Chapter Four: Noticeable

Celestine Sterling

Back then, the moment I learned that he was my mate, I had thrown myself straight into his arms and wrapped them tightly around him because the happiness I felt had been too overwhelming to contain.

If it turned out that he wasn’t, we had promised each other that we would reject our destined mates and choose one another no matter what.

That was how certain I had been of my feelings for Tyler, how deeply I believed in us.

Yet this time, after discovering that he was my mate once again, I didn't run into his arms. I simply stood there in silence, staring blankly into his warm amber eyes.

There wasn't even the faintest trace of happiness on his face after learning I was his mate.

How could I have missed something so obvious?

Then again, I had been too busy rushing into his embrace, too consumed by my own excitement to notice the emptiness in his expression back then.

“Wow,” Tyler said with a small chuckle, tilting his head as he caught me staring. “You weren't even surprised...or happy that I was your mate?”

The words almost stung.

Because I wanted to ask him the exact same question.

“Celestine.”

He took a slow step toward me, concern flickering across his features. Before I even realized what I was doing, my body instinctively stepped backward.

The movement was small.

Almost unnoticeable.

But Tyler noticed.

His brows immediately furrowed as surprise flashed across his face. “Is something wrong?” he asked, a little confused.

“N-No,” I answered too quickly, forcing a smile onto my lips despite how unnatural it felt. “I just...um...go fetch Vanessa so we can head to the party.”

“Oh.” He smiled. “I already picked her up first in her room. She's waiting in the car.”

Back then, I hadn't known he had gone to Vanessa before coming to me. I had simply assumed she had walked to the limousine by herself while he came to get me.

So even before my birthday...something may have already been starting between them.

The realization made my stomach twist.

I had trusted him with every part of my heart.

I had never questioned or even doubted him.

My moon goddess...I had been so painfully naive. I refused to become that foolish girl ever again.

“I see,” I murmured quietly.

Lowering my gaze, I took a step forward. “Then... let's go.”

Before I could walk past him, his hand gently wrapped around my wrist.

“Celestine.” his voice had softened. “Are you sure nothing's wrong?”

My eyes instinctively fell to the hand holding mine.

A strange sensation crawled beneath my skin. My chest tightened so painfully that I struggled to breathe.

Every instinct inside me screamed at me to pull away. His touch reminded me of another pair of hands.

The same hands that had driven a blade through my chest without the slightest hesitation, the same hands that had once held me with love before betraying me in the cruelest way imaginable.

Fear rose inside me so suddenly that it nearly swallowed me whole.

But instead of jerking away, I carefully loosened his grip with a gentle tug until my wrist slipped free.

I wanted to reject him right here and now, but it wasn’t the perfect time just yet.

“Nothing,” I whispered, praying my voice didn't betray the storm raging inside me. “I'm just...excited about the party.”

For several long seconds, Tyler simply looked at me. It was as though he was searching my face for answers I refused to give him.

Eventually, he sighed.

“...Alright.”

He didn't press the matter any further. Instead, he simply nodded before walking beside me as we made our way outside.

The almost-sunset breeze brushed gently against my skin as the elegant white limousine came into view.

Despite everything weighing on my heart, I couldn't stop a faint smile from forming.

Dad...he had prepared all of this just to make my birthday special.

Just like he always did.

The soft click of the limousine door opening pulled me from my thoughts. I looked toward Tyler and found him standing beside the open door, silently waiting for me to climb inside first.

As I leaned forward to enter, my eyes landed on the woman already sitting inside.

Vanessa.

She wore a dazzling crimson gown that perfectly complemented her bright smile. The moment our eyes met, she waved enthusiastically.

“Hi, sis! Happy birthday!”

For a split second...the image before me shattered.

Instead of the cheerful girl smiling at me, I saw another Vanessa.

The one whose hands had repeatedly driven a knife into my chest after Tyler's first strike had left me too weak to fight back.

I could still hear the sickening sound of the blade piercing flesh.

Then another memory followed.

Her shameless moans echoing through the room as she made love to my husband. The memories struck so violently that my nails dug into my palms.

