When Her Death Couldn't Break Him (Cecilia and Nathaniel) novel Chapter 2176

Before Felix could finish his sentence, Miranda's glare sliced across the air, silencing him. The boy's courage shrank back into his chest like a frightened animal.

"What are you afraid of?" she hissed. "You were the one who got bullied. You don't owe anyone an apology."

With fists curling at her sides, she spat each word at Nathaniel. "Stop pushing us, Nathaniel. There's a limit to your intimidation."

At that moment, Robert strode in, Adrian a pace behind him, the foyer doors sighing shut on a gust of night air.

Robert took in the tableau—grandson shaking, daughter-in-law blazing, nephew unmoved. His brows flicked upward once. "What's going on here?" he asked, voice steady as an oak trunk.

He remained unnervingly calm, offering no hint of the judgment forming behind his eyes.

Miranda exhaled in relief as though a lighthouse had pierced her storm.

"Dad, you're finally back. Please, talk some sense into Nathaniel for Felix and me. We need your help," she pleaded.

Soon, she launched into a tale of the day's events, seasoning every detail with generous exaggeration until Felix's plight sounded like high tragedy written in fresh ink.

Robert listened without so much as a blink, his expression an unreadable ledger.

Adrian hurried to his son, kneeling so their eyes met. "Felix, are you okay? Are you hurting anywhere?"

Felix's lower lip quivered. Tears spilled over and tracked down his cheeks.

"Daddy, you're finally home," he blurted, relief crashing through his small body as he wriggled free from Miranda's grip and rushed into Adrian's embrace, hugging him tight.

His sobs rose less from Charlotte's earlier blows than from the dread coiled around Nathaniel's omnipresent shadow.

Adrian's chest tightened. "Nathaniel, I know I'm not half the powerhouse you are, but that doesn't give you the right to bully my son," he said, voice trembling yet brave.

Nathaniel had always deemed Adrian spineless. Seeing him stand up for his child, however, pulled a flicker of surprise across his otherwise immaculate composure.

"You yourselves said Felix suffered significant injuries, didn't you? If that's true, a comprehensive examination is the wisest course. As for radiation, don't worry—I'll have Zachary supervise the entire process. The tests won't so much as ruffle your boy's health."

Nathaniel's voice came smooth and even, every syllable landing with the quiet authority of a gavel.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify