My phone buzzed. I pulled it out of my pocket, foolishly hoping it was Sera telling me to come back.
It wasn’t.
It was Ethan. Attached to the message was a photo of Celeste. She was asleep on Ethan’s couch, curled up under a throw blanket, her makeup smudged, tear stains visible on her cheeks. Her face soft, exhausted. Fragile.
The guilt punched me square in the chest.
What the hell was I doing?
Celeste had come back for me. She’d offered forgiveness, love, a second chance. And I’d practically rejected her. Not just in words but in every choice I made tonight.
I had let her cry herself to sleep while I chased after a woman who wanted nothing to do with me-the woman I’d used to hurt her in the first place.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the cold wood of Sera’s door. The contrast between the heat of the kiss and the cold sinking into my bones made everything feel sharper. Too real.
What if I’d ruined everything with Celeste for good this time?
What if I’d ruined everything with Sera with that kiss?
I shoved my phone back into my pocket and walked away from the house, the pavement crunching under my shoes.
I didn’t know who I was right now. I couldn’t fathom what fucked-up part of me was making all these damning decisions.
All I knew was that I’d hurt two women-one who loved me and one I couldn’t seem to let go of.
And the worst part?
I wasn’t even sure who I wanted to be forgiven by.
***
CELESTE’S POV
“Have you sent it?” I asked, arms crossed as I leaned against the kitchen doorway.
Ethan looked up from his phone and gave me a long-suffering sigh. “Yeah. I sent it.”
I stepped forward, tension buzzing beneath my skin. “And?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Did you really need me to lie to him for you?”
“It’s not a lie,” I said, pouting slightly. “If anything, it’s a glaring truth he needs to see.”
“He knows you’re upset. You didn’t need to drag me into this.”
I scoffed. Ethan was always so quick to act like he was above it all, but he was the furthest thing from perfect.
“He needs a reminder,” I said softly. “Of what we are. Of who’s always been there.”
Ethan rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You know Kieran has only ever loved you. You don’t need to compete with Sera.”
My lips curled bitterly. “Then why does he care so much about her all of a sudden?”
He hesitated. “Because, she’s the mother of his son. And she’s been through two attacks now. It would be strange if he wasn’t concerned.”
I scoffed. “Or maybe it’s an act. Did you ever think about that? Maybe she’s playing the victim, soaking up attention while pretending to be scared. She just can’t stand me winning.”
Ethan opened his mouth, probably to defend her, but just then, the doorbell rang.
He rolled his eyes. “That’s probably him. Happy?”
My heart gave a small, fluttering leap as I spun around and moved quickly down the hall. I slipped beneath the blanket on the couch. I turned to face the backrest, eyes fluttering shut, body curled perfectly still.
I could hear Ethan opening the door, low voices murmuring. The soft pad of footsteps approached, heavier now.
Kieran.
I let myself breathe slower, shallow, like I was still asleep.
The blanket shifted slightly, and a hand rested on my shoulder. I stirred, slowly, deliberately, and blinked like I’d just woken.
“Kieran?” My voice cracked softly. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry, Celeste,” he said, kneeling beside the couch. “I should never have let you leave like that.”
I blinked back tears that weren’t hard to summon. “I thought… maybe I’d lost you. Maybe you didn’t want me.”
His brows furrowed with guilt. “No. I just-I wasn’t thinking. I messed up.”
I sat up slowly, rubbing at my eyes. “I get it. I know you’ve been under a lot of pressure with everything going on.”
He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”
I nodded slowly, then gave him a fragile smile. “At least you’re here.”
Kieran leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me. I melted into his embrace, laying my head against his chest, listening to the quiet, steady beat of his heart.
I didn’t say anything more. I didn’t need to.
He was here. That was what mattered.
And as I lay there, tangled up in him, I made a silent vow:
I wouldn’t let Sera come between us again. Not with her dramatics. Not with her schemes.
Not with their stupid fucking history.
I had to remind him of ours. Of what we could have built. Of what we could still build.
And if Daniel was the strongest thread still tying Kieran to Sera…
I’d find a way to unravel it.
Because I am Celeste Lockwood, and I was born to win.
SERAPHINA’S POV
I lost focus. Again.
I knew it the second my foot slipped on a basic pivot, and the training stick flew out of my hands, landing uselessly on the other side of the room.
In the training rooms around me, I could hear the others moving, grunting, and groaning, probably doing a whole lot better than I was.
Lucian had left me to train on my own today, promising to check in on me periodically. I was grateful for that because it was one thing to mess up while on my own but a whole other thing to do it in front of an audience.
This time, I couldn’t even blame my distractedness on my injury. It was evident that my heart wasn’t in training.
My heart wasn’t in anything.
Not since…the kiss.
I could still feel it-sudden, heated, jarring.
That wild, chaotic moment played on a loop in my head. The look in Kieran’s eyes as he grabbed me, the strength of his grip, the heat of his lips.
I was still as stunned as I was that night. I should have pulled away-but I didn’t. I may not have kissed him back, but I didn’t stop him.
I didn’t know what that meant.
I tried my best to dissect it all. Why had he done it?
Yeah, I knew he’d fought with Celeste, but that shouldn’t have ended with him showing up on my front porch and turning my world over on its axis.
It all felt so…messy.
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