When Her Death Couldn't Break Him (Cecilia and Nathaniel) novel Chapter 2188

By the time Cecilia took Phoebe's spot, the afternoon sun had slid past four. Five o'clock approached, and the ladies began gathering handbags and sunglasses, ready to head home.

They never had to cook, yet each still hurried back to pamper their husbands.

"Same time tomorrow," one of them proposed.

Reluctant laughter circled the foyer as they drifted apart in twos and threes.

Walking them to the door, Cecilia suddenly saw the sweetness of their unhurried days—skincare, small talk, a steady drift of hours without pressure. A morning mask here, an afternoon game there, and somehow another week would disappear like smoke.

When she returned, Phoebe still lingered, complaining to Elena.

The afternoon light slanted through the parlor's tall windows, painting long amber stripes across the polished floor. Elena's manicured fingers drummed against a coffee cup before she finally burst out, her voice a brittle mix of worry and disbelief. "You have no idea—my Chelsea actually ran off to work at some third-rate firm. They're paying her barely three thousand a month, and I can't imagine how she means to survive on pocket change like that."

Everyone in the neighborhood knew Phoebe had sworn, publicly and dramatically, to cut her daughter off for good, yet behind that fierce façade, she never stopped paying people to track every rumor about the girl, terrified of missing even the faintest scrap of news.

Elena, who had listened to this story one time too many—folded her hands with practiced calm. "They have their own lives. Don't worry too much."

"How can I not worry? She's my only daughter, and men are predators when money's involved. Ninety-nine percent of them want nothing more than a slice of the Rainsworth fortune and would never give Chelsea their true hearts. That's why I keep trying to find her a proper match—someone whose family is as solid as ours, so at least the background checks out. But will she listen? Absolutely not. She insists on chasing after that penniless Jason."

Elena raised an eyebrow, choosing her words with care. "Didn't you freeze her credit cards? Sooner or later, she'll taste hardship and come back to apologize, I'm sure of it."

"I pray you're right." With a weary sigh, Elena cradled her temples. "Stubborn as an oak, that girl. Neither her father nor I can sway her one inch."

As she spoke, her eyes strayed toward Cecilia and the boys at Cecilia's side, envy flickering over her finely lined features.

"If only my daughter were half as capable as you, Ceci."

Cecilia offered a gentle smile. "Please, don't think that way. Chelsea is brilliant and beautiful. She's bound to do something extraordinary before long."

Deep down, Cecilia couldn't believe Chelsea would truly hand every last hope to Jason.

"Besides," she added with a playful shrug, "the Jamieson family hasn't produced a single son either, and look at me—I'm still standing tall. No one's pushing me around, right?"

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