章節 7: One Last Time

When Celeste opened the door to the library, she found Jordan Everhart seated behind a large wooden desk. A computer screen bathed his face in a cold, pale light, highlighting the deep lines carved by age and worry. Behind him, the full moon shone brightly in the night sky, surrounded by clusters of distant stars that felt so far away—just like the man sitting before her.

Celeste entered, fighting the urge to run and give him a big hug. This was her father. The only one who had ever cared enough to learn sign language for her. And just like now, the only one who ever smiled brightly upon seeing her.

"My daughter, you come at the right time. I am alone," he said.

"Orion told me you were here," Celeste said, her hands trembled slightly. "Father, I missed you. It's like I don't exist sometimes, and I don't know why," Celeste said, feeling the tension in her muscles from the lie she had told. She knew well why her father was cold and indifferent.

For a moment, Jordan's smile faltered, his eyes clouding with something unreadable. "It is all my fault. I know. Please, tell me what you want to say, Celeste. Before your stepmother comes looking for me," he said. His words brought a familiar ache to her chest—a dark, smoldering feeling she couldn't shake. But she couldn't dwell on it. Not now.

"This is about Tiel." Celeste started, her hands shaking even more. "You know I have agreed to marry him for the sake of this family. I cannot bear the thought of seeing everything you've ever worked for taken away because of something someone else did. It's not fair. So I agreed. But when I met Tiel, I realized I could not continue with this marriage because he had hurt my wrist and my arm!" Celeste exclaimed. By the time she finished, a tear fell from her cheek. It was as if a floodgate had opened in her chest, releasing all her worries at once.

Her father looked deeply concerned, his eyes lowered as he leaned back, deep in thought. Celeste waited, wondering what solution her father would come up with. But after a few minutes of silence, she felt her heart swell with desperation that quickly turned into pain. She wanted to explode at him, and scream her lungs out, but instead, she sat down in one of the chairs set in front of his desk.

"Your stepmother, she told me already about all of this," he said. Celeste's heart sank.

"She did? Please tell me you are going to do something about it. Maybe speak to Erickson?"

"I understand your concerns, but Tiel isn't going to go beyond what he has done. You will be the lady of the Brightwell residence. Tiel will have to treat you well. That much I know Erickson will expect of his son," Jordan explained, suddenly looking ten years older.

Celeste's lips tightened into a straight line as she stared at her father intently. *How can he be so sure? How can he not think it's something worth concern?* Celeste shook her head, her breath caught. "No! I did my research. Someone like him has the potential to escalate as time passes. He is easily angered. Just one wrong step, the wrong face—he hurts me, in daylight, in front of people. Even Stepmother noticed it. How can you say he won't escalate?" she said, her eyes wide, swelling with tears.

Jordan nodded. "I understand your concerns, and you're right, I can't say that because I don't know. But if you say something to Erickson now, I have a feeling it would make Tiel angry. It won't be good for you."

"So, what do I do? He's going to hurt me. I don't want to get hurt."

"I understand, Celeste. Just give me some time! I will save you, but I need time to pay Erickson back. Then I can ask him to just divorce you," Jordan said, sitting at the edge of his chair. His face was written with regret and pity.

"By then it might be too late! How long is that going to take? I might get pregnant by then. I heard it's going to get worse when someone gets pregnant!" Celeste exclaimed. She jolted from her seat when her father slammed both hands on the table.

"What exactly do you want me to do, Celeste!? Cancel the wedding? Tell Erickson he needs to tell off his son? There is nothing I can do. Just be good and don't make him angry. He's a workaholic. He won't even be home most of the time anyway!" Jordan yelled, his hands slicing through the air, as if he could dismiss her with one wave.

Celeste leaned back against the chair as if her father's sudden outburst had pushed her back. She looked at him in disbelief, her mouth open in surprise. She had expected many things, but not this.

"I'm scared!" Celeste wanted to scream, but nothing came out. Only the movement of her hands spoke, her lips mouthing the words. Tears streamed down her face. But Jordan didn't look at her; his eyes were glued to the screen of his computer as if she wasn't there.

Suddenly, Mina's voice pierced the silence. "What's this? Ah, ah, ah, what do we have here?" The older woman had slipped into the room without a sound. She placed one hand on the back of a chair and leaned forward, her eyes gleaming as she bowed to get a better look at Celeste's face.

Celeste turned away, the cold rush of rage swirling inside her. For the few minutes that Orion had led her to believe her father didn't know anything, Celeste had dared to hope. She had allowed herself to believe in the impossible. But now she realized how foolish she had been. Deep down, she knew her father was right. Everything he said—everything—was right

Celeste ignored Mina and left the library. Her face was stained with tears as she turned toward the dimly lit corridor where her room was. As she walked, a figure hidden by the pilaster stepped into her line of sight. Orion.

"So? What did he say?" she asked, a lingering smile on her face. Celeste looked at her, her hands moving in signs. "Do you think this is funny?" she asked. Celeste stepped back as if pushed when Orion's smile widened.

At that moment, time seemed to freeze. Her heart raced. Her fear, frustration, and hurt bubbled over the edges of her control. Her mind turned empty, taken over by an overwhelming amount of rage. Without thinking, Celeste took a step forward, and in an instant, the silence of the corridor was shattered by the sound of a thunderclap.

The impact shocked Orion as she straightened her neck. Her face was a mask of disbelief and fear as an angry red mark started to appear on her cheek. The weight of her body weighed down on her, one knee bending as she leaned against the wall, still in disbelief.

Celeste signed, "Go. Go tell your mother what I did to you," then walked past her, bumping her shoulder as she went. In her room, Celeste slammed the door behind her. She was angry—with herself, with her father, with Mina, and Orion. All the memories of her past reminded her how she was worth nothing. Just a reminder of Jordan's drunken mistake with some evil secretary.

And yet, to this very moment, she wished—hoped—for an expression of their love for her. Something that confirmed, beyond their tolerance of her existence, that they cared what happened to her.

In her breakdown, Celeste expected Mina to barge into her bedroom at any moment, considering she had slapped Orion. But as minutes turned to hours, and the night grew old, she did not come. Perhaps Orion had kept it to herself, knowing well that Celeste had done something horrible.

Brokenhearted, Celeste gathered the few clothes she had and shoved them into her backpack, along with her speech card, notebook, and pens. She took whatever cash she had hidden away in her mattress, then opened the window to her bedroom. She knew the security guard would be asleep at this hour—everyone was asleep. By the time they noticed she was gone, Celeste would be long gone.

She cast one last, lingering look at her bedroom, then stepped out into the night, disappearing into the darkness.