When Her Death Couldn't Break Him (Cecilia and Nathaniel) novel Chapter 2165

Bitterness pooled behind Eric's eyes, dark and sour, before he managed to blink it away.

"I know," he whispered.

His shoulders sagged, snow-damp hair clinging to his brow. "I just wanted to explain," he said, voice rough with something dangerously close to regret.

He told himself he wasn't disappointed, but the lie showed in the tight set of his jaw. Yet somewhere inside, a fragile hope still flared—one last wish that Cecilia might like him even a little.

Cecilia, however, wanted no shadows of hope, no half-lit corridors where misunderstandings could breed.

"Please don't explain in the future," she said, tone calm but distant. "I don't care beyond the level of office gossip. Only if it jeopardizes the company will I ask for clarification."

Her cool precision hammered the truth home. He felt the weight of disappointment, though he kept the ache hidden behind a practiced actor's mask.

"Ah... Well, seems I've only made trouble for you," he murmured.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back," Cecilia said, already turning.

Eric nodded hard. "Okay."

Without another word, she strode toward the house, footsteps crisp, shoulders unbowed.

Eric watched her silhouette until darkness swallowed it, his gaze refusing to retreat.

A sedan eased up, and one of the windows slid down. "Boss," his driver called softly.

Eric grunted assent, slipped inside, and shut the door with a sigh that fogged the glass.

"Where to now?" the driver asked.

"Back to the office," Eric answered, voice hollow.

The city lights streaked past. Eric slumped in the rear seat, lost, as though some vital part of him had stayed on that pavement.

Just then, his phone rang. It was a call from his mother.

After a long hesitation he answered. "Mom, what is it?"

"Is it true—this rumor about you and that actress? I've heard she was married once and even has a child," Ines said, her sigh rustling across the line. "Why must you fall for a woman like that?"

Before Eric could respond, his father's stern voice cut in on the extension, cold and unyielding. "Why bother asking? That boy is downright twisted."

Eric had planned to explain everything, to soften the edges of this late-night call. Yet the instant he heard the accusation, the desire to defend himself drained away like water through cracked palms.

"Dad, Mom, didn't you once tell me the only requirement for my future spouse was that she not be a man? You swore anything else would be fine, so long as I finally agreed to marry."

What the hell? Are they seriously ready to toss every boundary just to see me married and themselves promoted to grandparents?

"Ceci." His voice carried a weariness that did not match the speed of his stride.

Cecilia was sipping warm milk tea in the lamplight. Seeing him, she set the cup aside and arched a brow. "You're back already? Didn't you say you'd be working overtime tonight?"

Nathaniel scanned the dim hallway as if ensuring no witnesses, then moved to the couch and lowered himself beside her.

"Overtime is canceled."

His arm slid around her with practiced ease, drawing her into the shelter of his chest.

Cecilia felt the odd hitch in his breath and sensed unspoken weight behind the embrace.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Nathaniel murmured, though his hold only tightened.

She patted his shoulder, playful and gentle. "All right. Now, be good and let me go. I still want my milk tea."

Whatever gnawed at him, Nathaniel seemed unwilling to lay it bare, and Cecilia had no appetite for cajoling confessions tonight.