When Her Death Couldn't Break Him (Cecilia and Nathaniel) novel Chapter 2189

Elena grew impatient and snapped, "Spit it out—what on earth happened?"

Another second of Wren's dawdling, and she feared she might physically shake the answer out of him.

"Nicholas' health has taken a turn. No matter how I plead, he refuses further treatment." Wren's words tumbled out at last, heavy and reluctant.

Worry flashed through Elena's dark eyes like a storm beginning to roll across an open field.

"I thought his condition had stabilized. A relapse—when did this start?"

"Late last night. I wouldn't have known if the hospital hadn't called me."

For more than a year, Nicholas' health had wobbled, demanding regular hospital evaluations. Each visit happened only because Elena insisted. Left to himself, he pretended invincibility, treating his own body like a borrowed car he never planned to return.

"Ceci, stay home with the children. I'm going to see Nicholas," Elena said, already moving.

"Of course." Cecilia nodded, a quick decisive tilt that masked her unease.

Elena didn't bother changing clothes. She snatched her coat, seized Wren by the sleeve, and hauled him toward the door in a gust of urgency.

"Something this serious, and you wait until now to tell me?" she hissed while their shoes slapped the hallway.

"You reminded me we're divorced. Said I shouldn't bother you unless it was business," Wren shot back, frustration sharpening his voice.

Their argument drifted down the corridor, voices thinning until the house swallowed the sound.

Cecilia stood in the doorway, watching them disappear, her arms folding tight as the evening air slid in around her ankles.

Nathaniel arrived late. The moment he stepped inside, Cecilia told him everything she knew about Nicholas' sudden decline.

"Understood. I'll have someone check his status immediately," Nathaniel said, calm yet visibly unsettled.

Nicholas was his brother; concern, whether spoken or not, was a given.

"You should see him yourself—just in case," Cecilia urged, voice low.

Nathaniel nodded, the motion slow, as though already calculating the fastest route.

He barely paused to catch his breath before he slipped back into the night, heading for the hospital.

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