"As long as Derek doesn't cheat on me or raise a hand to me, I'm going to try to save this marriage."
Celeste said it quietly, with the faintest trace of a smile. It was barely there at all — and somehow that made it worse. Audrey wanted to shake her.
Her best friend swatted Celeste's arm. "Ugh! You are impossible to talk sense into!" she groaned. "Still giving that man another chance."
Celeste just laughed softly and leaned back against the boutique sofa.
"I'm serious!" Audrey put her hands on her hips again. "Honestly, curing someone who's lovesick is harder than moving inventory during a sales slump!"
"The problem is his family, not him. Derek's only flaw is that he can never say no to them. That's it." Celeste chuckled at her friend's rant. It had been a long time since she had laughed like this.
Even though her heart still felt heavy, there was a small pocket of relief now — the simple comfort of having someone listen without blaming her.
"I'm not trying to stay naive forever," Celeste said at last, stirring her drink with the straw. "But I want to give Derek a chance to change — to start putting his own family first."
Audrey narrowed her eyes. "You sure about that?"
Celeste nodded slowly. "This time is different."
Her expression shifted, and Audrey noticed it immediately. The fragility from that morning was gone. Something new had taken its place — something that made Audrey lean forward.
"You have a plan?" Audrey asked, eyes sharpening.
Celeste smiled thinly. Then she leaned in and whispered something into Audrey's ear.
A few seconds later, Audrey's eyes went wide. She pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. "Oh my God... now that's the Celeste I know."
Celeste allowed herself a small smile. "I've been too quiet all this time because I didn't want conflict in my marriage. But now I have to be willing to play hardball with Derek if I want to wake him up."
Audrey nodded firmly. "That man needs a slap in the face before he'll see straight." Her voice turned serious.
"I've got your back." Audrey squeezed Celeste's hand. "But listen to me carefully." Her gaze was sharp, and Celeste held still.
"If after all this, Derek still chooses his family over you and the boys... you have to leave him."
The smile faded slowly from Celeste's face.
"I don't care how much you love him," Audrey said, unflinching.
Celeste looked down and stroked Kai's hair as the toddler played near her feet.
"I know," she said quietly. "I know what's worth fighting for and what I have to let go."
The words came out calm. But only Celeste knew how much her chest ached as she said them. Because even now, she still loved Derek.
Late that afternoon, Celeste left the boutique with Kai. The sky was turning orange. Downtown traffic was thickening with the evening rush.
Her heart felt a little lighter than it had that morning. Maybe because, for once, someone had listened to her without telling her she was wrong.
"Kai," Celeste called as she buckled him in and zipped up his jacket. "We're going to pick up Caleb first, okay? Then we'll get something yummy to eat."
Kai's eyes lit up. "Yaaay! Pick up Caleb!"
The little boy clapped so hard Celeste could not help but smile.
When they pulled up to the school, Caleb came running toward them, his oversized backpack bouncing against his back.
"Mom!"
Celeste opened her arms with a warm smile. "Tired, sweetheart?"
Caleb shook his head quickly. "No way! I got perfect scores on every single subject today!"
"That's amazing, Caleb!"
Celeste kissed her eldest son's forehead, beaming with pride. Small moments like this never failed to warm her heart.
After that, they headed to the boys' favorite family restaurant. Kai pointed excitedly at the picture menu, jabbing his finger at the fried chicken.
"Kai want dis! And ice cweam!"
Caleb chimed in, "I want the teriyaki chicken!"
Celeste laughed softly, watching her two boys. For a few hours, she tried to push the fight with Derek out of her mind. Tried to simply enjoy being their mother.
The sun was sinking by the time they got home. Celeste sent Caleb straight to the bath while she washed Kai, who was far more interested in splashing around in the bubbles than getting clean.
Normally she would have rushed to the kitchen right after — started prepping dinner. But not tonight. Instead, she sat with Caleb in his room while he studied.
"What's the square root of nine?" she asked gently.
"Three!" Caleb answered eagerly.
"Good job."
Kai, perched on her lap, decided to join in. "Twee... four... five!"
The three of them burst out laughing. Celeste felt calm — freed, for once, from the endless cycle of housework that never seemed to end.
Meanwhile, Derek came home from work drained in both body and mind. The day had been a disaster. He had sent the wrong report. Miscalculated data. His supervisor had dressed him down in front of the entire team.
"If your head's not in the game, take a leave of absence!"
That sentence had echoed in Derek's head the whole drive home. Rush hour traffic on top of everything else had shredded what was left of his patience.
He rubbed his face roughly as he stepped out of the car, his temples throbbing. All the way home, his head had felt like it was stuffed with concrete. Not just his body — his mind too.
Usually, the one thing that made him want to get home fast was the warmth waiting for him on the other side of the door.
Their house was not big, let alone anything close to fancy. But it always felt warm and alive. The smell of something cooking in the kitchen. The sound of the boys laughing. Celeste teasing him and the kids, pretending they all had to compete for her attention.
Little things he had never really noticed — until tonight, when something felt wrong. An unease he could not name settled over him as he pulled into the driveway. His eyes went straight to the front door.
It was shut.
Derek frowned. That was odd. Around the time he usually got home, the door was always cracked open. And before he even got out of the car, Kai would come toddling out, laughing.
"Daddy's home!"
Sometimes Caleb would follow right behind him. And Celeste would be standing in the doorway with that warm smile that never failed to make the weight on Derek's shoulders feel lighter. But tonight, none of that was there.
Derek's footsteps dragged as he crossed the quiet yard. On the porch, he spotted Kai's little sandals, Caleb's school shoes, and Celeste's house slippers lined up neatly by the door. They were home. So why hadn't anyone come to greet him? A knot of discomfort tightened in his chest.
Why is it so quiet? Did they all fall asleep? he thought.
He reached for the handle and pushed the door open slowly. It was unlocked. The house was lit but silent.
"Honey?" Derek called as he stepped inside.
No answer.
He glanced toward the dining room — empty. No aroma of dinner. No sign of Celeste standing at the stove the way she always did.
"Caleb? Kai? Daddy's home!"
Still nothing. His pulse quickened. His mind jumped to dark places.
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Updated 89 Episodes
Download
Like this story? Download the app to keep your reading history.
Comments