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

Outside the ward's sterile glow, he pulled out his phone. After a long, reluctant pause, he called Cecilia.

While the ringtone droned, he stared at the blizzard curling beyond the glass, stomach knotting with dread.

He knew he could never repay the mountain of debt. Cecilia was the one future he could still afford.

The thought tasted of shame, yet no other name lived in his thoughts.

Across town, Cecilia glanced at the unfamiliar number. The strange prefix told her it was Magnus.

Her private line was airtight. Unknown callers simply didn't exist unless they were family.

Besides Magnus, she knew no one in that dusty county code.

She pressed mute and let the phone pulse in silence.

The ringtone died again. Magnus redialed, brows knitting. "Why isn't she picking up? Did she change numbers?" he muttered.

He blew out a white breath. "Looks like I'll have to risk a trip back to Tudela."

The New Year was only days away. Magnus convinced himself that holiday sentiment would loosen Cecilia's purse strings and drag him out of this mess.

Back inside the ward, he shut the door.

brow. "So, this plan of yours, what is it? You're not about to do anything stupid,

course not," Magnus said,

where are you getting that kind of cash?" Denise

stopped digging until every shard

honesty. "I'll ask my sister. She's loaded. What I owe

drained from Denise's face. She stared at

stillness seeped into

felt

lowered his voice. "Denise, what's wrong? Think I'll head back to Tudela, get rich, and forget you?" He tried to make it sound like a

to ice. "I thought you'd changed. Clearly, you haven't. Why keep acting

it,

stood in front of him. She was a living reminder of

fierce it felt as if someone had pressed a

throat, nothing but a jagged whisper and a

money from your sister, who, let's be clear, shares

our values don't

not be friends anymore." Denise's voice never wavered, each

or blame on anyone else, so Magnus' behavior landed like an

and sudden, as though