Chapter 2092


    The undertone of humility in his voice was unmistakable. Didn''t he realize it himself?


    Cicely turned her head away, her voice indifferent, "That depends on what you want to do."


    Seth gave a wry smile, "Alright, then you..."


    "I''m going downstairs." Cicely cut him off, having already taken the lead out of the room.


    Seth followed her.


    There was no one in the living room, empty as if she had just yed out a scene in her mind


    alone.d2


    Seth, oblivious, saw Cicely standing on thest step looking silently into the living room. He turned


    back to take her hand and led her to the couch, bending down to find the remote and turn on the TV.


    "Sit here; it''ll be ready soon."


    Cicely sat down obediently.


    *


    Half an hourter, dinner was served. The dishes on the table were unquestionably to her liking.


    Cicely sat down, reflecting that every time they ate together, it seemed the meal catered mainly to


    her tastes. Aside from the vague awareness that his preferences were light, she had little


    recollection of his specific favorites.


    Seth sat across from her, his gaze locked on her, not wanting to miss any expression on her face.


    Cicely calmly picked up her fork and took a bite from the closest dish, her face expressionless.


    "How is it?"


    "If I say it''s not good, would you stop eating?"


    Seth paused, then took a bite himself. It tasted just fine.


    "I''ll have this one. You eat whatever else you find ptable."


    Cicely frowned, watching as he swapped his te with one from in front of her. For several minutes,


    Seth ate only that one dish.


    Cicely’s expression grew increasingly troubled as she pushed the two tes in front of her forward,


    "I''ve had enough of these; take them away."


    Seth hesitated before taking the partially eaten tes to his side of the table.


    Cicely ate slowly; no matter how much Seth slowed down, he finished significantly ahead of her.


    After finishing his portion, he put down his fork and sat there, his dark eyes fixed on Cicely once


    more.


    Cicely looked up at him with a lightness in her tone, "Not eating anymore?"


    Before Seth could respond, she made a move to set down her fork, "Then I''m done too."


    Seeing that she hadn''t even finished half of her meal, Seth picked up his te and stood up.


    "I am not finished." Cicely paused her motion, lifting her gaze to him.


    "I''m just getting more rice." Seth emphasized again before turning to the kitchen.


    When he came back, his te was refilled.


    "I''ve had enough of this one too."


    ...


    Eventually, Cicely finished one te of rice; Seth forcefully ate four. He consumed more than half of


    the dishes on the table.


    He could have slowed down, and eaten less, but she would have seen through it. He didn''t want to


    deceive her or let her know he was deceiving her. Besides, he knew she was only trying to get him


    to eat more.


    Cicely watched him finish without a change in expression, then set down her fork and stood up.


    "Need help with the dishes?" The question was clearly just a formality.


    Seth also stood up and said, "No need."


    Cicely nodded, stepping out from behind the chair. "I''ll be going then."


    Seth''s hands, which had been resting on the table, clenched as he stood frozen, watching her go.


    As Cicely''s figure receded, he finally stepped forward to follow.


    Reaching the doorway, Cicely stopped and turned to look at him. Seth''s voice was familiarly


    repressed and hoarse, "I''ll drive you."


    "No need, it''s not far." It wasn''t far—just a short walk to her ce.


    After she spoke, she turned away. Seth parted his lips to speak but could only watch her leave, his


    eyesden with unspoken longing and restraint.


    Cicely paused, looking down at her wrist where a sudden tight grip had fastened. His palm was


    cool, the pressure strong as if he hadn''t managed his strength.


    The pain made her frown. Seth''s gaze fell on her expression, and he released her swiftly as if


    shocked. "Sorry."


    Cicely stared at the spot on her wrist he had held, feeling the blood flow back, and absentmindedly


    rubbed it, staring down and murmuring, "Seth."


    She raised her eyes to the man standing awkwardly in front of her. "If you''re going to keep making


    mistakes in things that don''t matter and then apologizing, don''t show up in front of me anymore. I


    don''t handle pain well, and it makes me not want to deal with anyone."


    Seth''s eyes stayed on her wrist, and after she finished speaking, he paused before slowly


    responding, "What did you say?"


    Cicely frowned, "Do you have a hearing problem?"


    "No..."


    "Good."


    Cicely mumbled in acknowledgment and turned to leave again.


    Seth instinctively wanted to hold her back. His hand lifted but hesitated mid-air, and instead, he


    stepped in front of her.


    Cicely stopped, her gaze meeting Seth''s face, filled with hesitation and tension. His voice was


    husky with a tremble."Did you mean that I can still see you?"


    "If I tell you not to see me, would you stay away?" She asked, feeling as if her chest was stuffed


    with cotton.


    "I would."


    The cotton in Cicely''s chest felt soaked, heavy and suffocating.


    Seth''s voice, rough and strained, rose again, "If you don''t want to see me, I''ll stay out of your way. I


    have managed to do it before."


    His eyes flickered with a cool, detached warmth, "Your so-called managing, does that mean locking


    yourself away, not leaving the house for weeks, drowning your sorrows in booze, and living on


    glucose? If Charlie hadn''t brought me here, were you nning to trap yourself until the end?"


    Seth''s lips were pressed tight, hiding the anxiety and unrest welling up in his eyes, his voice bearing


    the weight of deep, internal wounds. "I was afraid I wouldn''t be able to resist seeking you out."


    Cicely''s gaze shifted, catching the tumult of emotions in his eyes before stiffly looking away.


    "Seeking you would mean wanting to be close to you, to hold you, to kiss you, and wanting you by


    my side every day. And I might even force you to stay with me, but you wouldn''t like that, and then


    you''d start to drift away from me again like before."


    He paused, a look of torment crossing his handsome features, an expression she had never seen


    before. It was as if he were trapped in abyrinth, desperately searching for an exit, going over the


    same paths again and again. "I want to let you go, but at the same time, I want to be with you. You''ll


    probably hate me for it. I''ve been racking my brain, trying to find a solution, but nothing seems to


    work."


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Cicely remained silent for a long moment before slowly nodding, "So, you haven''t figured it out yet?"


    Seth cupped her face in his hands, shaking his head, "I don''t know."


    Cicely tugged at the corner of her mouth, "Neither do I."


    She moved past Seth, heading toward the front door. "Don''t try to force me to show up again by


    harming yourself like this. Even if you were to die in there, I would just let Hugo mourn you, and


    nothing would change."


    Her voice, cool and gentle, faded as she walked away, but it was enough to make Seth freeze in


    ce.