Chapter 2: Abandoned

Celine’s POV

The cold in this police cell wasn’t just in the walls or the floor. It was inside me. In my bones. In my chest.

I sat there, arms wrapped tightly around my knees, as if I could hold myself together that way.

But I was already broken. I could feel the crack inside me widening with every second.

Just hours ago, I was laughing. God, I was actually laughing with Barbra at the party. I remember the music, the clinking of glasses, the glittering lights reflecting off the chandeliers.

I thought things were finally getting better. I thought maybe Evelyn had decided to lay down her sword and try peace.

I was wrong.

Now, here I was, sitting in this cold, grey room like a criminal.

Me. Celine Wright, the same woman who gave her all to love and family, now in handcuffs, accused of a crime I didn’t even understand.

It wasn’t just the shame that stung. It was the betrayal. The kind that doesn’t just hurt; it steals your breath and shakes your faith in everything.

Adam, my husband, my supposed best friend, the man who promised to protect me from the world, let this happen to me.

He didn’t even flinch. He looked me in the eyes and believed I was guilty.

But Evelyn… she never liked me. That part wasn’t surprising. From the day I stepped into their lives, she made it clear I was not what she wanted for her son.

But I still kept trying. I hoped that one day, she’d look at me and see someone worthy. I bent, I adjusted, I endured.

For Adam. For us. But no matter what I did, her hatred ran deeper than I could reach.

Still, it was Adam’s silence that crushed me the most.

I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes, trying to hold back the tears. But they came anyway, hot, slow, and angry.

I was grieving something deeper than just a marriage. I was grieving the death of everything I thought was real.

Suddenly, I heard keys jingle and heavy boots echoing down the corridor. My heart jumped. I sat up, blinking away tears, hopeful against my better judgment.

Maybe Adam came to his senses. Maybe he was here to take me home.

The officer unlocked the cell. “Get up.”

I didn’t ask questions. I stood up, straightened my clothes as best as I could, and followed him out.

My hands were trembling.

The walk through the hallway felt longer than it should. My eyes scanned the lobby as we entered.

Empty chairs. Cold stares from the officers behind the counter.

No familiar face.

My stomach dropped.

“Who… who came for me?” I asked quietly.

The officer gave a slight smirk and shrugged. “They didn’t stay.”

That was it. No explanation. No name. No waiting arms or familiar voice. Just the sound of a clock ticking on the wall and my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.

He handed me a plastic bag; my handbag, my phone, my earrings and told me to sign out.

My signature came out shaky, almost unreadable. I was still trying to make sense of what was going on.

Before I could ask where I was supposed to go, the officer motioned again.

“This way. You’re not done yet.”

I frowned. “Where are we going?”

He didn’t answer. Just told me to get into a waiting black car parked right outside. I hesitated, but I obeyed.

The car drove silently through the streets until it stopped in front of a modest building. The sign on the wall read Blackstone & Co. Law Chambers.

A law office?

Why here?

He led me in and then disappeared. I stood by the reception desk, uncertain. The woman behind it gave me a tight smile and pointed toward the end of the corridor. “He’s waiting for you.”

I walked slowly, my shoes clicking faintly against the tiled floor.

At the end of the hallway, I pushed open the door.

A man stood up from behind a sleek wooden desk. Tall. Well-dressed. His tone was calm, rehearsed.

“Good afternoon, Miss Wright. I’m Oscar Blackstone. Please, have a seat.”

I didn’t move. “Where’s Adam?”

Oscar didn’t blink. “He’s not coming.”

The words hit me like a slap. “Not… coming?”

He nodded. “He asked me to assist you with your release. I handled the legal process.”

I sat down heavily, heart thudding. “But… why isn’t he here? I need to talk to him.”

Oscar sighed, picked up a brown folder, and slid it across the table.

My fingers reached for it, already dreading what I’d find. When I opened it, the bold title screamed back at me:

DIVORCE AGREEMENT.

“No.” My voice cracked.

Oscar remained still. “He’s made his decision.”

I shook my head. “No. He didn’t even speak to me. He didn’t ask me what happened. I didn’t do anything. Your client’s mother set me up! And you’re sitting here handing me—” my throat tightened, “—this?”

He didn’t flinch. “Mr. Brooks believes the evidence presented by his family is strong enough. He’s decided to end the marriage quietly.”

I stared at the paper, vision blurring.

“Please,” I said, voice shaking. “I am his wife. I deserve a chance to explain. Even if he doesn’t want me anymore, he owes me that much.”

Oscar leaned back slightly, then slid a pen toward me.

“I’m only here to carry out instructions. If you sign, you walk away free and without legal issues. If you don’t… well, things could get messier.”

The threat was silent but loud.

I stared at the pen for a long time. My fingers hovered over it. Everything inside me screamed to fight.

To tear those papers apart. To walk out and knock on Adam’s door and demand answers.

But I was tired. Exhausted. Empty.

Slowly, I pushed the pen back across the desk.

“Tell him,” I whispered, barely recognising my own voice, “if he wants me to sign… he’ll have to look me in the eye and hand it to me himself.”