The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself novel Chapter 806

"Why does it smell like a chimney in here? Did the place catch fire?"

Marico paused mid-sentence as he saw Natalie, letting out a surprised noise. Then, his eyes landed on the woman sitting on the sofa, and his surprise instantly morphed into shock.

"When did you get back to the States?"

The woman stood up and looked Marico up and down, clicking her tongue. "Where's the blonde hair? What happened to the neck tattoos? And where are your loud Hawaiian shirts and shorts... How the hell do you look like a normal human being now?"

Marico let out a dry laugh. "I always looked human. You're the one who hasn't evolved yet!"

Kristin, who had been resting on Marico's back with reddened eyes, immediately burst into tears the second she saw Natalie.

"Mommy!"

Confused, Natalie quickly lifted Kristin off Marico's back.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Just as Marico opened his mouth to explain, the woman lunged forward. She threw her arms around him and planted a forceful kiss squarely on his lips. Caught off guard, Marico stumbled backward, hitting the door frame before instinctively wrapping his arms around her to steady them both.

Seeing this, Natalie immediately covered Kristin's eyes and hurried her into the bedroom.

"Mommy, who is that strange lady? Why did she make Marico hug her? I don't like her." Kristin was so annoyed she had completely forgotten to cry, pouting her lips in anger.

Natalie simply told her it was one of Marico's friends, then quickly changed the subject, asking where they had been and why she was crying earlier.

"Marico took me to get my shots. It hurt so much."

Kristin rolled up her sleeve to show Natalie, but the needle mark was so tiny it had already vanished.

"It really hurt!"

Natalie slapped her forehead. She had completely forgotten about the appointment, but thankfully, Marico had remembered.

"Theodore is completely addicted to video games right now. He keeps forgetting to pick up the kids. We've already fought about it multiple times." The mere mention of it made Penelope angry. She never thought the words 'Theodore' and 'gaming addiction' would ever belong in the same sentence.

But it was the absolute truth. When she and the boys left the house this morning, he was locked in the game room playing. He had even pulled an all-nighter the night before.

Every time she tried to argue with him, he just pushed her out of the room so she wouldn't distract him.

Penelope was honestly tempted to complain to his grandfather or his uncle, though she doubted it would do any good.

"Hamilton has been quiet lately, but honestly, the quieter he is, the more terrified I get." Natalie's biggest fear right now was Hamilton making a sudden, unpredictable move to destroy her life.

"And then there's Marico, he..."

Just saying his name reminded her of him leaving to get a hotel room with that woman, and the thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Seeing the lingering sorrow in Natalie's eyes whenever Marico was brought up, Penelope felt a pang of worry. "Natalie, whatever you do, don't fall in love with Marico. You'll only end up getting hurt."