Chapter 7
Bang!
The front door flew open with a thunderous crash as Lucian stormed in, dragging a gust of cold air behind him.
His eyes immediately locked onto Vanessa‘s tear-streaked face. In three long strides, he closed the distance and shoved Celeste aside—hard.
“What the hell are you doing?!” he barked, fury laced in every word.
Celeste stumbled back, unprepared, and slammed the back of her head against the sharp corner of the table. A warm trickle of blood slid down her neck.
“Lucian…” she whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief.
But Lucian didn’t spare her a glance.
All his attention was on Vanessa cradled in his arms, her delicate face tear-streaked. His brows furrowed in worry.
“Mr. Sullivan…” Vanessa suddenly pushed him away and stepped backward, her body trembling. She crossed her arms like she was trying to protect herself. “We—we should keep our distance from now on. Please, stop chasing me…”
She turned to run, her shoulders shaking like a frightened doe.
“Don’t move!” Lucian grabbed her wrist. “You’re not going anywhere.”
He turned to Celeste, eyes dark as midnight. “Still bullying Vanessa? Looks like the last few punishments didn’t teach you a damn thing.”
“Take her to the confinement room.”
Celeste’s eyes widened in shock. “What did you say?”
“I said,” Lucian enunciated coldly, “lock her in the confinement room.”
A chill shot through Celeste’s body. Suddenly, a memory slammed into her—years ago, on a rainy night.
When jealous coworkers had locked her in a dark storage closet for being too good at her job.
She’d curled up in the corner, paralyzed by her claustrophobia, until Lucian had kicked open the door and carried her out.
“Don’t be scared,” he had whispered back then, voice impossibly gentle. “As long as I’m here, no one will ever hurt you again.”
But now, it was Lucian himself pushing her into another dark, windowless room.
As the bodyguards dragged her down the hall, Celeste clung to the doorframe. “Lucian! You know I’m afraid of the dark!”
He hesitated for a second—but his voice came back colder than ever.“This time, no one’s coming to save you.”
In the room, darkness rushed in like a tide, swallowing her whole.
Celeste curled up in the corner, pounding her fists against the iron door. “Let me out! Lucian! Let me out!”
No one answered.
Her breathing quickened. Vision blurred. She began to hallucinate, like that night in the supply closet.
Only this time, no one would come.
She didn’t know how long had passed when the door finally creaked open. Blinding light spilled in, burning her eyes.
“Do you know what you did wrong?” Lucian stood in the doorway, face obscured by the glare behind him.
Celeste stood, swaying, throat too raw to speak.
She walked past him in silence, eyes as hollow as a corpse’s.
….
In the days that followed, Celeste never left the house.
She packed her bags mechanically, deleting Vanessa’s mocking texts without reading them. Lucian’s missed calls piled up—dozens of them—but she never answered once.
Until the hospital called.
“Miss Adams, your grandmother has suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Her condition is critical. Please come to the hospital immediately.”
Her fingers went numb. The phone almost slipped from her hand.
At the hospital, the sterile scent of disinfectant clashed with the chaotic noises.
Celeste ran down the hallway, unsteady and frantic—only to freeze at the corner.
Lucian stood there, holding Vanessa in his arms, murmuring softly, “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”
Vanessa leaned into him, eyes red like she’d just been crying.
“You…” Celeste’s voice quivered. “What are you two doing here?”
Lucian looked up, frowning. “Vanessa twisted her ankle. I brought her in.”
He paused, “I didn’t expect to run into your grandma.”
“What did you do in front of her?” Celeste asked, her whole body cold.
“Nothing,” Lucian said calmly. “She saw me holding Vanessa. Maybe she misunderstood. Got upset…”
“Misunderstood?” Celeste let out a sharp, joyless laugh. “She saw you wrapped around Vanessa and now you’re calling it a misunderstanding?!”
“Celeste!” Lucian’s face darkened. “I’ve already called the best doctors. Your grandma will be fine.”
Just then, the operating room light went out.
A doctor emerged, pulling off his mask with a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry. We did everything we could… She passed peacefully. Her final words were: ‘I hope you live a happy life.’”
