Chapter 21: Tattled On Her

Cecilia finally understood Stella's pre-departure message: she had betrayed her. Before Cecilia could respond, Nathaniel's voice cut in, "The divorce is between us. There's no need for you to fight with Stella; she's still in the hospital."

Cecilia was stunned, then comprehension dawned. She never expected Stella to resort to such a low trick—framing her—and that Nathaniel would believe it. "Whether you believe it or not, I only met her once, and I did nothing to her," she declared, then hung up.

At the hospital, Nathaniel's face was grim. Stella lay in bed, her forehead bandaged. After their meeting, she had deliberately injured herself and blamed Cecilia. "I only wanted to talk to her, but I didn't expect her to…" Stella trailed off, producing a stack of photographs and handing them to Nathaniel. These were pictures she'd arranged to be taken after discovering Cecilia's pregnancy. "I don't want to cover for her anymore, Nathaniel. Please don't be angry when you see these."

Nathaniel examined the photos. His eyes narrowed as he saw the numerous pictures of Cecilia and Calvin, their intimacy pushing him to the edge of control. Stella sat up. "Luckily, I found and bought these photos. If they'd been leaked, it would have been a disaster."

Deeply troubled, Nathaniel left the hospital and entered his matte black Cadillac. He instructed Mason to pay Stella for the photos, then commanded, "Find out where Cecilia is." "Yes," Mason replied, immediately dispatching someone to locate her.

Chapter 21: Tattled On Her (Continued)

Cecilia spent the night plagued by nightmares: Nathaniel and Stella, blissfully married; years of the past, Nathaniel angrily leaving for a business trip, unreachable despite her efforts; Nathaniel's regret, his apology, their reconciliation, followed by another abandonment. Waking, she touched tear-stained cheeks. Dreams reflected her anxieties; she dared not hope for Nathaniel's regret, nor contemplate forgiveness. Outside, rain poured relentlessly.

After freshening up, Cecilia decided to call Nathaniel, proposing a meeting at City Hall to finalize their divorce. A knock came. Expecting Calvin, she opened the door to Mason, Nathaniel's impeccably dressed special assistant. Finding her had been effortless.

"Mr. Sanders, what brings you here?" Cecilia asked. Mason, glancing inside and seeing no one else, replied politely but coldly, "Ms. Smith, Mr. Rainsworth asked me to bring you back."

"Ms. Smith," the title repeated daily for three years. Cecilia, accustomed to it, lowered her lashes. "I'm not going back. Since you're here, please contact Mr. Rainsworth and tell him to meet me today to handle the divorce. The cooling-off period won't exceed three months; it can be settled."

Mason was momentarily stunned. He knew of the divorce but hadn't witnessed Cecilia's tenacious clinging to Nathaniel. He frowned slightly. "Ms. Smith, let me advise you to stop. Mr. Rainsworth is already very angry."