Chapter 229
He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this woman truly loved him.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have stayed by his side all these years, not without a single complaint.
He could give her love–but if he agreed to that, he’d be giving up too much.
He was done with the promise to never see Joanna again.
Chester lifted his chin ever so slightly, signaling for Celestine to speak.
Celestine couldn’t stand that look on his face–the smug confidence, as if he controlled every variable.
“Except for those conditions you just listed,” she said coolly..
The ugly scowl on Chester’s face eased a little.
Celestine smiled, her lips painted scarlet as she spoke softly. “Everything else is off the table”
Chester froze where he stood, his gaze fixed on her, unyielding.
Those four words twisted inside him, making his insides ache with a pain he couldn’t ignore.
This woman!
Did she really think she could push her luck forever?
“Celestine, is that really you? And these two kids–are they yours? What kind of mother just stands there, watching her own children kneel like this?”
Suddenly, a woman’s voice rang out from the crowd, sharp and shrill.
Celestine lifted her eyes.
Carmen emerged from the onlookers, caked in heavy makeup, strutting straight toward the scene.
She brushed past Celestine and rushed over to the two children, shooting Chester a look of disbelief. “Mr. Fordham, they’re just kids! You can’t punish them like this just because you’re angry at their mom. Come on, let them up.”
Chester’s face remained icy; he turned away, refusing to acknowledge her.
The children, waiting for Chester’s word, didn’t dare move a muscle.
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Chapter 229
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Carmen’s face, but she quickly recovered, assuming the air of a righteous do–gooder.
She marched up to Celestine. “Miss Selwyn, at the end of the day, they’re still your children. What kind of mother is cruel enough to fight with their father in front of them, let alone make them kneel and apologize? Don’t you feel any pain at all? A mother’s love is supposed to be unconditional. Whatever the problem is, you should talk it out–don’t take it out on the kids.” She spoke with feigned concern, her tone dripping with judgment.
But every word twisted the situation, shifting the blame onto Celestine’s shoulders, winding a tight net of moral condemnation around her.
Some neighbors, passing by without knowing the full story, began to chime in.
An elderly woman, voice trembling with sympathy, said, “Those poor little ones, how could their mother be so cold?“.
“This kind of thing always comes back around. When she’s old, her children won’t care for her–what a tragedy for any family.”
“Oh, you don’t know half of it, you can’t imagine how bad it’s gotten-”
“No matter what happened, the adults should handle it. Kids don’t understand, it’s not their fault.”
A handful of people who knew the truth tried to intervene, but their voices were drowned out by the relentless gossip from the older women.
Celestine pressed her lips together and stared at Carmen’s smug, triumphant face. Step by step, she walked forward, stopping just inches from her, and challenged her directly. “Miss Carmen, have you forgotten? How you played the mistress–how you shoved me down those stairs with such malice?”
Celestine had recognized her the moment they’d crossed paths at the office.
The woman arguing with a man outside the apartment building.
The same woman who, when that man tried to hit Celestine with a brick, viciously pushed her toward him.
That time, too, Gideon had appeared just in time to save her.
Looking back, his timing had been almost uncanny–like fate itself was at work.
worth it.
She hadn’t gone after Carmen before because people like her were
Carmen was like a viper, always scheming, always finding new ways to strike.
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But Celestine had underestimated just how shameless people could be.
Carmen wavered, her face draining of color.
It had been so long since that night. How could Celestine have recognized her in the dark?
But even if she had–so what? She had no proof!
Clinging to that thought, Carmen scoffed, “Miss Selwyn, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
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