Chapter 2302

Silence settled inside the car, heavy enough that even the driver felt uneasy.

Right then, Nathaniel’s phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, his expression tightening, then answered in a low voice so Cecilia wouldn’t hear.

“What is it?”

“Sir, Nicholas wants to speak to you.”

Nathaniel flicked his gaze toward Cecilia. Her eyes were closed—she looked asleep.

“Put him through.”

A moment later, the voice on the line changed.

Nicholas spoke weakly, punctuated by harsh coughs. “Cough… Nathaniel, how long are you planning to keep me here?”

Nathaniel let out a quiet, humorless laugh. “You’ve only lasted a year, and you’re already at your limit?”

Nicholas said nothing.

“I sent you there with no intention of bringing you back,” Nathaniel continued.

The words landed like a death sentence.

Nicholas’s eyes reddened instantly. “Are you serious? Cough—cough—” He struggled through another fit before forcing the words out. “I’m telling you, I can’t hold on much longer.”

“Then die out there.”

Nathaniel ended the call without hesitation.

—

On the other end, Nicholas doubled over, coughing violently.

The guard nearby watched him coldly. “Our boss seems like a reasonable man. What did you do to offend him?”

Nicholas didn’t answer. He simply turned and walked back to his room, one slow step at a time.

The past year had been nothing but torture.

Locked inside a cramped house, barely seeing daylight—it was a life stripped down to the bare minimum.

He had never imagined Nathaniel would actually be this ruthless.

Now the regret came too late.

He should’ve just stayed where he was and lived the life he already had.

He closed his eyes, and Jocelyn’s face surfaced in his mind.

He didn’t know how she was doing now. A year had passed. Maybe she had already forgotten him.

Nicholas opened his eyes and looked at the guard.

“Can you check on someone for me back in Clusia?”

The guard frowned. “Who?”

“Someone in Tudela. Her name’s Jocelyn. Her husband is Yannick.”

The guard hesitated. “I don’t have time for that.”

Nicholas removed the watch from his wrist and held it out.

“I paid several million for this. Even now, it’s worth at least a million.”

The guard’s expression shifted immediately.

Earlier, Nicholas had already given him an expensive brooch just to make a call. Now even his watch was worth that much?

He turned it over in his hands, examining it carefully, though he couldn’t see what made it worth so much.

“Fine. I’ll look into it.”

For someone in his position, checking on one person wasn’t hard—but for Nicholas, every bit of information came at a cost.

It didn’t take long.

The guard returned with a thick stack of documents and handed them over.

“It’s all in there.”

Nicholas opened it immediately.

The first page hit him like a blade.

A photo.

Jocelyn and Yannick stood side by side—and between them, a child.

Below it, a note: their baby had been born last month.

Nicholas stared at the image, unmoving.

“You like her?” the guard asked casually.

Nicholas snapped back to himself. “What kind of question is that? She was just my subordinate.”

“Oh?” The guard bit into an apple. “Then she got lucky—married someone rich.”

Nicholas said nothing.

He kept flipping through the pages.

Most of the file detailed how loving Jocelyn and Yannick were.

His throat tightened.

He pointed at Jocelyn’s photo and said slowly, “She used to like me.”

The guard nearly choked on his apple. “Then why’d she marry someone else?”

The question hit hard.

Nicholas had no answer.

A woman who once looked at him like he was everything had gone and married another man.

“I don’t know,” he muttered. “She must have bad judgment.”

“Or not,” the guard said bluntly. “Yannick’s the heir to the Hayes family. And you…” He shook his head and walked out.

Nicholas was left alone.

His coughing worsened until he could barely breathe.

When it finally subsided, he slumped against the wall, looking more alone than ever.

—

Tudela.

Cecilia slowly opened her eyes and turned to Nathaniel.

“Who were you talking to just now?”

Nathaniel hesitated before answering. “Nicholas.”

She looked at him, surprised. “What did you talk about?”

She hadn’t heard that name in a long time—the last time was through Elena, who had mentioned Nicholas had gone abroad and barely stayed in touch.

“Nothing important,” Nathaniel said.

He didn’t want to bring Nicholas up in front of her—not after everything.

But Cecilia took it differently.

To her, it seemed like he still couldn’t let go of her past feelings.

They were almost home, and she didn’t press further.

“Fine.”

The car stopped.

Cecilia got out first.

Nathaniel followed, instinctively reaching for her hand.

She pulled away and walked ahead without a word.

His hand lingered in the air.

“Ceci.”

Only then did he realize she was upset.

“Why are you upset?” He reached for her again, but she avoided him.

“I’m not. I just want to walk by myself.”

It was obvious—but he still didn’t get it.

Nathaniel grabbed her arm.

“Ceci, I was wrong. I’ll change.”

She stopped and looked at him. “You were wrong? Then what exactly were you wrong about?”

He froze.

“I…”

She exhaled softly. “Are you still bothered about what happened between me and Nicholas?”

His expression shifted instantly.

That was all the confirmation she needed.

“It’s been so long, and you still care?” she said. “Then why did you remarry me? We might as well live separately—like Mom and Dad.”

That broke him.

“What are you talking about? I don’t care about that at all.”

He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.

His voice turned rough. “I just feel like I failed you.”

Cecilia frowned, confused. “Failed me? How?”

She kept pressing until he finally gave in.

“All I want… is to protect you,” he said quietly. “That’s why I can’t let you out of my sight.”

Cecilia stopped struggling.

She leaned against his chest, her voice softer now.

“What are you even talking about?”