Chapter 6
The sharp sting of antiseptic filled her nostrils as Celeste slowly opened her eyes to a ceiling washed in sterile white.
“You’re awake?” A nurse adjusted the IV bag above her. “How are you feeling?”
Celeste’s throat burned. “Who… brought me here?”
“Crew from the cruise ship,” the nurse handed her a cup of warm water. “You’ve been unconscious for two days. Should we contact any family?”
From outside the door came the chatter of other nurses—
“Mr. Sullivan sure dotes on Miss Clarke. Just a minor allergy, and he went all out—booked the whole floor and called in a team of specialists.”
“I heard he hasn’t left her side once. Even canceled company meetings just to be with her.”
Celeste tugged at the corner of her mouth. “No need. I don’t have any family.”
…
After being discharged, Celeste returned to an empty, silent house.
She began packing her things, tossing every trace of Lucian into the trash.
The first necklace he ever gave her, a framed wedding anniversary photo, little souvenirs from his business trips…
Lucian spent all his time at the hospital with Vanessa, barely home long enough to notice anything was gone. Until one night, he came home early for once and found Celeste sitting dazed on the couch.
“Why haven’t you been going to school lately?” He said offhandedly, hanging up his suit jacket.
Celeste didn’t even lift her head. “I quit.”
Lucian frowned. “Why? You were doing great.”
“I’m tired,” she said flatly. “I’m done.”
He nodded without pressing further, poured himself a glass of water, then seemed to remember something. “Oh right—your research project wrapped up, didn’t it?”
Celeste froze. “Why?”
“Vanessa needed published work for her grad school application,” he said casually. “Yours looked solid, so I submitted it under her name.”
“What?!” Celeste shot to her feet, voice shaking. “That was three years of my work!”
“It’s just a project,” Lucian replied, unmoved. “It’s not like you were going to do anything with it.”
Celeste’s entire body trembled with rage. “I’ll tell the school the truth!”
She snatched her coat and ran out the door.
At the university president’s office, the elderly dean sighed after hearing her out. “Celeste… I know this is hard. But Mr. Sullivan already spoke with us.”
“You know he donated several buildings to the school… there’s really nothing we can do.”
It felt like someone dropped her into an ice bath.
Now she understood why Lucian had been so calm.
He’d already calculated everything. No matter what she did, it wouldn’t matter.
Her marriage, her career, her dignity—all crushed under Lucian and Vanessa’s heels.
Rain began to fall as Celeste left the campus gates.
She stood there in the downpour, letting it soak her to the bone.
And then, the memory returned—That night, years ago, when Lucian had stood outside her dorm in the pouring rain, drenched from head to toe, a bouquet of roses limp and soggy in his arms.
He hadn’t left until she softened and came down to meet him.
“Celeste, be with me. I’ll love you forever. I’ll never look at anyone else.”
But now… those words felt no different from the rain. Seemed overwhelming at first, but they always stopped in the end.
Forever, it turned out, was just sweet talk he’d said casually.
She sank to the ground and hugged herself, finally letting the tears fall.
…
The next day, Celeste was still packing when the doorbell rang.
She opened it to find Vanessa standing there, holding a beautifully wrapped gift box.
“Lucian’s not home,” Celeste said calmly. “He’s at the office. You shouldn’t be here.”
“I know, Professor,” Vanessa tilted her head, smiling innocently. “I came to see you.”
She waltzed right in and placed the box on the table. “I wanted to thank you. Without your research, I wouldn’t have won that award, and there’s no way I’d have gotten accepted into grad school.”
She paused, then smirked. “And it’s not just that one. Your other big projects? They’ve got my name on them now too.”
“Honestly, you’re so talented. Quitting was probably a good thing.” She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Now you can focus on helping me full-time. I’m counting on you for all my future papers.”
Celeste stared at her in silence, eyes dead calm. “Are you done? You can leave now.”
Vanessa blinked, caught off guard by her reaction.
“What’s wrong, Professor?” Her tone sharpened. “Are you so miserable you can’t even get angry anymore?”
Just then, a car engine revved outside. Lucian had returned.
Vanessa’s eyes gleamed. In a heartbeat, she took a step back and began to cry. “Please, Professor… let me go! I promise I’ll go abroad! I’ll stay away from Lucian! I don’t want to die—”
