When Her Death Couldn't Break Him (Cecilia and Nathaniel) novel Chapter 2198

Charlotte had wanted to keep working, but Cecilia sent her home. Pregnant and only days from marriage, she deserved—at last—a pocket of calm.

Restless, Charlotte asked Chelsea to go shopping with her.

"Lottie, I never knew real work could drain the soul like this," Chelsea groaned, stretching until her joints popped.

Since landing the job, she rose at seven and clocked in by eight. Five o'clock was a rumor; everyone stayed late, and she followed, leaving the office nearer nine—sometimes ten. Once at home, she washed, cooked, and folded laundry. Midnight blinked across the stove clock before she even exhaled.

"Tell you what," Charlotte said, eyes bright. "I'll be on maternity leave after the wedding. How about filling in as Cecilia's assistant?"

Chelsea's head whipped side to side. "If I went to work for Cecilia, my parents would hate her forever."

The idea had tempted Chelsea more than once. She had wanted to work at Cecilia's company.

But her parents had broadcast their decree, warning every business friend not to hire their only daughter. If Cecilia accepted her, a family cold war would ignite; if she refused, Chelsea would feel awkward.

Charlotte heard the logic and sighed, frustration unspooling into the soft spring air. "You're right, too. But you're so tired."

Chelsea drew a long breath, holding it as though the skyline itself might answer.

"I'll just take it day by day," she said at last. "I'm their only child; they can't really cut me loose forever—can they?"

Deep down, she understood her parents' strategy. They wanted her to experience hardship and break up with Jason. But still, Chelsea believed she could outlast their test.

Charlotte didn't know what else to say.

Chelsea shook off the haze of their gloomy conversation, hooked an arm through Charlotte's, and marched them toward the nearest boutique.

During her months at a tiny firm, Chelsea had learned the art of living on pocket change: street-side vendors whose steam fogged up the night air, lightning-fast delivery drivers who braved traffic for two-dollar noodles, coupon apps that turned frugality into sport. These discoveries thrilled her with a hard-won independence.

By the time dusk bled lavender across the rooftops, the two women had wandered the malls for hours. Chelsea finally headed back to the apartment with the leftover food she didn't finish at lunch.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify