With a snarl, Celeste hurled the photo at me. It landed at my feet, the image facing up.
‘It was Alden–his body mangled, dangling from a tree like discarded trash. Blood crusted
over open wounds. His lifeless eyes stared right through me.
I gasped and instinctively covered my eyes. That image…
It was the nightmare that had haunted me every night since.
“You can’t stand it, can you?” she hissed, stepping closer.
She grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at her.
“Then tell me what that bitch did!”
Her voice shook with fury and desperation.
“If you testify–I swear–I’ll send Damien away immediately!”
My vision blurred as tears welled up, but I still managed a bitter smile.
“No need.”
Her hand on my shoulder froze.
“Are you seriously okay with watching me sleep with him, right in front of you?”
I nodded faintly.
“It’s okay.”
Slap!
The force of her hand turned my face to the side. My skin burned.
Her fist trembled in the air.
“Gideon, you’re such a–such a damn coward!” she shouted, voice cracking.
“You’re pathetic… pathetic…”
Each word struck harder than the slap itself.
How could she say that?
This was the same Celeste Hartwell who used to stand up for me in school, fists on her hips, forcing bullies to apologize when they mocked my grades.
After we married, she became even more protective–once, when she scraped her fingertip, I’d tried to bandage it, but she’d insisted on holding my hand and blowing on my finger instead.
I used to believe her love would last forever.
That we would last forever.
“Celeste…” I murmured, my voice hoarse.
She spun around, eyes wide, a flicker of hope sparking in them.
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22:18 Tue, 5 Aug
I tried to stand, but collapsed hard onto the floor.
66%
Pain radiated from my chest, and Alden’s mutilated body flashed before my eyes once
more.
. Clutching my shirt, I looked up–just as the door creaked open.
Damien.
He hadn’t left after all.
He stood in the doorway, peeking through the crack. His eyes locked onto mine, lips curling into a smirk. Then he raised a finger to his mouth:
Shhh.
“What were you about to say?” Celeste asked, still watching me.
I hesitated.
She stepped closer.
“Say it. You must have something to tell me.”
“Sir?” Damien called out from the hallway, tone light.
Celeste’s body tensed–but she didn’t leave. She waited.
I glanced at Damien’s feigned look of concern. Slowly, I reached behind me and pulled out
a box of Ritz crackers. I held it out.
“Don’t forget this.”
Celeste stared at it in disbelief. Her anger boiled over.
She snatched the box and flung it at my face.
“You bastard!” she snapped, turning on her heel and storming off.
Damien reached for the doorknob and, with deliberate care, closed the door.
He lingered a moment, red lips lifting in satisfaction. Then–slam. The lock clicked shut.
I sagged against the wall, fingers gripping my shirt.
No… not yet. Just wait. Wait a little longer.
I searched every corner of the massive manor before finding a small, dusty first aid kit. I patched myself up as best I could.
For an entire month, Celeste didn’t come home.
Then one day, the front door burst open with a loud bang.
Celeste stumbled in, supporting a bloodied Damien. Behind her, a private medical team rushed in–the same elite team that had once been assigned to me, back when Alden was alive.
They had been dismissed after his death.
Now, they were back–but not for me.
I leaned weakly against the wall, watching the scene unfold.
22:18 Tue, 5 Aug
Celeste turned to me, eyes wide with accusation.
“Why did you push him down the stairs?” she demanded.
I blinked, stunned.
“Did you know I’m over a month pregnant? And you still tried to hurt him on purpose?”
Pregnant?
I looked toward Damien in shock.
66%
He was slumped on the stretcher, brows furrowed slightly–but not in real pain. His cries, however, were shrill and dramatic. He shot me a look of warning behind Celeste’s back.
I couldn’t help it–I laughed.
“Yes,” I said. “What about it?”
Celeste froze, unsure whether she’d heard me right.
She studied my face carefully.
“Do you even realize what you’re saying?”
I met her eyes, steady and calm.
“I do.”
Chapter 2
