“No matter what, thank you for helping me again.” Celestine looked straight into his amber eyes, for once not shying away from his gaze.
It wasn’t just this time. It wasn’t just the last time, either.
Gideon brushed his thumb gently across her cheek, then tapped the tip of her nose. “That’s it?”
Not even a single word he wanted to hear.
Celestine hesitated, caught off guard.
Was there something more she should say?
The thought made her suddenly uneasy.
“I’ll come by and thank you in person another day.”
Gideon couldn’t help but laugh at the way her mind worked.
Is that really what I’m after?
Did she truly forget who, all those years ago in that mountain cave, promised to marry him if they both made it out alive and grew up?
Who was that, again?
She seemed to be doing just fine now. Definitely grown up.
Gideon’s gaze drifted away from Celestine’s confused face.
“Forget it,” he said quietly, his tone almost playful. “Congratulations on your divorce tomorrow. Hope it’s everything you wished for.”
Celestine grinned, bright and carefree. “Thanks.”
Mr. Ivan Brady had already sent her the latest version of the divorce papers.
Tomorrow, all she had to do was meet Chester at the courthouse. In a month, she’d be free to marry again if she wanted.
That night, after the gala/ended, Celestine got a call from Lance.
She let it ring until it went to voicemail.
That man and Joanna–two peas in a pod.
A call that short, barely ten seconds? He was just trying to check her whereabouts.
19:46
Chapter 285
Celestine slipped away from the crowd and headed straight home.
But that night, something else was blowing up online.
Real estate tycoon Sawyer’s cheating scandal was everywhere. The footage of him curled up in bed, hands over his head, yelling, “Honey, please stop!” had already become a viral meme.
For a while, public frenzy and internet trolls ran wild together.
The social media platforms tried to suppress the trending topic, but the video and memes kept spreading like wildfire.
The perfect “devoted husband” image Sawyer had cultivated was in shambles.
His wife had flown back from overseas just to beat him up in public.
It wasn’t until the beatdown went live that Sawyer realized he’d been caught cheating on camera.
He was furious.
No way was he going to take this humiliation lying down.
On the spot, he halted all ongoing projects with the Fordham Group–even if it meant breaking contracts and burning bridges.
Sawyer was on a warpath.
Joanna, who’d been trending for days for her latest round of cosmetic surgery, suddenly slipped off the charts.
But she couldn’t feel happy about it.
Sawyer was like a ticking time bomb.
There was no telling when he might blow up her entire life.
Joanna took a deep breath.
Tomorrow was Celestine and Chester’s final deadline for the divorce.
Chester would definitely make sure Celestine deleted that video before then.
That could not happen.
If the divorce didn’t go through, Joanna was determined to ruin Celestine’s life for good.
She set her jaw, her eyes growing colder with resolve.
19:46
The next morning, Celestine got up early to prepare for her appointment at the courthouse.
She felt lighter than she had in years, as if a heavy weight had finally been lifted. from her chest.
At last, she could end this toxic relationship.
From now on, she would simply be Celestine.
No longer Mrs. Fordham.
The sky was overcast when she left, and for once, she drove herself.
When she arrived at the courthouse, Chester was nowhere to be seen.
Expressionless, Celestine called him, her voice cold and final. “Chester, don’t give me another reason to lose all respect for you.”—
Chester rushed in at ten o’clock–disheveled, unshaven, looking utterly worn out.
“Celly, you went home alone last night?”
“I did.”
“Celly, do we really have to go through with this? Are you sure this is what you want?”
Celestine’s patience was thin. “Chester, I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”
Bitterness flickered in Chester’s eyes. “Celly, if I’m willing to change, do we still have a chance?”
19:46
