CHAPTER 20
Damien’s POV
SLAP!
The sharp sound rang through the apartment, leaving behind a silence so thick it rammed against my chest, making it hard to
breathe.
I didn’t move. Theo didn’t move.
Celeste… she didn’t even flinch. She just stood there, her posture rigid, her gaze flaring with an icy finality I had never seen.
before.
“Get out,” she said, her voice calm but razor–sharp. “Or I’ll call the police.”
I blinked. I heard her, but my body refused to register the words.
She hit me. She had actually hit me.
For him.
My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning out all logic. My cheek burned, but the sting was nothing compared to the ache spreading through my chest.
“Are you
1 serious right now?” My voic
“Yes,” she spat out.
“Try me.”
came out hoarse, raw. “You’d call the police? On me?”
A humorless chuckle escaped me, but it felt hollow.
“This is what it’s come to?” I searched her face for something–anything–but all I found was cold detachment. “You really want
to cut all ties with me?”
He I was
Celeste exhaled, like she was exhausted, like I was exhausting her.
“Damien, I’ve already told you. I don’t want this anymore. I don’t want you anymore.”
That felt like another slap. A more painful one.
I gritted my teeth. “I-”
“You don’t get to act like you care now,” she interrupted. “You locked me up in that asylum. You chose Genevieve over me. You treated me like garbage, Damien. And now, what? You’re upset that I don’t want you anymore?”
The room felt smaller. It seemed like the walls were closing in.
And for the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to say.
CHAPTEROD
120 Bonus
She had always been soft–spoken, always hesitant to fight back. Now, she looked at me like I was nothing. Like I was already
gone.
“I was trying to protect you,” I muttered.
Celeste scoffed. Actually scoffed.
“That’s rich,” she said. “Locking me away? Letting Genevieve destroy me while you just watched? That’s protection for you?”
“You don’t understand-
“You’re right,” she cut me
he off, }
her tone flat. “I don’t understand. And honestly? I don’t care anymore.”
The finality in her voice sent a sharp pain shooting through my head.
It’s really happening. I’m losing her.
Without hesitation, Celeste grabbed my phone, dialed Mark, and gave a crisp, emotionless order. “Come pick him up.
JF
Then, without another word, she turned on her heel and walked away, disappearing up the stairs without so much as a glance
back
I stood there, frozen,
Still dazed, the question slipped from my lips before I could stop it. “What happened at the institution? What am I missing?”
Theo had been observing the entire exchange, his disdain barely concealed. A soft, derisive chuckle escaped him. His unyielding gaze pinned me where I stood.
“You have the audacity to ask that now?” He threw the question at me with great disbelief and annoyance.
Irritation sparking in my chest. “Just answer me.
He scoffed, his face twisting into something close to disgust. “You really want to know?” His lips curled. “What exactly are you hoping to hear, Vaughn? That it was some luxurious retreat where she had time to ‘reflect‘ on her sins?”
My jaw tightened.
“She nearly lost her mind in there,” he continued, voice laced with quiet fury. “But do you know what kept her sane?” He took another step forward, his glare searing into me. “The hatred she has for you.”
“She loved you once,” Theo went on, his voice dropping lower. “She would have done anything for you. But you took that love and crushed it.” His expression darkened. “I should never have let go of her then. We shouldn’t have trusted you.”
The words hit harder than I expected.
Theo shook his head in disbelief. “You failed her,” he pointed out harshly. “Over and over again.”
I wanted to counter his silent attack, to strike back. But I was still determined to find out what had really happened to Celeste.
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Taking a deep breath, I pushed down my growing frustration. “I just want answers,” I said, my voice tight. “What happened to her at Ravencrest? Why did she change?”
His eyes glinted with contempt, but he still didn’t give me the answers I was looking for.
“I couldn’t find anything unusual,” I went on. “Nothing to make her turn against me like this! All that the records showed was that she’d stayed there for a few days. So what made her change? How come she’s not acting like herself?!”
Theo exhaled sharply, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Are you really this blind?” he sneered angrily. “No, you’re worse than that. You’re a coward. “You’re so desperate to pin this on
someone else, but deep down, you already know the truth.”
A slow, cruel smile tugged at his lips. “You did this to her, Damien. And one day, when you finally pull your head out of the sand,
It’s going to rip you apart.”
