upset just because he takes the responsibility? Even if it's not because of this, it could be because of something else that I... What an idiot."

Listening, Natasha smiled slightly. "Exactly. What on earth are these men thinking? It's truly baffling."

Thalia's gaze fell on Natasha once again, her eyes still filled with regret. "But-"

"Thalia, let me emphasize this once more. No one can force me to do anything against my will. I'm doing this entirely out of my own volition. However, don't think of me as being too kind-hearted. I do have my conditions. You promised me that you would protect the triplets for life, and so you must keep your word. Otherwise, I won't let you off the hook," said Natasha.

When Thalia heard that, her eyes welled up with tears.

She knew that Natasha's words were merely meant to comfort her.

Additionally, she understood that no matter what they said, it couldn't change the past.

All she could do was to accept the matter and fulfill her promise.

"Rest assured. From today onwards, their lives are my responsibility. I will protect them just as you have," Thalia uttered one word at a time.