When Her "Death" Couldn't Break Him (Cecilia and Nathaniel)

Chapter 3 Last Will

“You probably haven’t tasted the sweetness of love yet, have you? You know, when Nathaniel was with me, he would cook for me, and whenever I fell sick, he would be the first one to rush to my side. He once told me the most tender words, ‘Stella, I hope you’re always happy…’ Ceci, did Nathaniel ever tell you he loved you? He used to tell me all the time, but I always thought he was childish…”

Silently, Cecilia listened, reflecting on the years she had spent with Nathaniel over the past three years.

He had never once stepped foot into the kitchen.

When she was ill, he never once expressed a word of concern.

As for love, he had never spoken of it.

Cecilia calmly looked at her. “Are you done talking?”

Stella was taken aback.

Perhaps it was due to Cecilia’s overwhelming calmness or her piercingly clear eyes that seemed to see into one’s soul.

She remained in a daze until the moment Cecilia left.

For some unknown reason, at that moment, Stella seemed to have returned to her initial state—a poor orphan who had to rely on the charity of the Smith family.

Behind the image of the Smith family’s daughter, she was always playing the fool.

Of course, Cecilia couldn’t possibly remain indifferent to what Stella had said.

She had pursued the man she adored for twelve years, only to discover that he too had once passionately loved someone else with the innocence of a child.

Her ear began to throb with pain again. When she reached up to remove her hearing aid, she noticed blood staining it.

She habitually wiped off the blood from it, setting the hearing aid aside.

Unable to fall asleep, she unlocked her phone and tapped into Instagram.

She saw one post after another, all tagging her.

Upon opening it, she found it was filled with photos posted by Stella, visible only to her.

The first photo was a snapshot of Stella and Nathaniel from their university days. They stood side by side, with Nathaniel’s eyes radiating a gentle warmth.

The second photo was a record of their conversation. Nathaniel affectionately wrote: Ella, happy birthday. I will make you the happiest person in the world.

The third photo was of Nathaniel and Stella, hand in hand, leisurely strolling along the beach, their backs to the camera.

the fifth, the sixth, and countless more

to continue scrolling,

she suddenly felt the need to

Cecilia penned a sentence in

I could have endured the darkness, but

habitually set about preparing

o’clock had come and gone, and Nathaniel still hadn’t returned, that Cecilia realized she had forgotten his earlier

she sat alone on

that you don’t need to

voice

only to see Nathaniel

quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, I

Again, those same words…

look at

as usual, a modest

suggesting he had been mistreating her

yourself? You can’t bear to leave me, can you? You can’t let go of

knife, piercing straight into Cecilia’s

lowered her gaze. “Nathaniel, I never

person she had always cared about was

his laugh laced

to my office this morning, asking me to give

Cecilia was bewildered.

and realized that his anger wasn’t from the events of

didn’t bother engaging in idle chat with

keep the Smith family stable, you better make sure

grab something. Once he changed into a fresh set of

could seek out Paula, Paula approached her instead, a stark contrast to her earlier indifference. She gently took Cecilia’s hand and said, “Ceci, you should beg Nathaniel.

at her, listening intently as she

already told me that in these past three years, Nathaniel never laid a

probably the final straw that broke

world, there was never true

why Nathaniel would disclose this

truly loves

on this, she suddenly felt a sense of

“Mom, let go.”

together in confusion. “What

I want