I've been in the hospital for four days now. Esther and my mother keep coming and going, making sure I'm comfortable. They take good care of me. My father came with Ray to see me. He looked concerned about the accident but didn't bring it up. Nobody did. The doctor told them I didn't need stress.
Cassian, on the other hand, has done everything he can to get my attention. Talking to me, bringing me things, hovering. I still haven't spoken to him.
Today, I'm finally being discharged. I'm going back to the palace.
"Esther," I say as she helps pack my things. "See that I have a chamber to myself. I need my privacy. And my mother stays with me for a while."
She nods immediately. "I'll make sure of it."
Cassian, who has been standing by the door, straightens. "I'll help arrange it."
I don't acknowledge him.
He and Esther step out, and I turn to find my mother folding my clothes. She's quiet, but there's something on her face. Like she wants to say something but is holding back.
I watch her for a moment before breaking the silence. "What is it?"
She hesitates, then sighs, setting down the neatly folded dress in her hands. "You can't continue to ignore your husband, Celeste. When you get home… hear him out."
I press my lips together, thinking about her words.
Then, finally, I nod.
A few hours later, we are back at the palace.
Cassian pushes my wheelchair into a beautiful, spacious chamber. It's better than the one I had during my first marriage. Warmer. More inviting.
I like it here.
The doctor had been firm; I shouldn't walk too much yet. My ribs need time to heal. So, for now, I have to move around in this chair.
The palace staff are all sad to see me like this. They bow as I pass, their faces full of sympathy. Some even whisper among themselves.
Lord Edric and the other council members come to greet me. They offer well wishes, express their relief that I survived. I thank them politely.
The Queen doesn't come.
Shea doesn't come.
I'm not surprised.
But I do wonder; why does she hate me so much?
Then again… I don't care.
***
The room is dimly lit, the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting long, stretching shadows across the walls. I lie on my back, staring at the ceiling, but I'm not asleep. I can't sleep. The weight in my chest is unbearable, pressing down with a force I can't ignore.
My mother refused to stay. She said I need my husband more than her so she went home.
Tonight, I don't bother hiding it.
Warm tears slip silently down my face, hot against my cool skin. I don't wipe them away. What's the point?
Cassian sits at the edge of the bed. He's been doing this a lot lately; just watching me. As if his presence alone will fix everything. As if feeding me, replacing my car with something extravagant, and constantly lingering in my space will erase the damage.
I haven't acknowledged his efforts. But I see them. I see everything.
But tonight, he won't just sit there.
Tonight, he will answer.
My voice is barely above a whisper, but it slices through the quiet like a blade.
"Did you have to lie to me?"
Cassian stiffens.
I don't turn to look at him. I can't. If I do, I might break, and I refuse to give him that satisfaction.
"You told me you had a business deal. That you were out of town. But you weren't."
He inhales sharply, but he says nothing.
I finally turn my head. My damp lashes glisten in the dim light, but my voice remains steady.
"Do you know how I found out you lied?"
Cassian opens his mouth, but I lift a hand. A silent command. Don't speak.
I watch him. Waiting. And when I finally speak, my voice is quiet but the weight behind it is deafening.
"I had an unknown text traced back to Wild Villa." A pause. "Someone from there threatened my life. Then I called you and your location was exactly the same spot."
His jaw tightens. His entire body goes rigid.
"My life was in danger, and you were busy frolicking with her."
The last word is laced with so much disdain that it hangs in the air like poison.
"Do you know how that makes me feel?"
Cassian leans forward, his fingers curling into his palms. "Celeste…"
"Three months."
The words drop like a hammer, stopping him cold.
I hold his gaze, sharp and piercing, peeling away every layer of his soul with just a look.
"She's three months pregnant."
Cassian swallows hard.
"So all the while we were on our honeymoon, you were seeing her?"
My voice isn't raised. It doesn't have to be.
Because this isn't anger, it's devastation.
Cassian grips the edge of the bed, leaning forward, his voice raw, desperate. "That's not true."
I let out a breathless laugh. Humourless. Bitter.
"It's not true?"
"I didn't touch her," he says, urgency bleeding into every word. "She's lying. It's been months. Long before I reconciled with you. I swear it."
I stare at him. Unblinking.
He's pleading with me, not just with his words, but with his entire being.
I want to believe him.
God, I want to believe him.
But he lied to me once.
And if he could lie then, what's stopping him now?
The weight of my anger presses against my chest, hot and suffocating. My fingers dig into the sheets, my voice trembling as I glare at him.
"Why the lies, Cassian?" My voice sharpens, my control slipping. "Why hide that you went to see her? Why entertain her? And don't you dare say you didn't because I saw the glasses! I saw her sitting on your lap! Why all the lies?"
I'm on the verge of exploding, but then - the,Judge king's words echo in my mind.
"It's not about what you feel, Celeste, but what is proven beyond reasonable doubt."