Even so...I forced a smile onto my face.

“Thank you, Vanessa.”

The ride to the venue was suffocatingly quiet.

Back then, this silence had never existed.

I had spent the entire drive excitedly telling Vanessa that Tyler was my mate, unable to stop smiling as we talked about how lucky we were to have each other.

Now...not a single word came out of me.

The silence lingered until Vanessa finally broke it.

“So…” she began cautiously, glancing between Tyler and me. “Are you two...mates now that sis has come of age?”

I kept my eyes fixed on the road ahead, refusing to look at either of them.

“Yeah,” Tyler said, unable to hide the happiness in his voice. “We're mates.”

I looked at him and saw him smiling genuinely this time. He reached over and gently took hold of my hand.

Every muscle in my body stiffened.

Vanessa let out an excited squeal, clasping her hands together. “Oh my gosh! Congratulations! You two must be absolutely overjoyed!”

“I am, but not sure about Celestine here.” Tyler almost sounded upset while looking at me intently.

“What? What do you mean? Sis has always wanted this; you both do!” she violently forced me to look at her. “I am sure she is as happy as you!”

I couldn’t think of an expression to make, so I only smiled. 

Being with them in a closed and tight space brings all fresh traumatic memories I don’t want to remember over and over again.

“Oh, look, we're here,” I blurted out, quickly pointing outside in an attempt to change the subject before the memories swallowed me whole.

The two of them shifted their attention toward the window, and both of them let out quiet gasps of amazement as the breathtaking sight came into view.

“Looks like Alpha Arman really outdid himself for today,” Tyler remarked with an easy smile, his voice carrying genuine admiration.

Once the car came to a stop, we stepped outside together, and even I couldn't stop myself from staring in awe at the magnificent greenhouse standing before us. 

The elegant glass structure sparkled beneath the pink and salmon skies, surrounded by countless blooming flowers in every imaginable shade. Delicate vines climbed the crystal walls, while warm golden lights hung from the ceiling inside, making the entire place look as though it had been pulled straight from a fairytale.

He built all of this for one occasion.

For my birthday.

For just a brief moment, I almost forgot everything that had happened and simply admired the beauty surrounding me.

“Oh, by the way…” Vanessa spoke hesitantly as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I am not really close with anyone inside. Tyler, would it be okay if you escorted me in and maybe...we could sit together?”

The moment those words left her lips, my heart skipped painfully.

I remembered this.

In my previous life, Tyler had escorted Vanessa inside, promising that he would return for me immediately afterward. I had believed him without hesitation, standing alone outside while waiting patiently for him to come back.

He never did.

Instead, it was his younger brother who eventually came to fetch me and escort me to my seat, awkwardly apologizing on Tyler's behalf.

Now...I honestly couldn't care less. As far as I was concerned, they could take all the time they wanted together and leave me the hell alone.

“Celestine, can I escort Vanessa inside first, then come back for—”

“Go ahead,” I interrupted before Tyler could even finish his sentence.

Both of them froze, clearly caught off guard by how quickly I had answered. For a brief second, Tyler searched my face as though trying to determine whether I was upset, but I simply smiled at him with complete indifference.

“Um...okay. I'll come back as quickly as I can,” he said uncertainly before turning toward Vanessa.

The two of them walked side by side toward the entrance of the greenhouse, and just before disappearing inside, Vanessa glanced back over her shoulder.

Our eyes met. She looked at me with quiet curiosity, almost as though she couldn't figure me out.

In response, I flashed her my brightest, sweetest smile.

The moment they disappeared, my smile instantly vanished, replaced by an exaggerated roll of my eyes.

“I still have to reject Tyler today if I want to be alive after six months,” I muttered under my breath, more as a reminder to myself than anything else.

“Celestine Sterling.”

“Eep!” A deep, unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed behind me, and I almost jumped. How on earth didn’t I feel his presence?!

Slowly, I turned around.

The moment my eyes landed on the man standing several feet away, my breath caught in my throat.

He was devastatingly handsome in a way that felt almost unreal, yet there was something undeniably terrifying about him.