Chapter 111: Let Us Go Home

Nathaniel's resentment stemmed not only from the Smith family's deception that led to their marriage, but also from Cecilia's faked death and her years abroad with Calvin. Cecilia's eyes were filled with pain. "You know that what happened then wasn't my fault," she said.

"But you benefited, didn't you?" Nathaniel's voice held a suppressed anger. He was enraged that Cecilia only acknowledged her role in their forced marriage, ignoring her deception, Calvin, and their child. Cecilia was speechless.

After a long silence, Nathaniel stepped onto the balcony and lit a cigarette. The wind stung his eyes, making them red and watery. He coughed incessantly. He didn't understand why he kept Cecilia. Perhaps he refused to accept that she had moved on with another man after he'd searched for her for four or five years. Perhaps he couldn't accept that the woman who had loved him for over a decade had fallen out of love and left. He remembered her initial divorce request, her casual departure. He hadn't believed she would leave, only now realizing her decision was deliberate and long-considered.

Nathaniel extinguished his cigarette and re-entered the ward, his demeanor cold. "Come, let's go home," he said.

Go home… Do I still have a home? Cecilia wondered.

They drove in silence. Nathaniel coughed constantly, but Cecilia remained silent, watching the rain. Perhaps this indifference was the manifestation of lost love.

Nathaniel gazed into the rearview mirror, a pang of pain striking his heart at her cold expression. After a sleepless night, Cecilia retired to her old room.

The next morning, breakfast awaited her. Unlike before, this wasn't takeout; Nathaniel had arranged it. "I had Mason get the food. Let him know if you need anything," Nathaniel said, pulling out a chair and sitting down with unnerving normalcy. Cecilia sat as far from him as possible, her gaze falling on a black and white photograph and urn in the nearby trash can. "Okay," she replied.

She had spent the previous night contemplating. As long as Elliot was safe, she would stay—an opportunity to obtain Nathaniel's sperm and subsequently leave. Nathaniel felt relieved by her lack of sarcasm.

Over oatmeal, Cecilia asked, "How's my friend?"

"She's been released," Nathaniel replied, his voice cold. "Stella works for Central Media, a Rainsworth Group subsidiary. Tell her not to make baseless accusations."

Cecilia's grip tightened on her spoon. This was clearly a defense of Stella. "My friend didn't make baseless accusations. Stella plagiarized a song, and my friend is the composer's lawyer," she clarified.

Nathaniel scoffed. "As a lawyer, she should know better than to write such things." His mocking smile irritated Cecilia. He continued, oblivious to her anger, "And against Rainsworth Group's legal team in an international lawsuit? Her chances of winning are zero."