When Her "Death" Couldn't Break Him

Chapter 1965 Cooking Pasta For The First Time

After reaching an agreement with Magnus, Denise got ready to leave for work.

"If you get hungry around noon, just cook some pasta. You know how to do that, right?"

Magnus nodded, a bit awkwardly. It's just pasta. Of course I do.

Denise figured it was a simple enough task, so she didn't press further. She slung her bag over her shoulder and added, "My part-time job usually provides dinner. I'll bring some back for you later."

"All right," Magnus said with a small nod.

She took a moment to explain the basics of the apartment, then her eyes drifted to his clothes. "The washing machine's in the bathroom. Toss your clothes in and give them a quick wash. With the weather the way it is, they should dry quickly after a spin. Please have them cleaned and on before I get home."

"Got it," Magnus agreed again, obligingly echoing every instruction.

Had Cecilia seen him at that moment, she would've been stunned by the change in him.

Denise left shortly after without leaving Magnus a spare key, just in case he turned out to be trouble.

Once she was gone, Magnus returned to the bed and lay down heavily.

His whole body ached. The exhaustion was bone-deep.

These past few days had been hell. He had been living worse than a stray animal, constantly on the run from debt collectors. Now, finally, he had a roof over his head. It felt almost unreal.

His injuries still throbbed, untreated and raw. But they were superficial, thankfully.

He quickly shut his eyes and drifted into sleep. By the time noon rolled around, hunger tugged him awake.

One measly plate of pasta in the morning hadn't come close to satisfying him. Still groggy, Magnus shuffled out to the balcony where the small induction cooker sat. He grabbed a packet of pasta from the fridge, then stared at the cooker like it was a foreign artifact.

"How do you even turn this thing on?"

He poked at the buttons, squinting at the unfamiliar symbols. After a few minutes of trial and error, he finally got it working.

"Oh," he said, blinking. "So it was that simple."

Confident now, he set a pot on the stove, filled it with cold water straight from the

tap, and tossed in a handful of dry pasta.

Then paused. "Wait... that's not going to be enough."

So he dumped in the rest of the packet.noveldrama

Having never cooked a meal in his life, Magnus had no idea he was supposed to

boil the water first or that he needed to add oil or salt.

What he ended up with was a gluey, starchy mess that stuck to the sides of the pot and clumped together like wet dough. It barely had any flavor beyond bland, overcooked wheat.

"This tastes awful. Why is it so different from what Denise made?" Magnus grimaced as he forced

down another bite, but the pastanet

was so sticky and bland it turned his stomach. Maybe he wasn't as ravenous as the day before, but he

couldn't bring himself to finish it. With a sigh, he dumped the rest into the trash. That was when he remembered Denise had asked him to do the laundry.

He glanced down at his clothes. They were filthy, stained, and reeking.

He shrugged off his coat and shoved it into the washing machine. Without even

adding detergent, he jabbed at the start button.

"The machine whirred to life, and Magnus waited. It was taking forever.

As the minutes dragged on, his stomach started growling again. The few bites of pasta hadn't been enough."

He thought of heading out to find a quick bite.

Still in his innerwear, he stepped out the door and shut it behind him.

After taking a short stroll outside, Magnus quickly realized there was no food in sight and hardly any people around either. Feeling cold, he decided to head back.

But when he reached the door, he froze. He didn't have the key.

Magnus stood there, dumbfounded. There was nothing he could do now except wait, shivering, for Denise to return.

"I shouldn't have gone out," he muttered regretfully.

Meanwhile, Denise was still working, determined to earn every bit she could. In the mornings, she handed out flyers; in the evenings, she worked as a mascot.

At eleven o'clock that night, her boss finally settled the day's wages. "Denise, here's your pay and your dinner. You've worked hard for someone your age."

Knowing her situation, the boss slipped in a bit of extra food.

"Thank you!" Denise said, giving a polite bow.

The boss had generously handed her a good amount of leftover food, enough to

last through tonight and even into tomorrow.

Wanting to save every cent, she

chose to walk home. But as she neared her apartment, she froze. There, standing at the door, was Magnus, dressed in nothing but his undergarments, looking like he was on the brink of turning into an icicle. Cóntent