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

Chapter 2091

Brycen straightened, vitality radiating from him. "Your mother and I feel better by the hour. After we go home for the holidays, I doubt we'll need to set foot in this ward again."

Denise watched the way Brycen and Calliope tried to smile, their skin stretched thin and colorless beneath the fluorescent glow. She could see through the brave fronts, knew every upbeat word was a lie they told for her sake.

Even so, in this fragile pocket of warmth, she refused to call them out. Some illusions, she decided, were worth protecting.

"Mm," Denise murmured, letting the single note linger like a promise. "That's wonderful."

Brycen opened his mouth, meaning to ask the young man who exactly he was and how he had appeared in his daughter's life, but the question remained suspended in the antiseptic air.

"Let's head back to the place I rented first. The ward is far too small, and there isn't a proper corner to rest. Once we're settled, I'll make dinner, and you can take your time talking with Magnus."

"All right, all right. Of course," Brycen said, relief loosening his shoulders.

Both parents nodded again and again, like children granted unexpected freedom.

In truth, they were desperate to escape these corridors. Every beeping monitor reminded them of frailty.

Yet, their conditions were grave. Staying away from medical supervision for too long could cost them their lives, a fact Denise carried inside her like a stone.

wheel them through nearby streets, letting sunlight and

flagged down a roomy van, its

what's with the upgrade?" Denise whispered as her parents climbed

of us shoulder-to- shoulder isn't comfortable, so I swapped

Denise said,

we're friends. No need for ceremony," Magnus replied, a quick

gave a firm nod, gratitude

a quaint guesthouse tucked among whispering pines. Its stone path, flowering shrubs, and warm lights immediately eased the tension in Brycen and Calliope's

Calliope breathed, turning slowly as if afraid

had chosen it for precisely that reason, to

is back on track, we'll

"Oh, sweetheart," Brycen said,

Once we're well, your mother and I will head home, raise a couple of pigs and some chickens, and plant vegetables. By the time. you come back for the New Year, everything will be ready for your

entire lives working uncomplainingly, their dreams no bigger than fresh

their frugality, they refused to seek medical treatment earlier,

chemotherapy were the

and Dad wouldn't have ended up in this state just for the sake

right,” she managed, her voice thick, turning away so