CHAPTER 4

Celeste’s POV

I pounded on the door, my fists aching from the force. But I couldn’t stop it.

"Help! Someone, please!"

I slammed my hands against the door again, even louder and harder this time. “Please! Help!”

The nurses barged in, their expressions twisted with irritation.

"Shut up!" one of them snapped.

"You want us to sedate you?" another hissed.

I dropped to my knees, clutching at their uniforms. "Please, let me out," I begged, my voice cracking. "My Auntie—she's in the hospital. The children—"

"You can't leave without your family's consent."

“But please, I need to —” I began to say, but they stepped back and pushed me to the floor. 

Desperation twisted inside me like a wild animal. My eyes flicked to the nurse’s pocket. Something was flashing inside. I could make out the shape of her cellphone. 

I forced myself to nod, lowering my head in feigned submission. "I’m sorry," I murmured. "I won’t cause trouble anymore."

The nurses exchanged a look, then scoffed. "Hmph. There you go. Learn to behave."

The moment they turned their backs and began to walk out of the room, I struck at once, targeting the nearest nurse. My fingers snatched the phone from her pocket before they could react. 

Then, I shut the door immediately to lock them out and quickly dialed Damien’s number with shaking hands, ignoring the nurses’ roaring outside.

One ring. Two. The nurses were trying to get in. I stared at Damien’s number with my pounding heart.

On the third ring, the call connected—just as the nurses stormed back in. I stumbled backward, grabbing the small table and shoving it between us like a shield.

“Hello, Damien?” I gasped loudly.

It halted the nurses in their tracks, their hands mid-reach for the phone. They froze, clearly not expecting Damien to answer.

“It’s me! I need to get out now. I have to —”

“Hello?” The voice on the other end wasn’t Damien’s. But I knew it all too well. 

Shit. Genevieve. 

“Oh, Celeste?” she said in a smooth, sugary voice. “Damien’s asleep beside me. He was so tired. Just leave a message if you need something.”

Something inside me instantly broke. What were they doing together—in bed?!  Why was he tired? No, no, no… Is this why they’d trapped me in here?! But I had no time to dwell on this now. 

"Genevieve," I forced out, trying to steady my hand as I gripped the phone harder. "I need to speak to Damien. It's urgent."

"Are you still hoping Damien will save you?" Genevieve’s tone dripped with annoyance. 

What the hell? Did she not know the breaking news, or did she just not care about the orphanage at all?

Either way, I had no patience left.

"Put him on the phone!" I screamed, rage exploding in my chest.  My only instinct is to cling to the phone like a lifeline.

Then I heard Genevieve scoff through the line. "He doesn't care about you, Celeste. Just accept the truth."

Her words crushed me heavily. Tears blurred my vision, a mix of anger and desperation swelling inside me.

Genevieve was preventing me from talking to Damien. What could I do?

But just as I was about to lose hope, I heard someone else on the phone. A deep, groggy voice.

“Who’s this?” It’s Damien! He must have grabbed the phone from her, but his tone seemed annoyed.

“Damien!” I said in desperation. “It’s me, Celeste. Please, I have to go! The orphanage is on fire and Auntie is…”

“Celeste, this strategy won’t work on me,” he interrupted. Then, he gave out a long and disappointed sigh. “Don’t you have any other tricks?”

I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the hurtful words. “Damien, please, I’m telling the truth! Just turn on the news now and you’ll see!”

"Genevieve said you might resort to something like this." His tone was laced with irritation, like I was nothing more than a persistent nuisance. "Seems like she was right."

My heart was torn apart. But I didn’t have time to focus on my wounds.

"No—Damien, listen to me! I swear, everything I said is true. Let me go see Auntie. Let me at least find out if she’s—"

"Enough."

His voice was sharp and final.

“Why do you always trust everyone except your own wife?!” I yelled. Anger and disappointment surged through me, building until I erupted like a volcano. 

Silence stretched between us as I tried to calm myself. I held my breath, clinging to the fragile hope that I’d finally reached him. But then—his next words ripped through me like a dagger. 

"Because you’re not worth it."

The air left my lungs.

"You won’t leave that place until you atone for your sins."

Then the line went dead. The dial tone rang loud in my ears as tears ran down my cheeks. Damien had just severed the last thread holding me together.

A harsh laugh sounded from above me. The nurses stood there, smirking. This was a complete turnaround from how nervous they had been just now.

"Did you really think he’d save you?" One of them walked toward me. “When he brought you here, it was clear he didn't care about you. Otherwise, where do you think all this torment has been coming from?”

"Talk about overestimating yourself," another sneered. 

Their words were undoubtedly a heavy blow to me. Sure enough, without Damien's consent, how could they dare to treat me like this?

I clenched my fists, my entire body trembling with humiliation and frustration. A fierce urge flashed through me—to hurl the phone straight at their smug faces.

But I couldn’t. I needed help.

And this phone—it was my only chance to get it.

One of the nurses snorted loudly and reached for the phone. To her bewilderment, I refused to hand it over, pressing it against my stomach.

"Give it to me," she snapped. Her patience was clearly thinning. 

I shook my head, refusing to move.

The nurse was greatly annoyed now by my futile movements. She pulled out her electric baton and tapped it against her palm, "You’re really making this difficult, aren’t you?"

The sound of tapping was frightening. My body trembled, but I still refused.

Because my fingers were already moving. Dialing a number I hadn’t called in years.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the baton being directed toward me. But I couldn’t dodge it.

POW! 

I gasped in pain, feeling warmth spread down my mouth.

I spit out BLOOD! 

But I didn’t let the phone go. Please answer, I silently pleaded as the ringing echoed in my ear. You’re my only hope now.

If there was anyone capable of going against Damien, it was him. Only him. 

But the nurse growled, pulling me harder. 

Come on, answer! I commanded in my head. You’re the only one who can save me, just like you’d promised in the past. 

And in that instance, the ringing stopped. A deep, familiar voice came through. 

“Who’s this?” he asked, his comforting voice filling me with relief. 

Theo. Thank God.