𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 -and lost just as many reasons to keep going.
Natalie Parker, once hidden in the shadows of history, is a mutant unlike any other. Bound to the earth by blood and power, her touch coaxes life from st...
- bonus chapter to continue and bring closure to natalie's past & shine erik and her's growing relationship - hope you likeee ♡
(also since this is a brand new chapter and ya'll will be pinged - i suggest re-reading the story for context as i have changed the story ♡)
bonus chapter • 25
↠ ↠ ↠
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"my wildflower"
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
The morning sun spilled through the linen curtains of the small guest room, bathing Natalie's skin in a soft golden hue. She sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers fiddling nervously with the ring she wore around her neck. Alex's wedding ring.
A soft knock tapped at the door.
Erik.
"Come in," she said, standing up slowly.
He pushed the door open gently, holding two mugs. "Figured you'd want some tea," he offered, giving her a small smile.
"You figured right," she said, taking the mug. Their fingers brushed, and for a second, she didn't feel the weight of everything ahead.
Erik sat beside her on the bed. The silence was comforting — the kind that needed no filling.
"You okay?" he asked, even though they both knew the answer.
Natalie shook her head softly. "I don't think I will be. Not today." She took a shaky breath. Nadia, her daughter - revealed that Chester - her first husband, was still alive. Riddled with old age and a brain slowly withering away, but here - nonetheless.
He nodded, placing his mug down. "I know you're afraid, but I'm with you. Whatever today brings... you don't have to carry it alone."
Natalie turned to him, her expression crumbling for a heartbeat. "Thank you for being here."
He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "There's nowhere else I'd want to be."
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
Downstairs, Nadia greeted them with tired eyes and a kind smile. "He's awake. A little confused today... more than usual," she said. "But he's peaceful."
Natalie tried to prepare herself. She thought she could. But walking down the hall toward Chester's room was like stepping through a time portal.
The house smelled like the past — wood polish, old photographs, and the faint scent of lilies. Her chest tightened.
"You don't have to do this alone," Erik said behind her, his hand brushing hers.
Nadia paused outside the room. "Just... a warning," she said gently. "Sometimes he thinks he's still in the 60s. Other days, he doesn't know where he is at all. He might not recognize you."
Natalie nodded. "I understand."
But the moment the door opened and she stepped into the small, sunlit room — something shifted.
Chester was propped up in bed, a blanket pulled to his chest. His once-dark hair had turned completely white, and his eyes were clouded with age. But the second they landed on her... something cleared.
He blinked.
His lips parted. His hand trembled where it rested against the blanket.
"Natty?" he rasped, voice frail but sure.
Natalie's breath caught.
He remembered.
"I... I told them..." Chester's voice cracked with emotion, "I told them you'd come for me... that you weren't gone. That you were just... waiting."
Natalie crossed the room, tears already escaping her eyes as she knelt by the side of his bed and took his hand in hers.
"I'm here, Chess. I'm right here," she whispered.
"You look like an angel," he whispered, his eyes never leaving hers. "Are you here to take me home?"
Natalie's heart shattered and swelled all at once. "If that's what you need, love... then yes."
He smiled. And for the first time in what felt like decades, it reached his eyes. "My wildflower... how blessed I am to have these old eyes admire you up close again.."
She smiled with a soft laugh, hiding the sob threatening to break through, brushing her fingers over his hair. "I've missed you so much."
"Tell Nadia... she was always my light," Chester whispered. "And tell that little girl of hers — that I saw her in every dream I had of you."
"I will. I promise."
His fingers tightened around hers. "You're still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
His chest rose slowly... and then fell.
One final breath.
And then silence.
Natalie didn't cry at first. She just stared at him, still holding his hand, her thumb brushing along his knuckles like he was still there.
Erik stepped into the room and knelt beside her, resting his hand on her back, steady and strong.
When she finally leaned into him, the sobs came freely. But it wasn't agony. It wasn't guilt.
It was love. All the years of it. All the echoes of it that had waited so long to be heard again.
And Erik held her, letting her cry. No words. Just presence. Just love.
Outside, the wind danced through the trees. Leaves stirred gently, curling through the open window — wrapping the two of them in a quiet embrace.
"He waited," Natalie whispered. "He really waited for me."
Erik looked at her, eyes misted. "Some loves don't stop, even when the world tells them to."
She turned to him, her hand resting over his heart.
He placed his hand over hers and said, quietly, earnestly:
"I'd wait forever for you, Natalie. Even if forever's not long enough."
And in that room, with the past finally laid to rest, a new kind of future began.
