CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN: The Day Grief Turned to War

Grief didn’t come in waves for Adele Hawthorne.

It came like a flood. Drowning. Merciless. Final.

She stood motionless in the hospital parking lot, the world spinning too fast and yet not moving at all. Her hands trembled at her sides, clenched into useless fists.

Julian reached for her, but she recoiled.

“Don’t” she whispered. The word was barely audible. But it stopped him cold.

Inside her, something had shattered. And something else had taken its place. Something sharp.

Her mother was gone. Not by illness. Not by accident.

By murder.

And the woman who did it–Shirley had vanished like smoke. No records. No full name. No trace.

Just antiseptic and citrus lingering in the air like a haunting.

Julian tried again, stepping closer. “We’ll find her, Adele. I swear on everything”

But Adele wasn't listening.

She was staring at nothing and everything. Her mother’s laughter. Her warmth. Her braiding Adele’s hair just hours ago. It looped in her mind like a cruel film reel.

A tear slid down her cheek, but her voice came out clear.

“I’m going to bury her,” she said, voice almost too calm.

“Then I’m going to bury whoever did this.”

Julian flinched. It wasn’t a threat. It was a promise.

The fire in her eyes wasn’t grief. It was war.

******

CELESTE'S POV

I hovered by the door.

Rage surged through me in violent waves as I watched Julian rub Adele's back.

My Julian. How dare she waltz in here like she owns the place! She took my life, now she's taking my man?

I didn't want to leave him, but I had no choice. He wasn't going to forgive me anyway. I had to put me first.

And Leo…my baby. I have to secure his future. Julian must never know. But with Adele in the picture,it's only a matter of time before the truth unravels.

Alex was right. The more time Adele spends here, the farther Julian drifts from me.

I watched him kiss her forehead gently. He used to do that to me. That's my spot!

My mind is made up. If I have to kill a thousand people to get my man back and secure my son's future, so be it.

The paper pouch in my pocket crinkled as I drifted down the hallway and into my room.

I shut the door and sank to the ground.

This is all Adele's fault. If she wasn't in the picture, I'll have been free. Leo's future would have been secured.

She has to go. I'll do everything in my power to make sure of it.

I dug my fingers into my pocket and pulled out the pouch. I peeked at the contents.

Blue pill. Red pill.

Prepare to meet your fate, Adele Rivers.

*******

Tears blurred her vision as her mother coffin was lowered into the ground with a steady creak.

She bowed her head as the priest said the final prayers.

The sky rumbled with impending rain. The air smelled of metal and raw pain.

Adele's hair was matted. She didn't take out her mother's braids. That would mean erasing her permanently. Her hair clip held the braids in a loose ponytail.

The smell of her mother's perfume hung in the air.

She was really gone. Adele bit her lip and wiped a tear making its way down her cheek.

‘Just get through the day, Adele. Then you'll find who did this’

She steeled herself and maintained a poker face. Julian offered a handkerchief, but she shook her head vigorously.

It's no use. She had been laid bare already. Empty. A black hole.

The reception went by in a blur. Julian was solidly by her side, his hand placed firmly on her back.

Ronnie and Nathan breezed in like twin hurricanes, organising the caterers and greeting the guests.

Julian pressed a firm kiss against her forehead and excused himself as Ronnie hurried to her side. They didn't acknowledge each other. The dislike was mutual.

“You okay, babes? Sorry…stupid question” Ronnie's fingers intertwined with hers. Adele nodded slowly.

Ronnie held out a glass of whiskey. Adele clutched the glass with shaky fingers.

“Thank you for being here, Ron.”

“Are you kidding? I'll never leave your side. How have you been…with everything that's happened?”

Adele swallowed knots in her throat and brought the glass to her lips, letting the grim taste of the whiskey warm her throat.

Ronnie squeezed her arm gently. Tears surged to her eyes.

“It's just been so hard Ron… I miss her everyday.” her voice broke and her shoulders shuddered.

“I know, baby. I miss her too.” Ronnie rubbed her arms. “But you're not alone. You have me and Nathan and I hate to say this, but Julian too”

Adele nodded slowly. A figure caught her eye.

Celeste.

She weaved through the crowd, taking slow but deliberate steps towards her.

