All I Ask Is a Quiet Life

Hayden had been nursing a drink at a bar to rid himself of his frustration when he received Celeste's call. He immediately straightened up in delight at her words.He exclaimed, "Really? Have you finally seen sense, Celeste? I told you Terence Ford was no good! His fists are hard, but his heart is harder! You were bound to suffer by his side! Thankfully, you've come to your senses now. Have you packed your things yet? I'll head back to pick you up now!"Celeste's heart twisted painfully when she heard the tremor in his voice because of how agitated he was. She endured her discomfort as she said, "You need to get the immigration papers started first, Hayden. I'll head over in a month after wrapping up everything here. I'm not coming back anymore."Only then did Hayden remember that certain procedures needed to be completed before one could immigrate. He hastily agreed and hung up to get started on them.Celeste's gaze darkened after ending the call. She had a month to sever the ties

Timothy's voice was hard.Celeste's smile disappeared when she saw him. She didn't want Hayden to hear about this and worry about her, so she quickly made an excuse to hang up.As soon as she did that, Terence snarled, "Why did you call the cops, Celeste? Winona just switched out the medication in the heat of the moment. Did you have to go after her for that? Do you know how badly you scared her by calling the cops on her like that? You made her cry!"His expression was frosty, but his eyes blazed with flames of rage. It was as if she'd committed a heinous crime.Celeste lowered her gaze and curled her lip mockingly. "You think I should've let her off for what she did? I ended up in the ER last night, you know. Or do you think I should've waited until after I died to call the police?"She'd gone into shock and had almost died. She'd spent the night in the hospital, yet he hadn't even asked how she was. His first thought upon learning that she'd called the police was to interrogate

Terence's sentence was short and sweet, but his words made Celeste's blood run cold. The boxing match they were watching that day was a professional one, and the boxers would fight to the death to please the audience.The more blood there was, the more excitement it would bring about. She wouldn't just end up becoming a joke if she were sent up there—she probably wouldn't even make it out alive!She couldn't believe Terence could be this cruel just to get back at her on Winona's behalf!Celeste started laughing. She laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face."Don't you think an apology is the least you can do, Celeste? You stole from Winona and even hurt her! What right do you have to cry?" A trace of impatience flashed in Terence's eyes.The bodyguards closed in on Celeste, and despair washed over her. She bit the inside of her cheek so hard that it drew blood, then mustered all her strength to shove the bodyguards away.After that, she lunged forward and slapped Terence

Celeste's hand loosened, and her phone clattered to the floor. Blood rushed to her head, sending pain shooting through her. She felt like she was going through the ordeal of being slashed again.So, Terence was the one who'd hired that man to do that to her so that he could get even on Winona's behalf.Celeste's lashes trembled, and her heart twisted painfully. She could barely breathe through the agony. She sobbed in earnest before drifting off into a restless sleep.She didn't know how much time had passed before Winona's voice awakened her. The latter cried, "Didn't you say you would get back at her for me, Terence? Why are you mad now? You left me at the banquet hall last night because of her, and you're being so fierce to me now! Do you not love me anymore?"This time, Terence didn't coax her tenderly. He said, "I promised to get even for you, but I didn't say anything about killing her! Don't you know why I'm mad? It's because you told the driver to run Celeste over!"He sti

Divorced? When had that happened? Why was Terence completely unaware?For some reason, he was upset. Celeste was the one who'd forced the marriage on him, and now, she'd gone through the divorce without informing him. What did she take him for?He clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles cracked.As Winona watched him, her excitement gave way to grievance. "Aren't you happy, Terence? We won't have to fake our deaths and run away now that you and Celeste are divorced. Or has marrying me never occurred to you?"Her words made him snap to his senses. He suppressed the surge of emotion in him and said, "Of course it has! Even in my dreams, I think of us being together."He'd said similar things to her at least a hundred times in the past, but none of them sounded as stiff and awkward as they did now.Terence's mind was filled with thoughts of Celeste. Five days ago, before he'd left for Astora, she'd coldly wished him well. Had she already known about his plan then? That he wante