CHAPTER 46
Damien’s POV
“Celeste, what do you mean by that?” My voice shook with an emotion I couldn’t even name.
Celeste narrowed her eyes.
I took a deep breath “About that video–I admit, I acted impulsively. But didn’t you betray me first?” The words were hard to get out, each one slicing open something raw.
But I didn’t stop. “I really thought you cared about me. But what happened? You slept with another man.” My throat tightened. “You could’ve lied to me for money, fine–but why for him? Was I really that bad to you?”
“Aha” Celeste let out a cold laugh.
“This is exactly it. You’re always stuck in your own delusions,” she snapped. “You never see the truth unless someone shoves it in your face.”
“Then what was I supposed to do?!” I snapped back, finally losing it.
“And there it is,” Celeste said suddenly, her anger gone. Her voice turned flat, almost lifeless. “You still think I’m the manipulative one. The whore ”
“You don’t feel guilty. You just want to make yourself feel better.” Her tone was sharp and certain. “Because you thought it was the truth.”
Her voice was like glass–clear and impossible to ignore. And just like that, her words shut down everything I could’ve said.
I stood there, stunned, every excuse crumbling before I could speak it.
Finally, it was Celeste who broke the heavy silence.
“I have plans tonight, Damien.” Her voice was filled with exhaustion. “I’m not wasting my time arguing about this. It’s pointless.”
She went to open her apartment door, getting ready to step inside.
“I think it’s best for you to go home now,” she added without even looking at me.
Before I could think, I reached out.
My hand landed against the door, just above her shoulder, stopping her from turning the knob. In that breathless pause, I stepped in, closing the space between us.
She was facing me now, caught between the door and my body. Her breath hitched and she froze.
I didn’t touch her beyond that. Just leaned in–close enough to breathe in that faint, clean scent I remembered too well. Jasmine.
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Vanilla. Something uniquely her. My heart started pounding like crazy.
I want you back, Celeste. I want
to kiss you
you, to touch you. Feel your body against mine again
The sudden surge of desire engulfed me, making me feel heady. But I didn’t act on it, which took all of my self–control.
“Move,” she demanded in a low, dangerous voice. “Just go, Damien.”
But I still couldn’t move. I kept hearing it in my head–her voice from earlier, soft and almost sweet.
‘Theo, I’ll call you later.”
And now? That same voice was ice and steel, aimed at me like I was a threat.
Jealousy curled in my gut, bitter and relentless. How could she sound so tender for him–and be this cold to me?
“You want me to leave because you’re going out with Theo?” I snapped, the words slipping out before I could reel them back.
Celeste’s eyes flared. “Excuse me?”
I stepped closer again, voice low and sharp. “I saw the way you ended his call earlier. So what is it now? Do you have plans with
him? You’re with him now–is that it?”
She stared at me like I’d just insulted her to her core. “What I do–and who I do it with–is none of your business.”
My chest tightened. “It is my business.”
“No,” she hissed. “It really isn’t. Not anymore.
“Why him?” I demanded. “Why does he get your time, your attention–your trust?”
“Because he earned it!” she shouted. “Because when the whole world turned against me, he was the only one who stood by my
side!”
She opened the door, and there was nothing I could do. Her next words felt like a direct stab in the heart as she faced me again.
“And you you
ou were the one who pushed me off the cliff.” She stared into my eyes in a steely manner.
“Do you
you even remember
what I did back then? I begged you–not to do that to me. But you locked me up in a mental facility and ignored my call.”
“And now, you want to play the part of a good husband?” Her voice broke, just slightly. “Who cares?”
Each word landed with precision, a blow I had no shield for.
She stared at me for another long, aching moment. Then, quietly, she added, “What use is it now?”
And with that, she turned and walked through the door, leaving me behind, my heart burdened with regret and anguish
I stood frozen in the hallway long after the door shut. The echo of her voice haunted me–quiet, controlled, and greatly devastating. I had no idea how long I remained there, staring at the closed door like it could somehow take me back. Fix what I’d
broken.
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Eventually, I turned and left. Not because I wanted to–every part of me ached to stay. To fight.
But her words had gutted me. And more than that…..
I couldn’t hear to stand there any longer, and wait for Theo to arrive and be with her. I can’t watch them together and feel even more stupid.
The walk back to my car felt longer than before. I sank into the driver’s seat and just sat there, motionless.
At that moment, my phone buzzed,
“Well?” my mother snapped on the other end. “Did she finally come to her senses? I know you went to see Celeste.”
I stared straight ahead, my jaw tightening. “No,” I said. “She didn’t.”
There was a beat of silence. Then came her sharp inhale, “That ungrateful-! Damien, how long are we going to let this farce go on? She’s doing this to embarrass us–me. If you’d just put your foot down-”
“I swear, if you say one more word against her,” I interrupted with conviction, “I’ll tell Dad everything.”
Dead silence followed.
“You think I don’t know?” I went on. “You’re panicking because if he finds out what really happened, the damage won’t just be your reputation–it’ll be our family name. And I won’t protect that anymore.”
Her sharp breath came fast, shaky. “Are you threatening me?”
“No,” I said flatly. “I’m warning you.”
“I know what you did to Celeste. The manipulation. The gossip. The cruelty. All those despicable acts! If you don’t stop–if you don’t fix what you can–I won’t stop the fallout.”
I was about to hang up when her voice came through, low and panicked.
“What are you talking about? What despicable acts?”
And to my bewilderment, she really sounded confused and surprised.
