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

Magnus bobbed his head so fast it blurred. "All right, I understand. I won't ask Cecilia for a cent."

Denise studied him, worry clouding her fever-dulled eyes.

"You don't have to follow my compass," she murmured. "Some people think leaning on family is natural. If the strain is too much, do what feels right. Just don't blame me later."

"No, you're right," he insisted. "I'm a grown man. Running to my sister every time I'm short looks pathetic. I promised I'd get my act together. Besides, I've already saved more than thirty thousand, haven't I?"

Those savings were the harvest of brutal weeks, involving nights of being drowned in liquor with clients and mornings woken by headaches that hammered like drums.

Only after joining the workforce did he grasp how merciless money could be.

He still couldn't fathom how he had squandered fortunes before. That sum he could never replicate across several lifetimes.

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Denise curved her lips into a small, genuine smile.

"Good."

Conversation ebbed. She lay back, still weak.

The fever had broken, yet dizziness clung to her like fog after rain.

"Are you hungry?" Magnus asked, soft with concern. "I can run out and fetch food."

ago, she'd threatened to cut

"A little," she admitted.

it. Tell me what you're

all,"

than flavor, so long as the meal put strength back into her slender

the cafeteria line, eager to

notice were the searching eyes hidden behind pillars, glass panels, and idle

those watchers had already phoned Cecilia, reporting in hushed detail where

beyond doubt that the mystery number from earlier

old habits? The thought pressed against Cecilia's ribs like a stone she could neither swallow

she dialed him back, determined to hear the truth

stretched before the call finally clicked

Magnus' greeting drifted through bursts of clattering plates and overlapping chatter, the unmistakable din of a cafeteria. Cecilia figured he

onto a metal tray.

to s

earlier, Magnus?" Cecilia asked, her tone steady but edged

fingers tightened around the lunchbox until the

of failed attempts had finally broken. He was talking to her at

from the crowd, seeking a quieter corner before speaking. "Cecilia," he began, voice soft, "it's been a while. I just wanted to check how you've been

answered, neither cold nor warm, offering no