Chapter 3

CELESTE POV

I watched the rest of the wedding like I had cotton stuffed in my ears and glass in my chest. People were smiling, clapping, crying… but all I could hear was static. All I could feel was cold.

The priest’s voice cut through the numbness just once.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

And there it was. The kiss.

His kiss.

The same lips I’d kissed under garden lights last night. The same lips that made me forget my name.

I blinked, stunned at how silent my mind suddenly was. No more excuses. No more pretending. It was real now. All of it.

The reception followed. Loud music, champagne towers, flashing lights. But my feet felt like they didn’t belong on the floor. I drifted somewhere between reality and disbelief until two men in suits approached.

I didn’t notice them at first… didn’t notice anything—until I heard a voice from behind.

“Miss Celeste Marlowe. Please, come through the door.” The guard pointed at one of the doors and I led the way.

My heart sank. I wanted to vanish. I wanted to run straight out of the room, across the street, and into traffic.

I was standing right in front of her with no words…

And then I heard her voice for the first time in fifteen years…

It wasn't a statement, it was a question…

“Why?” She asked with a straight face.

Immediately, my eyes generated tears that I couldn't hold…

I couldn't say anything other than that. “I'm sorry.” I whimpered.

My mind hurts both from the regrets of leaving her behind and an even greater regret that I slept with her husband.

I should have fucking never left the house…

Just thinking about that made me shed more tears and I kept saying. “I'm sorry, Sophia.”

I didn't know when I found myself on my knees…

I'm caught up in a world of uphill climbing and nothing is making sense anymore to me… I just want to die.

I don't think I can live anymore with all these.

I don't know if she should silently forgive me for leaving her behind fifteen years ago or forgive me for sleeping with her husband.

Would she understand?

Still lost in my thoughts, I saw her kneel in front of me and wipe the tears off my face.

That should ease my heart, right? But it only aches more…

She didn’t hesitate—just pulled me into a tight hug, the kind she used to give me when we were little and she was the warm one, the soft one.

And I cried even louder…

She patted my head. “Yes, I should be mad at you for running away without telling me. But I know you had your reasons. I don't know why, but I can assume it has something to do with Bruce.”

I disconnected my body from hers with my eyes still blurred with tears. “I'll tell you everything when the time is right.”

Sophia nodded her head. “Make sure it is enough to clear the hate I have for you.” She stood up and helped me stand up.

“So, why didn’t you tell me you were in town?” she asked, “I was so sure you wouldn't come!”

My mouth opened but my thoughts were rightfully misplaced.

The words wouldn’t come. How could I tell her I’d slept with her husband the night before her wedding? That I'd betrayed her in a way I couldn’t undo?

So I said, “I had something I needed to take care of.”

And I meant it. I just didn’t know what that “something” was anymore.

Someone called out that it was time for the bride and father to dance. Sophia smiled and squeezed my hand. “Come on.”

“No, I—”

But she was already tugging me toward the stage.

She stood before the crowd, radiant in her gown and glowing with joy. “Everyone!” she announced, “My sister is back!”

Applause broke out, the kind that wraps around you like a net you didn’t ask for. I smiled, or at least I think I did. Everyone seemed so happy to see me, but I wasn’t really there.

As Sophia and Bruce swayed to the music, the crowd joined slowly. Couples danced, laughed, and took pictures. I stood at the edge of it all, trying not to look like I was drowning.

Bruce…

I could still remember his face when his friend paid him money so he could have his way with me…

The main reason why I had to run away from Velmont City. He ripped my childhood away from me and I'll forever hate him for that.

I was still busy hating my stepfather when something distracted me.

A presence.

A familiar hand reached out toward me.

His hand.

Jonathan's. Maybe Nathaniel now.

The man I had kissed.

The man I had touched.

The man who had just married my sister.

And I thought, *God, what have I done?*

***

“May I?”

His voice… smooth, familiar… brought me crashing back into the present. I turned and found Nathaniel standing before me, hand extended like he was offering me something innocent. I stared at it like it was a live grenade.

“It’s customary to dance with your sister’s husband, especially since her mother isn’t here,” Bethany whispered in my ear, all smug and meddling. I shot her a glare so sharp she finally took a step back.

God, she was really beginning to crawl under my skin.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Sophia watching us, smiling expectantly, waiting to see what I’d do—if I’d make a scene and ruin her perfect day.

My pride burned into unseen flames and against every ounce of logic I had left, I slipped my hand into his.

Nathaniel’s touch sent a pulse through me, a memory I didn’t want to surface. He guided me effortlessly onto the dance floor, placing a hand firmly on my waist. I rested mine over his shoulder, but every inch of me screamed to recoil.

“What the hell are you doing?” I hissed, my teeth clenched in a smile for the sake of the guests, fury rippling beneath the surface.

“Dancing with my wife’s sister,” he said casually like we were just another happy pair. “It is my wedding, after all.” He smirked, the audacity in his voice making my blood boil.

My nails dug into his shoulder. “What about last night?” I spat under my breath. “You knew, didn’t you? You knew exactly who I was and you lied about your name.”

He didn’t blink. Instead, he spun me gently, then pulled me flush against his chest.

“I didn’t know,” he murmured. “Believe it or not. But even if I had… would it have stopped you?” His gaze burned into mine. “You enjoyed it. Don’t lie.”

“You haven't told me why you lied about your name,” I said.

“I didn't. I just hate the name Nathaniel. I prefer Jonathan.”

“Nathaniel is your name, not Jonathan.”

“That's not true sister in law. My government name is Nathaniel Jonathan Steele.”

I tightened my jaw so hard that I thought my teeth might crack as rage roared in my chest. “You disgust me,” I snapped. “You cheated on my sister. On your wedding night. And if you think I’m going to be your dirty little secret, think again. I’m telling Sophia. She deserves to know the kind of man she married.”

He dipped me suddenly, the move was so sharp I gasped. His grip was tight… controlled… but gentle enough to keep me from falling.

The crowd cheered around us, clueless.

Then, he leaned in close and chuckled darkly. “Go ahead. Tell her,” he said, pulling me up for the final spin as the song neared its end.

“Let’s see who she believes—her doting new husband or the sister who abandoned her for fifteen years and left her with an abusive father.”

My heart stopped.

“How do you know about that?” I breathed.

He smiled, wicked and cruel. “I know everything about you, Celeste. Every ugly little detail. You want to be the hero now, but where were you when she needed one?” He leaned in, lips inches from mine. “Whether you believe me or not, I didn’t know who you were. But you were a damn good fuck. And unlike you, I’m the one who saved her.”

The music stopped.

And I stood there with my heart broken and fists trembling, realizing I’d walked into a nightmare dressed like a fairytale.

Even though Sophia had forgiven me, I don't think she will now if she hears about this.