Chapter 546 As Friends

Every word from Nicholas struck a sore spot in Nathaniel's heart. He fell silent, Nicholas growing even more smug. "Nathaniel, do you really think Ceci loves you? She merely transferred her affection for me to you. Without me, she wouldn't have been with you. She used to cling to my arm, constantly expressing her desire to be with me."

Cecilia couldn't fully understand Nicholas's words, only noticing his grim expression. He eventually returned her phone.

"What did you two talk about?" she asked, puzzled.

Nathaniel pulled her into an embrace, his voice unexpectedly hoarse. "It's nothing."

Cecilia pushed him away. "Let go. People are watching, and I've already told him I need time to think. I don't want to rush back into a relationship."

Nathaniel ignored her. The surrounding bodyguards turned. He lowered his voice. "Cecilia, were the things you wrote in those letters true?" He referred to her past letters stating she had never harbored feelings for him and had been mistaken.

Cecilia was stunned. She didn't deny it. "Yes."

"What about last night?"

"Weren't you drugged?" she retorted. She wouldn't have done any of that had he not been.

A bitter taste filled Nathaniel's mouth. "Then, upon your return, why did you repeatedly…"

"Didn't I make myself clear?" Cecilia responded. "I simply wanted to have you. I'd been with you for three years; I couldn't just let it go."

Cecilia had been considering leaving now that Nathaniel had regained his memory. They were never truly from the same world.

"Now that you've got me, you're leaving and taking my children with you?" Nathaniel said, referring to the children she carried.

Cecilia knew denying their paternity was futile; they were inseparable during their conception. "After the children are born, you can visit them frequently." She planned to reclaim the Smith family assets and wasn't leaving Tudela anytime soon.

His anger subsided. "Are you implying you've made up your mind, that you don't want to be with me?"

"Yes," Cecilia nodded. She had her own company, wealth, and no longer needed anyone. She had no desire to return to life as a Rainsworth daughter-in-law.

"So, you were just placating me all this time? Talking about starting over, as long as I didn't hurt the children?" Nathaniel's eyes reddened. He couldn't see her expression, wondering how she could continue this back-and-forth.

Cecilia clenched her fists. "We're the same. Didn't you also deceive me about your amnesia?"

Nathaniel felt utterly lost.

Cecilia offered a compromise. "If you don't want a divorce because of public scrutiny, we don't have to separate. However, we won't live as a married couple, but as friends." She considered that she might never marry again.

"What's the difference between this and a divorce?" Nathaniel asked.

"But didn't you treat me the same way before?" Cecilia retorted.

Nathaniel was speechless.

As Cecilia was about to speak, an unknown number called. A stranger's voice answered.