Chapter 2238

The Smith Residence

Another nightmare jolted Cecilia awake. Instinctively, her hand reached for Nathaniel’s side of the bed.

Her fingers met empty sheets.

She switched on the lamp and saw that he was gone.

“The bathroom?” she murmured, glancing toward the door. No light.

With him gone, sleep slipped away completely. Unease crept over her skin. She pushed back the covers and stepped into the hallway.

Downstairs, she left the lights off. The darkness swallowed the space.

Nathaniel wasn’t there either.

Where could he be at this hour?

They had gone to sleep together. Maybe something urgent had come up at the office?

Just as the thought circled in her mind, the front door opened, and bright light spilled inside.

Nathaniel stood in the doorway, wrapped in a black overcoat, his gaze lifting toward the staircase.

“Why are you awake?”

“A nightmare,” she said as she walked down. “I didn’t see you, so I came to look. Where were you?”

He couldn’t tell her the truth.

“There was an emergency at the office,” he said. “I handled it and came straight back.”

“Oh.” Cecilia nodded, accepting it.

Nathaniel took her hand. “Your fingers are freezing. Let’s go back to bed.”

“Okay.”

She walked beside him toward the bedroom.

Her gaze drifted to his hand.

Dark red stained the back of it.

“Nathaniel… you’re bleeding.”

Before he could react, she grabbed his hand and examined it more closely.

There was blood—but no wound.

His expression sharpened, and he instinctively tried to pull away.

Her suspicion deepened.

“How is there blood without a cut?” she asked, her voice tightening. “Did you hurt someone else?”

She held onto his hand firmly, refusing to let go without an answer.

Nathaniel exhaled slowly. “It’s not my blood.”

“Then whose is it?”

Tension tightened in her chest. Without the truth, there was no way she could rest.

“A business rival,” he said, still lying. “Things got a little rough.”

“Which rival?” she pressed.

At this hour, who would even dare challenge Nathaniel?

People like Robert had long since learned to keep their distance from Imminence Corporation.

“It’s late. We’ll talk tomorrow. It’s nothing serious,” Nathaniel said, trying to brush it off.

That only made her more suspicious.

As they reached the stairs, Cecilia slipped her arms around his waist from behind.

“Tell me,” she said quietly. “Or neither of us is sleeping tonight.”

Nathaniel rarely saw this side of her anymore—stubborn, almost girlish in its insistence.

He swallowed. “It’s really nothing. Don’t overthink it.”

“Say it.” Her voice turned firm. “No secrets between husband and wife—you promised that. And you know what happens if you break that promise.”

All she wanted was a peaceful life with him.

They had four children together. She couldn’t endure another terrifying situation.

Nathaniel looked into her eyes, saw the unyielding resolve there.

If he tried to lie and she saw through it, she would shut him out for days. He knew that much.

With no way out, he finally gave in.