A scrap of white paper caught her eye on top of Celia’s head.
Instinctively, she reached out to brush it away, but her daughter dodged like a bristling hedgehog.
“Don’t you dare hit me!” Celia glared, frowning.
Miss Sinclair had once told a story about a wife–ignored for years by her husband–who started hurting their child in secret, making the child sick or injured, just to get her husband’s attention.
Now, looking at her mother’s erratic, half–crazed state, Celia could only think how. much she resembled that madwoman in Miss Sinclair’s tale.
Celestine wanted to say something, but the words froze on her lips. Meeting her children’s wary eyes, she could only let out a cold, bitter chuckle.
They were afraid of her.
To be a mother, and end up here–she really had failed.
Celia and Raymond seemed poised for a fight, braced for the moment Celestine might lash out. They were ready to scream at the slightest move.
But instead, they watched in confusion as Celestine turned and walked away
without a word.
The two children looked at each other in disbelief.
“She just left? That’s so weird,” Celia whispered.
Raymond’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Wait. Is she heading toward Miss Sinclair’s room?”
Joanna had just been discharged from the hospital and had accepted a new photoshoot job, so she wasn’t home at the moment.
She was still occupying Celestine’s old bedroom, making herself right at home.
Celestine pushed open the door, and a cloud of heavy perfume made her wince. The cozy bedroom she remembered had been transformed–expensive new furniture everywhere, even the walls had been painted a glaring, glossy white.
The only familiar thing left was the family photo on the desk: all four of them together. But now, the woman’s face in the frame was Joanna’s.
21:1
Celestine reached for the photo album, when suddenly a small figure barreled in her, nearly knocking her over.
“Mom, how could you just barge into Miss Sinclair’s room when she’s not here and touch her things? That’s so rude!” Raymond’s voice rang out, righteous and
accusing.
Celestine pressed a hand to her aching stomach, a chill spreading through her
chest.
“Ray, this is my room,” she said quietly.
Celia stormed in after her. “But you’re getting divorced from Dad, aren’t you? You don’t want us anymore! That means you’re not part of the Fordham family, and this room isn’t yours anymore!”
A sharp pain seized Celestine’s chest.
Look at them–after five years of pouring her heart and soul into raising these kids, this was what she got: a pair of thankless little wolves.
She steadied herself against the dresser, her gaze drifting to the painting on the wall.
At least Chester hadn’t lost all decency yet; he hadn’t let Joanna take the painting to her set. If he had, she really might have lost her mind.
Celestine hobbled to the painting, gritted her teeth, and climbed onto a footstool, determined to take it down.
“Mom, stop!” Raymond shouted, shaking the stool with all his might. “That belongs to Miss Sinclair! You can’t touch it!”
Celia shrieked, running over to grab Celestine’s waist and pull her back. ng over to grab Celestine’s w
In the chaos–pushing and pulling–Celestine’s already sore back gave out, and pain shot through her.
She fell hard from the stool, landing with a crash. The painting’s glass shattered, sending shards flying everywhere.
The moment disaster struck, Raymond and Celia scrambled away,
terrified.
When they saw Celestine lying there among the broken glass, blood pooling beneath her, they froze in shock.
It wasn’t long before Chester came running, drawn by the commotion.
21:13
He stopped dead at the sight of Celestine sprawled in a pool of blood. His heart skipped a beat. “What happened?!”
Celia, trembling, nudged her brother.
Raymond didn’t dare tell the truth; he lied, voice shaking. “Mom tried to take down. the painting and fell off the stool.”
Chester scooped Celestine into his arms, furious, and flung the painting across the room. “Was it worth it–for a painting?!”
But the only answer was the still, pale face of the woman in his arms, her eyes closed in silence.
A wave of panic crashed over him.
“Celestine, don’t you dare die. If you do, I swear–I’ll make sure you never see your parents again, not even in the afterlife!”
Cha
