That afternoon, Celeste rode her scooter into the city with Kai. She parked in front of a sleek boutique whose glass storefront glittered in the midday sun. The moment they stepped inside, the scent of expensive perfume enveloped them.
A woman with a sharp bob and a cream-colored blazer sprang up from the sofa. "Oh my God, you finally came!" Audrey cried.
She had been Celeste's best friend since childhood. Audrey pulled her into a hug — then froze the instant she noticed the state of Celeste's face.
"Have you been crying?" Audrey asked quietly.
Celeste gave her a thin smile. That was answer enough.
A few minutes later they were settled in the boutique's VIP lounge, while Kai played happily with a toy car on the carpet.
Celeste told her everything. Audrey's eyes grew wider with every sentence, her jaw tightening as she fought to keep her composure.
"Are you kidding me?" she burst out. "Fifteen hundred a month for the entire household and your kid's school?"
Celeste nodded wearily.
Audrey shot to her feet, hands planted on her hips, her face flushed with anger.
"Your husband has lost his mind!"
She said it loudly enough that Kai glanced up from his toy car before going right back to playing.
Celeste stared at her lap, fidgeting with the strap of her bag. "Derek is too generous with his family," she murmured. "But they have no sense of boundaries."
Her voice was quiet, but bone-deep exhaustion ran through every word — as if she had repeated that defense for her husband so many times it had worn smooth.
Audrey clicked her tongue. "Boundaries? Girl, they're past boundaries. They're parasites." She dropped back onto the sofa, fuming.
Celeste let out a small laugh. It was hollow. There was nothing funny about any of it.
"Give them an inch and they'll take a mile," she whispered.
She still remembered how it had started. First, Derek was asked to cover the mortgage on his parents' new house. Then he took on Irene's living expenses after her divorce. Then Kenzie's tuition and car payment. And now they wanted him to pay for a house for Gavin too.
The worst part was that Derek's family acted as if every dollar was owed to them. And they never, ever had enough.
"And Derek still doesn't see it?" Audrey shook her head in disbelief. "My God, Celeste. Where does he think he'd be right now without you?"
Celeste's head snapped up. Her gaze turned sharp.
"Keep your voice down."
Audrey huffed but lowered her tone. She glanced around to make sure none of the boutique staff were within earshot.
"He told you to go get a job?" She stared at Celeste incredulously. "Derek doesn't even know you're the majority shareholder of the company he works for!"
Celeste sank deeper into the sofa. She was exhausted — not just physically, but in her soul. She closed her eyes for a moment before answering softly. "Derek can never find out I still hold a controlling stake in that company."
Audrey frowned. "Why not?"
Celeste smiled — a bitter, aching smile that made her own chest feel tight.
"His family already bleeds him dry as it is," she said quietly. "If they found out I have assets worth more than Derek's entire salary..."
She paused and let out a long breath. "They would never stop."
She knew her husband's family too well. They would never feel ashamed to ask. They would never stop taking as long as someone was willing to give.
Today it was a house. Tomorrow it would be seed money for a business. The day after that, a new car.
And Derek... he was too soft-hearted to say no to any of them.
Audrey threw herself back against the cushions. "Girl, you are head-over-heels stupid for that man."
Celeste chuckled at that. But slowly, her eyes began to burn. A thin sheen of tears gathered along her lashes.
"I used to think love was enough to hold a marriage together," she said, her voice shrinking to almost nothing.
Audrey went still. The words were simple, but somehow they landed like a blow.
Celeste turned to look at her younger son, who was giggling as he rolled his toy car across the carpet. His face was pure innocence. He had no idea about his parents' problems. And that was exactly what made Celeste's chest ache even more.
"I gave up everything for Derek," she continued softly, smiling through the tears she was fighting to hold back.
"The house. The business. My career. A comfortable life."
Each sentence came out quieter than the last. Once, Celeste had believed all that sacrifice would lead to something beautiful. She had willingly left her family's estate to build a simple life with the man she loved.
She had quietly stepped in to rescue the company where Derek worked when it was on the verge of bankruptcy. She had pretended to live an ordinary life so that his pride stayed intact.
But now, a realization she had been avoiding for years finally settled over her. Marrying someone was not just about loving that person — it was about accepting their family. And not every family knew how to show gratitude. Some treated kindness as an invitation to take more.
Celeste lowered her head. "I'm such a fool, aren't I?" she whispered.
Audrey reached over and gripped her friend's hand tightly. "You're not a fool," she said gently. "You're just too sincere for your own good."
That only made the ache in Celeste's chest worse. Because people who were too sincere usually did not realize they were being used until their hearts were already worn out.
"So what now?" Audrey asked, her tone shifting to something more serious. "Are you going back to work?"
Celeste did not answer right away. She sat in silence for a long time, staring blankly at the boutique's gleaming marble floor. But gradually, the expression on her face began to change.
The sadness that had filled her eyes slowly gave way to something else. Something stronger. Something harder.
"Are you thinking about taking back the chair from Ryan?" Audrey pressed carefully.
Celeste lifted her head. A thin smile crossed her lips, and for the first time since that morning, there was a different light in her eyes. Not the light of a woman who had been wounded — but the light of someone beginning to remember that she was not nearly as weak as everyone assumed. The Celeste who had stayed silent all this time was perhaps, finally, ready to change.
"I—"
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Updated 89 Episodes
Download
Like this story? Download the app to keep your reading history.
Comments