Chapter 2303

Cecilia couldn’t make sense of him.

Why did Nathaniel keep circling back to this idea that he had “failed to protect” her?

“I already told you,” she said, her voice edged with helplessness. “It was nothing. Just a small cut on my neck. It’s over.”

Something shifted in Nathaniel’s expression—sharp, sudden.

“Ceci… when you said only your neck was hurt… nothing else happened?” he asked carefully.

She nodded without hesitation. “Yeah. What else would there be?”

That was the moment it clicked.

Nicholas had lied.

Everything that hadn’t made sense before suddenly fell into place. If something truly terrible had happened, Cecilia wouldn’t be this calm. He had convinced himself she was hiding the truth—too hurt to say it out loud.

But there was nothing to hide.

Cecilia studied his changing expression and understood immediately.

“Don’t tell me you thought Nicholas had… done something to me?” she asked, deliberately keeping her words light.

Nathaniel’s jaw tightened. After a long pause, he nodded.

“Yeah.”

She stared at him, half incredulous, half exasperated. “How did you even come up with that?”

This time, he didn’t dodge it. “Nicholas told me.”

Cecilia almost laughed out of disbelief. “He said it, and you just believed him? Why didn’t you ask me?”

Nathaniel looked uncharacteristically awkward. “How was I supposed to ask something like that?”

He had been afraid—afraid of reopening a wound that might not have healed, afraid of forcing her to relive something unbearable. So instead, he chose silence.

For over a year, he avoided anything related to Nicholas. Every word, every mention—he steered clear, all to keep her from being dragged back into what he thought were painful memories.

And just like that, everything made sense to Cecilia.

“So that’s why you’ve been glued to me this whole time,” she said softly. “Following me everywhere.”

Now that the truth was out, the whole situation felt absurd—and yet, something in her chest softened.

The irritation faded.

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry I made you worry.”

Nathaniel’s throat tightened. He held her just as tightly.

“It’s so good… that you’re really okay.”

Cecilia rested her head against him, still a little stunned.

For more than a year, he had believed something terrible had happened to her—and instead of questioning her, he chose to protect her dignity in silence.

Even now, not many people would handle it that way.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, and this time, she meant it.

Nathaniel pulled back slightly, searching her face. “So… you’re not mad at me anymore?”

She shook her head. “Of course not. But tell me—what exactly did you and Nicholas say?”

Nathaniel didn’t hide anything this time. He told her about the call.

“He wants to come back,” he said, then paused. “But even if he didn’t actually touch you, the fact that he had that thought is enough. I won’t let him return.”

Cecilia sighed softly. “Mom’s been looking for him this whole time. We might be able to hide it for now, but not forever.”

A year had passed, and while the fear had faded, the memory still carried a faint chill.

Nathaniel’s voice softened. “Don’t think about it too much. I’ll handle everything.”

Then he added, more firmly, “And remember—on this matter, you didn’t know anything. I did it all.”

He didn’t want her caught between him and Elena. Relationships like that—between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law—were delicate enough already.

Cecilia understood.

“I know.”

This time, when Nathaniel reached for her hand again, she didn’t pull away.