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."

heart. Moments ago, she'd threatened to cut him off like a sulking

"A little," she admitted.

I'm on it. Tell me

at all,"

had never been fussy about food. Filling her stomach ranked higher than flavor, so long as

skipped toward the cafeteria line, eager to

to notice were the searching eyes hidden behind pillars, glass panels, and idle phones, eyes hired to track his

watchers had already phoned Cecilia, reporting in hushed detail where Magnus stood

knew beyond doubt that the mystery

he really fallen back into the same old habits? The thought pressed against Cecilia's ribs like a stone she could

at her. After a lingering breath, she dialed him back,

ringtone stretched before the call finally clicked

unmistakable din of a cafeteria. Cecilia figured he must have balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear while scooping

onto a metal tray.

to s

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

sister's voice, Magnus' fingers tightened around the lunchbox until the thin plastic

attempts had finally broken. He was talking to her at

crowd, seeking a quieter corner before speaking. "Cecilia," he began, voice soft,

always," she answered, neither cold nor warm, offering