Denise took a moment, then said, "I had no choice. I''m my parents'' only child. If I don''t look after them, who will?"

    If I could, I''d be irresponsible-let them fend for themselves, and spare myself all this fatigue. Being unfilial would at least mean I could rest.

    Yet she couldn''t cross that line, and the real reason she kept paying for their treatment was simple.

    I just can''t live without them. If they truly left this world, I wouldn''t have a reason to keep living either.

    "I understand," Magnus murmured, nodding.

    Denise was about to step inside when she realized he was still holding her hand.

    She slipped free, cheeks warm, and asked with a teasing lift of her brow, "Magnus, why the sudden present? Don''t tell me you''ve fallen for me?"

    At her words, Magnus'' face went crimson, as though scorched.

    He jumped back defensively. "Quit joking! Why would I like you? I prefer gentle women. Can''t friends give each other presents?"

    "Oh, okay." Denise chuckled. "So long as you haven''t fallen for me."

    She walked into the room, set water to boil, poured herself a cup, and poured one for Magnus, too.

    Magnus stared at her, momentarily at a loss, and asked, "Why do you think it''s enough to just say you don''t like me?"

    Denise smiled again, yet this time every trace of the smile tasted of bitterness.

    "What other reason could there be? My family''s situation is terrible, while you''re the privileged heir of a powerful family. We''repletely mismatched. Besides, you really are handsome, and someone as in as I am could never stand next to you on equal footing."

    After saying all of that, she worried Magnus might spiral into wild guesses, so she hurriedly added, "And most importantly, I don''t like men like you. If I ever choose a partner, it''ll be a man who''s mature and able to shoulder real problems."

    Outside, in the dead of night, a frigid wind whistled through the darkness.

    When Magnusy down on the thin mattress they had spread across the floor, he kept ncing up at Denise, who upied the proper bed.

    His mind reyed, over and over, the sentence Denise had spoken that afternoon.

    A man who''s mature and able to shoulder real problems. Am I not mature enough? Can''t I carry my share of the weight?

    Frustration gathered in Magnus'' chest; despite changing so much, he still wasn''t "mature" in Denise''s eyes.

    Sleep eluded him, so he pulled out his phone and began scrolling through it aimlessly.

    He had intended to contact Cecilia and apologize for everything he''d done in the past, but the thought of his own mountain of debt made him decide to settle those ounts first and speak with her afterward.

    New Year''s Day was only a few days away.

    A new year wasing, yet Rainsworth Manor felt unusually deste. Niel had

    passed away, and Elena and Wren had gotten divorced.

    After the divorce, Elena didn''t leave the manor; she merely moved to another wing, continuing to look after her two little grandsons.

    Cecilia and Nathaniel made time whenever they could to visit them.

    Wren lived alone in yet another part of the estate. He had nned to travel again, but after Niel''s death, a

    mountain of social obligations remained.

    Because Elena refused to manage those matters, Wren had to navigate them himself.

    He had never imagined that handling social niceties could be this draining.

    After an entire day of such engagements, he sank onto the couch, utterly exhausted, and asked a housekeeper, "What''s Elena been doingtely?"

    "Mdm. Elena spends her days with the kids, and when she has free time, she ys cards and goes

    shopping with the otherd th

    the

    housekeeper answered.

    The corner of Wren''s mouth twitched. "She certainly knows how to enjoy herself."

    The housekeeper, having followed Elena for years, understood all too well how hard the woman''s life had been.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!