Chapter 18: Regretting It
Nathaniel listened silently, his eyes darkening, but he offered no rebuttal. His indulgence had ensured that Zachary, his mother Elena, his assistant Mason, and even the Rainsworth Manor servants never truly acknowledged Cecilia as a person.
Zachary received a call and departed hurriedly. Afterward, Nathaniel instinctively reached for his phone, only to find no missed calls from Cecilia. He dialed her number, but a cold automated voice responded, “Sorry, the number you are calling is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later…”
Frustrated, he tossed the phone aside. Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, he lit a cigarette. Cecilia's words from earlier that morning still echoed in his ears: She had said she regretted it.
An inexplicable bitterness filled his throat. He coughed heavily, then heard a woman's voice. "Nathaniel, you should cut down on smoking. It's bad for your health."
His heart tightened. He instinctively believed Cecilia had returned. Turning, he saw Stella, impeccably dressed as a housewife. A flicker of light crossed his deep eyes as he asked indifferently, "Why are you here?"
Stella looked at him gently. "Madam Elena asked me to come. She knows about Cecilia finding someone new so soon and wants you to not dwell on it."
Four years ago, Elena and Zachary had been in a car targeted by a rival company. Elena had lost a significant amount of blood, and the hospital faced a type O blood shortage. Cecilia, also type O, had donated blood. After ensuring Zachary's safety, she fainted from exhaustion. Stella, ever eager to ingratiate herself with the Smith family (their benefactors), had rushed to Cecilia's side in the hospital. She learned Cecilia had saved someone's life, and "accidentally" took credit for it. Stella assumed this life-saving act guaranteed Nathaniel's hand in marriage.
To her surprise, Elena had arranged a marriage between Nathaniel and Cecilia, prioritizing her son's career and power despite Cecilia's hearing impairment. Now, after three years of marriage and no children, Elena had lowered her standards, even encouraging a relationship between Nathaniel and Stella, suggesting that having a child would secure Stella's place in the Rainsworth family.
Nathaniel looked at Stella and asked, "Who is her new lover?" Cecilia had stated on the phone that she wouldn't marry someone else for three hundred million. He couldn't believe her years of affection had been a pretense.
Stella hesitated. "I don't know either." She knew revealing Cecilia's forced marriage to an older man would garner his sympathy.
"Since you don't know, don't mention it again," he said.
Stella nodded. That day, Nathaniel remained preoccupied.
Late that night, in the intensive care unit of Tudela Hospital, Cecilia lay on a respirator, struggling to breathe. Calvin had gotten her to the hospital just in time, saving her life. She glanced at the weeping Martha, gathering her strength to comfort her. "I'm… not in pain, don't cry."
Looking at Martha, whose hair had turned white overnight, Cecilia felt a profound sadness. Martha choked back sobs, gripping Cecilia's hand. "Ceci, listen to me. Let's focus on getting better, then live a good life, okay?"
Cecilia couldn't promise anything. Meanwhile, in the hospital corridor, a doctor addressed Calvin Reese. "Mr. Reese, after the surgery, we ran more tests and found that she is already around two weeks pregnant."