Ronnie narrowed her eyes and hissed through her teeth.

Celeste stopped a few feet from them. Ronnie stepped forward, bristling with rage.

“You have some nerve showing here, bitch”

Celeste raised an eyebrow.

“Ronnie please…not here” Adele protested weakly.

“You're right, Ads. She doesn't deserve an audience”

“I just need to talk to Adele for a bit. I'm not here to cause a scene” Celeste put up her hands in mock surrender.

“Take it up with her another day” Ronnie stood her ground.

Adele patted Ronnie's shoulder lightly.

“It's fine, Ron. Really”

Ronnie backed off, eyes still burning into Celeste.

“If anything happens, just call me”

She brushed past Celeste roughly, disappearing into the crowd.

Adele steeled herself for whatever Celeste was about to say.

Celeste stepped forward cautiously.

“I know we got off on the wrong foot, and I hurt you, but I'm not here to fight. You didn't deserve what happened to your mother. I'm really sorry.

I wasn't close to my mother, but I can see how much you loved yours”

Adele tried to mask her shock. Even Celeste feels sorry for her.

‘You’ve hit a new low, Adele. Good one’ the voice in her head taunted.

She turned around and placed her glass on the table behind her.

Celeste drifted closer.

“And we may not be the best of friends, but if you ever want to talk or anything, my door is always open”

Adele nodded, making a mental note to never open up to Celeste. She couldn't be trusted, regardless of her new found softness.

Before Adele could react, Celeste pulled her in for a hug, wrapping one hand around her back.

She froze. Her hands stayed clasped by her side. Celeste patted her back twice and pulled away.

Adele watched her walk away, her mind racing. Celeste’s palm against her back sent eerie waves up her spine.

She had felt those hands before. But when? Surely it's nothing to worry about.

Adele shook her head and picked up her glass, swirling the contents around and taking everything in one big gulp. It tasted acrid, just like her mother's pills.

Weird.

She refilled her glass.

Her stomach growled. Her vision began to blur. Pain shot at her chest in rapid waves.

Something was terribly wrong.

She swayed on her feet, struggling to maintain her balance.

A few eyes darted in her direction.

She wanted to move, but her legs felt heavy.

Just then, the smell of burning flesh filled her nostrils.

Adele's heart sank.

“No. Please God no.” Her voice was a hushed whisper. Then she saw them.

Liam. A few feet from her. His flesh was mangled and burnt to crisps on several parts of his face. One of his eye sockets was empty and a lone worm crawled out of it.

He was still clutching his teddy bear. The one he died holding.

Adele watched in mute horror as he stepped towards her. His feet squelched against the marble floor.

He's not real. He can't be.

He pointed a mangled finger at her.

“Why didn't you save me? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE ME?” Liam's apparition screamed, blood pouring from his mouth.

Adele stepped back. She stumbled against the table and struggled to steady herself.

Nausea built up inside her.

‘He's dead, Adele! He can't hurt you!’

She had to fight this.

“You're dead!” She muttered, putting out her hands to stop him.

“Yes. You killed me!” He lunged at her.

Adele let out a blood curdling scream and crashed to the ground, shielding her face. She skidded backwards.

Cameras flashed. Celeste's chuckle rang out.

Julian was saying something.

She scrambled to her feet…and saw him.

Her father. His pink flesh melting to the ground as he reached for her, calling out her name.

She let out a wail as his sticky fingers clutched her wrist.

“YOU'RE DEAD! I KILLED YOU! WHY WON'T YOU STAY DEAD?”

His grip on her wrist tightened and he leaned in closer. He cupped her face. She could smell his rotten breath. Suffocating her. Tormenting her.

“You'll never be free. Everyone knows what you did” his voice was low. Taunting.

Adele felt something snap inside her.

Her hands felt around behind her. She clutched something slim and metallic.

This ends today.

With all her might, she swung, burying the butter knife deep in his flesh.

Julian yelped and stepped back, blood spurting from his arm.

Someone screamed.

Adele fell to the ground. Someone was holding her down.

She screamed and scratched and struggled.

Ronnie screamed for her to stay calm.

Her vision blurred.

Celeste hovered over her, grinning.