When Her Death Couldn't Break Him (Cecilia and Nathaniel) novel Chapter 2240

Hearing her son's voice, Elena finally let the tension drain from her shoulders.

"Which country are you in right now?" Elena asked, her voice tight in the quiet living room.

On the other end of the call, Nicholas answered, "I want my freedom. Stop worrying about where I am, and don't try to reach me for a while. I'll contact you when I feel like it."

Elena's fingers dug into the phone; sadness clouded her eyes.

"At least tell Mom where you are, will you?" she pleaded.

Nicholas snorted. "If I tell you, the questions will never stop, so forget it. I've got nothing else to say."

Elena opened her mouth, but the line went dead before another word escaped.

She let out a string of weary sighs. "What's wrong with that child? He's run overseas again and still won't tell me where."

Wren finally relaxed and tried to soothe her. "Men like to wander. Don't worry about him."

Elena shot him a glare. "He must have inherited that from you."

Wren choked on the retort that never came and simply fell silent.

Cecilia had watched the whole scene. When she and Nathaniel were alone, she couldn't hold back. "What exactly happened just now?"

Nathaniel said, "To set Mom's mind at ease, I told Nicholas to call her."

Cecilia still didn't get it. "How did you make him cooperate?"

"He's always wanted to outdo me. A little reverse psychology was enough." Nathaniel's tone carried a dismissive edge.

He kept from mentioning that he had shipped Nicholas off to a barren, back-of-beyond place overseas.

Barring a miracle, Nicholas would likely never make it home again.

*****

With Nicholas dealt with, life settled back into a calm routine.

Cecilia's reply stayed level. "Words alone mean nothing."

Head drooping, Stella mumbled, "I'll write a pledge, all right?"

Truthfully, the current Stella posed little threat, but Cecilia refused to gamble.

She feared nothing for herself, yet she would never risk her children's safety.

"Stella, just stay here. Letting you live an ordinary life in this place is all the mercy you'll get from me."

From then on, she would see that no other patients shared a room with Stella.

Stella bobbed her head again and again. "Okay, okay, okay."

If it kept her from being beaten, it was already better than her present lot.

Cecilia walked away, unsure when she might return—perhaps many years from now.