Chapter Four

A part of me wanted to rush across the street, tear them apart, and demand an explanation. Another part wanted to stay hidden, praying I had somehow misunderstood what I had just seen. But deep down, I already knew there was no misunderstanding.

As though twisting the knife deeper into my heart, Crimson reached up and gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face before climbing into the sleek black Corvette. Moments later, the engine roared to life, and the car rolled out of the driveway, disappearing down the quiet street.

Celestine remained standing there long after the car vanished from sight. Her eyes stayed fixed on the empty road, wearing the smile of a woman who had just stolen someone else's husband and believed she had every right to celebrate.

Perhaps she grew tired of just standing there, so she turned on her heel and began walking back toward the mansion, completely unaware that someone else had been watching everything. She never made it to the front door. The moment she turned, I shoved the car door open and hurried across the street. The distance between us vanished in seconds.

"Celestine."

She froze mid-step and slowly turned toward the sound of my voice. The instant our eyes met, the smile vanished from her lips. She stared at me in stunned silence, disbelief flickering across her face before every trace of color drained from it.

"What are you doing here?"

Before she could say another word, I closed the last few steps between us.

Slap!

The sharp crack shattered the stillness.

Her head snapped to the side from the force. She stumbled backward, nearly losing her balance, but managed to steady herself. Her hand flew to her burning cheek where a bright red mark slowly bloomed beneath her fingers.

Neither of us spoke.

My chest heaved violently. My trembling hand remained suspended in the air for a brief second before it slowly dropped to my side.

I had imagined this moment a thousand times in the car. I had imagined screaming, crying, bawling my heart out. But now that she stood before me, every word I had practiced dispersed like smoke into the air.

“I can explain."

"Explain what?" I thundered, fixing her with a dagger-sharp stare. "Explain why you kissed my husband in front of your house? Or explain why he was with you so late in the night?"

The mask Celestine had been wearing finally slipped. Instead of crying or even looking ashamed of what she had done, a slow smile spread across her crimson-painted lips. There wasn't an ounce of guilt in her expression. If anything, she looked delighted. 

"I was beginning to wonder how long it would take before you finally found out."

"You..." My fingers curled into trembling fists. "How long has this been going on?"

"Long enough." She thrust her chin forward. "If you're here to ask me to leave him... or worse, beg me to give him back..." She gave a slow, deliberate shake of her head. "I won't. Why would I ever let go of a man who makes me happier than I've ever been?"

Rage exploded inside me. I raised my hand to strike her again, but this time, she caught my wrist before it could land.

“You can have any man you want, but why my husband?”

She shoved my hand away as though brushing off an irritating insect.

"I've hated you ever since the day we met."

"What...?"

"Don't look so surprised. Did you really think I was your friend because I liked you? No. I became your friend because I wanted a front-row seat to your misery. I enjoyed seeing you suffer."

She rested a hand over her flat stomach, her smile turning almost tender.

"I wasn't planning to tell you like this, but since you're already here..." Her eyes glittered with cruel satisfaction. "I'm pregnant. Your husband is the father."

Everything around me fell eerily silent.

The wind faded into nothing. Even the chorus of midnight insects that had been singing only moments ago vanished, as though the entire world had stopped breathing.

All I could hear was the frantic pounding of my own heartbeat, crashing against my ribs.

"You're lying…" I gasped.

She grinned, flashing a perfect row of pearly white teeth. "You've been trying for years, haven't you? Looks like I succeeded where you never could."

Every muscle in my body screamed at me to wipe that smug smile off her face. Lunge at her and rip out those fake hair extensions one strand at a time until she is completely bald.

But I didn't. She wasn't worth destroying myself for.

I slowly lowered my hand, though my entire body still trembled with rage. "You smiled in my face, ate at my table, accepted my kindness, and all the while you were having an affair with the man I called my husband."

I swallowed the lump in my throat before I continued, "I feel sorry for you. If a man can be stolen, he was never truly yours to keep. Congratulations. You didn't win my husband. You won a cheater."

Her lips parted but no words came. I didn't wait for her to say anything. Whatever comes to her mouth is garbage anyway. I climbed back into my car and shut the door. 

The moment the lock clicked into place, the strength I'd been clinging to shattered.

I couldn't believe my best friend had hated me from the very beginning. And somehow, I had been the last person to know.

I drove away from Havenwood Street as fast as I could.

My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white. I drove with no destination in mind, letting the car carry me wherever the empty roads led.

I couldn't bear the thought of going home. That house was no longer a place of comfort. It had become a prison filled with memories that would come rushing back the moment I stepped inside.