Chapter 2219

Nicholas stepped toward her again, and Cecilia lunged for the bottle on the floor.

Thinking she meant to attack him, Nicholas instinctively stepped back—only to watch her press the jagged glass to her own throat.

“Stay back!” Cecilia locked eyes with him, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. “I don’t like you. I’ll never let anything happen between us. Obsess all you want, but I already hate you—and that’s never going to change.”

Nicholas clearly didn’t believe she would actually hurt herself. He leaned against the wall, posture loose, almost bored.

“If you really have the nerve,” he drawled, “I’ll let you go.”

Cecilia didn’t hesitate. She dragged the glass across her skin.

A thin line of red bloomed at her neck. Blood slid slowly downward.

Nicholas’s pupils shrank to pinpoints.

“You—” His voice caught in his throat.

Cecilia pressed her palm to the wound. “Is that enough for you to leave?”

He didn’t move.

“Still not enough?” She pushed harder. Fresh blood spilled over her fingers. “Have I repaid you now?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Fine. Perfect.”

Bitterness flooded his chest.

How pathetic was he that Cecilia would rather hurt herself than stay with him?

“Fine. I’m leaving.”

This time, he meant it. He wouldn’t look for her again.

But just before crossing the threshold, he glanced back.

“I wonder,” he said coolly, “if Nathaniel really loves you that much.”

Cecilia didn’t understand the sting behind his words.

Once he was gone, she quickly pressed down on the wound, found her phone, and called for an ambulance.

She didn’t want to die. The whole thing had been meant to scare Nicholas away.

Four children were waiting for her at home. If anything happened to her, what would become of them?

And tonight was Charlotte’s wedding night.

Not wanting to ruin the celebration, Cecilia went to the hospital alone and told no one.

After the doctor cleaned and bandaged the cut, she wrapped a scarf tightly around her neck to hide the gauze.

She didn’t dare return to the hotel room. Instead, she booked a hospital bed for the night.

Lying there in the dim light, she wrestled with whether to tell Nathaniel that Nicholas had shown up.

Nicholas was his younger brother.

If she told him, what would Nathaniel do? Would he really lay hands on his own sibling?

And if he didn’t… what would that mean for her?

After a long, painful debate, she chose silence—for now.

At dawn, she slipped back to the hotel.

By the time Calvin and the others woke and made their way to the dining room, Cecilia was already seated at the table.

“Ceci, you’re up early,” Vivian said.

Cecilia nodded. “Mm.”

Vivian slid into the chair beside her. “How do you never sleep in? If Madeline hadn’t dragged me out of bed, I’d still be knocked out.”

“Guess I’m just not used to hotel beds,” Cecilia replied evenly.

That was when Vivian noticed the scarf wrapped around her neck. She reached out curiously. “Is that new? It’s cute.”

Cecilia forced a small smile.

“Let me borrow it for a second,” Vivian said, fingers brushing toward it.

Cecilia immediately blocked her hand. “I picked it up nearby. I’ll get you one later. My neck’s a little cold, so I’d rather keep it on.”

Vivian didn’t push. “Alright.”

“Let’s head back right after breakfast,” Cecilia added.

She needed to leave. The hotel no longer felt safe.

“Okay,” everyone agreed.

But Calvin couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

“Ceci,” he said gently, studying her face, “you look really pale.”