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Novel Catalog
Chapter 95 Promised Her
Nathaniel followed Cecilia into the warm, intimate space of Ninth Ville, the tension from the day’s events still clinging to him like a heavy cloak. His thoughts were preoccupied with the fact that this place—Calvin’s place—always seemed to gnaw at him. The idea of his wife staying under the same roof as the man who had never quite understood boundaries made him uneasy, even though he would never admit it aloud.
As they entered the modestly decorated dining room, Cecilia turned to him with a soft smile, her eyes glowing with anticipation. “I hope you don’t mind,” she began, her voice light, “but I thought it’d be nice to have something homemade. Nothing fancy, just a meal made with a little bit of love.”
Nathaniel hesitated for a moment before offering a nonchalant, “I’m sure it’ll be fine.” His eyes scanned the table briefly, but the tightness in his chest wouldn’t quite ease. The thought of his wife preparing something for him—something as personal as this—should have felt comforting, yet it only served to remind him of the things he had neglected to truly understand about her.
Cecilia, sensing the tension in his posture but not fully grasping its origin, smiled as she placed a steaming plate in front of him. “I made your favorite—chicken with garlic and rosemary,” she said, her voice carrying a touch of pride.
For a moment, Nathaniel simply stared at the food, the weight of the past few hours pressing down on him. It wasn’t the food that bothered him, nor the act of her cooking for him. It was everything that had led to this point—the undeniable knowledge that their lives had changed, perhaps irreversibly, over the years.
Still, he knew better than to turn away. He had promised her, after all, and his word, no matter how conflicted he felt, still carried weight. He reached for his fork, the delicate aroma of the dish doing little to quiet his restless mind.
“I’m glad you like it,” Cecilia said softly, watching him with a look of quiet expectation. She didn’t quite understand why he seemed so distant, but she wasn’t going to press him either. The dinner was her way of reaching out, trying to bridge the gap that had seemed to grow between them.
Nathaniel finally took a bite, his thoughts still swirling, but he gave her a small nod of approval. “It’s good,” he murmured, his voice still rough from the weight of unspoken words.
Cecilia smiled, but her eyes flickered with a quiet resolve. She had always known how to read Nathaniel—his moods, his silences, and his rare moments of vulnerability. But tonight, there was something different in his demeanor. Something distant, as though he was physically present but mentally absent.
For her part, Cecilia didn’t want to confront him just yet. She could feel the walls he had built, and tonight, she was content to let him keep them—at least for now. But she wouldn’t give up on him. Not after everything they had been through. Not after everything they had yet to say.
“So, how was the visit to the school?” she asked, trying to shift the conversation in a lighter direction. “The children seemed really happy to see you.”
Nathaniel’s eyes softened for the briefest moment as he recalled the music room, the children’s wide-eyed admiration for Cecilia, and the serene smile she had worn as she played the piano for them. The sound of the piano, clear and beautiful, had struck something deep within him—something he hadn’t expected to feel.
“It was… unexpected,” he admitted, his voice quieter now. “I didn’t know you could play like that.”
Cecilia laughed softly, her eyes twinkling. “It’s not much, really. Just something I’ve always loved to do. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about connecting with the music, with them.” She paused, looking at him with a gentle expression. “It’s something I think we could both learn from.”
Nathaniel didn’t reply immediately, his gaze dropping to his plate as his thoughts returned to the overwhelming task ahead—confronting Cecilia about the past, about the amnesia, about everything that had remained unsaid for so long. He had waited for years for a moment like this, yet now that it was here, he wasn’t sure he was ready.
The meal continued in a somewhat subdued atmosphere, both of them lost in their own thoughts. And though they didn’t say much more, something about this simple act of sharing a meal together seemed to hold a quiet promise. A promise of things still to be worked through, of conversations still to be had.
Finally, after finishing the meal, Cecilia broke the silence. “I’m glad we did this,” she said softly, her voice carrying a note of sincerity. “I know things have been complicated, but… I’m still here, Nathaniel.”
Her words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of their shared history. Nathaniel looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. The flicker of vulnerability he had shown earlier was now carefully hidden behind the familiar wall he had built around himself. But for the first time in a long while, he wasn’t so sure if that wall was as strong as it used to be.
“Me too,” he said finally, his voice almost imperceptible, as though testing the weight of his own words.
And for that fleeting moment, something shifted—something that could have been a new beginning, or perhaps the first step toward healing the rift between them.
