Chapter 3: A Lie Between Us

The bathroom door opened with a soft, clinical click.

Warm steam drifted into the bedroom as Adrian stepped out, casually drying his damp hair with a plush towel. He looked refreshed, completely unbothered, as though the previous night had never happened.

As if he hadn't shattered her world into a million jagged pieces.

His gaze immediately swept the room, searching for the diamond necklace. A slight frown crossed his handsome face when he noticed it resting quietly inside its black velvet box on the vanity.

"You took it off?"

"It was too heavy," Celeste replied, her voice smooth and devoid of emotion.

Adrian chuckled softly as he walked over to her. "It's worth millions, babe. Of course it's heavy." He picked up the necklace, letting the brilliant diamonds catch the light as he smiled. "I'll put it back on you tomorrow before Grandpa's birthday banquet."

Celeste simply nodded. "Whatever you want."

Her quiet indifference caught him off guard. Normally, she would have smiled, thanked him, and thrown her arms around his neck.

Tonight, she looked miles away.

"Are you still upset that I missed our anniversary?" Adrian asked softly, stepping closer. "I'm sorry, Celeste. Really. I already told you what happened—I fell asleep at the office."

The lie rolled off his tongue so naturally that, to anyone else, it would have sounded entirely believable.

Celeste lowered her eyes, hiding the sudden flash of coldness in them. "I heard you."

Taking her flat response as forgiveness, Adrian’s shoulders relaxed, and a relieved smile returned to his face. He gently reached out for her hand. "Come here."

Celeste instinctively took half a step back, slipping out of his reach. "I'm tired, Adrian."

"You've been upset all day," Adrian murmured, his voice laced with a hint of gentle frustration as he closed the distance between them again. "Let's not waste another night arguing."

He reached out to pull her into his arms.

She quietly, deliberately stepped aside. "Adrian..."

"What?"

"I'm exhausted."

He studied her pale face for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. "You've been acting strange ever since I walked through the door." He reached up, gently brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His smile softened, turning warm and affectionate. "Maybe... it's finally time we had a baby."

Celeste froze. Her breath caught in her throat. "A baby?"

"Yeah." His eyes filled with what looked like genuine excitement. "We've been married for three years now. Grandpa keeps asking when we're going to give him a great-grandchild. I've been thinking about it, and... I think we're ready."

For a split second, Celeste couldn't believe the sheer, sickening audacity of the man standing in front of her.

Last night, he was thrusting recklessly into another woman in a cheap condo. Today, he wanted to talk about starting a family.

A violent wave of nausea rose in her chest. She slowly but firmly pulled her hand out of his grasp. "I'm not feeling well."

Adrian’s brow furrowed. "You've said that twice now."

"I have a migraine," she lied, pressing two fingers against her temple to mimic the pain. "My head has been pounding since this afternoon. Maybe we can talk about this tomorrow."

Adrian looked visibly disappointed, but seeing how truly pale she was, he finally relented. "You should've told me earlier. I'll call Dr. Lewis."

"No!" Celeste's answer came a fraction of a second too quickly. "No, I just need to rest."

"Alright," Adrian said, stepping back. He leaned down and gently kissed the top of her head. "Get some sleep. I'll go finish up a few emails in the study."

Without another word, he turned and left the bedroom.

The absolute moment the door clicked shut, Celeste rushed into the bathroom. She gripped the edges of the sink, turned on the tap, and splashed freezing water onto her face again and again.

When she finally stopped and looked up, the woman staring back at her in the mirror looked entirely unfamiliar. Empty. Broken.

For three years, she had loved Adrian with every fiber of her being. She had given up her own dreams to support his. And tonight, she couldn't even bear the sensation of his touch on her skin.

The mansion fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. Outside, a low rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, and rain began to patter rhythmically against the glass windows.

Celeste lay awake in the dark bedroom, staring at the ceiling. Every time she closed her eyes, the vivid layout of that luxury condo flashed in her mind.

The discarded suit jacket.

The lipstick-stained wine glass.

The utter, humiliating betrayal.

Buzz...

The sudden vibration of her phone on the nightstand made her heart instantly hammer against her ribs.

With trembling fingers, she reached out and unlocked the screen.

It was another F******k message from the same anonymous account. A new photograph loaded.

The image showed the familiar black velvet jewelry box resting on a sleek marble countertop. The lid was wide open, revealing the dazzling "FOREVER CELESTE" necklace nestled inside.

A message appeared beneath it:

“Beautiful, isn't it?”

Before Celeste could even process the image, another notification popped up:

“He actually asked me to help him choose it. I told him this design would suit you.”

Celeste’s grip tightened around the edges of her phone until her knuckles turned white.

Buzz...

“Tomorrow night is Grandpa Blackwood’s birthday banquet. I’ll be there.”

A final, mocking message followed:

“I wonder how long you’ll be able to keep pretending to be the perfect Mrs. Blackwood.”

The sender's status instantly went offline.

Celeste stared at the dark screen as the soft glow faded. Slowly, the trembling in her hands stopped. The tears dried. The paralyzing pain that had consumed her for the last twelve hours began to morph into something else entirely.

She wasn't crying anymore. She wasn't angry anymore.

If the mistress wanted to use the Blackwood family banquet to reveal herself and stage a public humiliation... then Celeste would be waiting.