Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 151 - Chapitre 160

~CELINE~Morning light filters through the curtains, casting long shadows across the empty driveway where Hunter's car sat just hours ago. I wrap my arms around myself, the silk of my robe doing nothing to chase away the chill that has nothing to do with the morning air.My phone sits on the nightstand like a weapon, Eleanor's message still glowing on the screen:‘We need to talk.’Four simple words that make my stomach twist into knots. It's like she was watching, waiting for the exact moment Hunter would leave. Like she has some sixth sense that tells her when I'm alone and vulnerable.I should call him. Tell him his mother contacted me. But Hunter's probably boarding his flight right now, focused on whatever business crisis requires his attention. The last thing he needs is me falling apart over a text message.My phone buzzes again, and I flinch so hard I nearly drop it. But this time, it's Hunter's name on the screen.‘Just got to the airport. How's Caesar? Give him a kiss fr

~CELINE~I'm still shaking from my meeting with Eleanor when Caesar tugs at my sleeve, pointing excitedly at the shopping bags spilling from someone's arms near the mall entrance."Aunt Caroline!" Caesar shouts, breaking free from my hand and running toward the familiar figure.My heart stops. Of all the people to run into right now, when I'm barely holding myself together..."Caesar!" Caroline drops her bags without hesitation, catching him in a fierce hug that lifts him off his feet. "My favorite little man! What are you doing here?"Over Caesar's dark curls, Caroline's eyes find mine. Even from a distance, I can see the surprise and concern written across her face. I try to smile, but it feels wobbly and unconvincing."Mommy bought me ice cream!" Caesar announces proudly, still wrapped in Caroline's arms. "And we saw Grandma Eleanor! She was here too!"I watch Caroline's face change, her smile faltering as she processes Caesar's innocent words. When she looks at me again, her face

~HUNTER’S POV~The room has a faint but clear smell of her perfume. The bed is neatly made, and her books are lined up in straight rows.Christmas lights twinkle around photographs covering one entire wall—her life in snapshots, from gap-toothed baby to glowing young woman.And there, in the center of it all, is us.Our first date photo. She had insisted on ice skating instead of dinner at some stuffy restaurant, laughing as she staggered on the rink while I tried desperately not to fall. We look so young, so hopeful. So completely unaware of how badly we would destroy each other.My fingers trace the edge of the frame before moving to her bookshelf. Her favorite novel sits exactly where it always did, pages soft from countless readings. I open it carefully, finding her margin notes in different colored inks—a rainbow of thoughts and feelings spanning our entire relationship.One note, dated a year after we went public, makes my heart stop:"Sometimes I wonder if he sees me or just

~MIA~{SIX MONTH AGO: THE CEASAR INCIDENT}The drive back to the city should have been humiliating. Should have been the death knell of whatever fantasy I had been having about Hunter Reid and our supposed future together.Instead, I found myself strangely energized.I stared out the window of the hired car as Mahanttan's skyline came into view, replaying every moment of this afternoon's disaster. The way Hunter had looked at that woman—Celine—with such raw protectiveness. The way he had spoken to his own mother with barely contained fury. The way his entire world had shifted the moment that child started crying.‘Caesar.’Such an unusual name for such an unusual little boy. Those bright blue eyes, so familiar yet unplaceable. The way he had asked if I was going to marry "Mr. Hunter" with such innocent curiosity.And Celine herself. I had expected some cheap gold-digger, all bleached hair and push-up bras. Instead, she had been... dull. Plain uniform, tired brown eyes, the kind

MY PLAYLIST SUGGESTIONS : “That way” by Tate McRae~CELINE POV~I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, my cheeks still flushed from Hunter's touch. The silk nightgown he had bought me clung to my changing body, and for the first time in three years, I felt beautiful.Really, truly beautiful.My skin had that pregnancy glow everyone talked about—luminous and warm. My hair fell in glossy waves past my shoulders, fuller and shinier than it had ever been. My face looked softer somehow, more womanly. And my breasts... I cupped them gently, admiring at how full and round they had become.I turned sideways, running my hand over the barely visible bump. Still small, still our secret, but there was a life growing inside me. Hunter's child. Our child.The memory hit me like a physical blow.Three years ago. Two months pregnant with Caesar. Standing in front of a cracked mirror in a dingy bathroom above Mrs. Chen's burger joint, my reflection a shadow of what I saw now.I had been