41. Caleb
Chapter 41
Caleb
F ucking traffic.
Never have I verbally abused Peter or my fellow commuters this much in my life. I keep sending texts to Celeste and Dominic, but neither of them is answering. I can practically feel the vein on my forehead straining with my pent-up energy.
I try to focus on the positive, but there is no fucking silver lining here. And the airport! What a nightmare. How do people travel like that regularly?
Why did she go to the airport in the first place? Was she really planning to run? Even though I know she didn’t leave, chills cover my body.
She might have decided not to leave, but it’s still not clear if she’ll be allowed to stay. It doesn’t matter. The where doesn’t matter, as long as she’s by my side. We can find a solution.
Peter finally pulls to the curb in front of the ICE offices, and I rush out without even closing the car door behind me.
Like this is the finish line of a marathon, a kick of adrenaline propels me forward. People step aside, and thank God for that, because my mission is unstoppable.
I need to see my woman. I need to see her now. Then we can deal with everything else.
How is it that in a span of a couple of months, I grew to appreciate this partnership, relationship, this marriage?
Somehow, without me fully making the decision, I stepped away from our agreement and became a married man.
For real. For better. Forever.
Ignoring the attendee at the front desk, I take two steps at a time.
“Excuse me. Do you have an appointment?” a frantic female voice calls after me, but I’m already bursting through the gray double door of the waiting hall.
A quick scan of the grim place confirms Celeste must still be in there. What was the name of that officer? I rush, reading the name tags quickly.
Martinez.
That’s it. I push the door open, and the first thing I register spreads pain through my chest, spiking my heart rate.
Celeste is crying.
Dominic stands up and is about to say something, but I stretch my hand to stop him.
“You can’t do this.” I look at a woman who must be Martinez. “This might have started fake. Perhaps a string of one-night stands. But it’s way past that. Because casual is forgettable. And this woman is on my mind constantly. Whether I’m with her or away from her, it doesn't matter.”
The officer widens her eyes, and my mind registers Dominic’s voice, but I don’t stop.
“She’s etched on my mind, in my heart, and slowly but surely stealing parts of my soul. I don’t remember who I was before her.”
I turn to Celeste. “And I sure as hell don’t want to meet myself after you. The only version of me worth being is the one I am with you.”
Celeste blinks, her cheeks wet from tears. Fuck, she’s beautiful.
She sniffles. “Cal—”
I raise my finger, because I have more to say. I don’t even know where the words are coming from, but I turn back to Martinez, whose countenance has shifted slightly, a smirk on her face. Fuck it.
“If you deport my wife, she’ll be taking pieces of me with her. Vital, irreplaceable pieces. Because this marriage is fucking real. And my wife stays by my side.”
Dominic swears under his breath. Celeste stands, a sob escaping her.
Martinez folds her arms. “Well, Mr. van den Linden, thank you for your unsolicited testimony. I don’t appreciate the amount of cussing involved, so please control yourself next time. I’m going to gloss over your suggestions of faking this marriage at the beginning.” She scoffs and clears her throat. “Because as I was just informing your wife, I find the presented evidence sufficient at this moment, and we’ll proceed with her green card application process.”
Several things happen at the same time.
A rock I didn’t know I’d been carrying dislodges from my chest.
Celeste sniffles and giggles at the same time.
People in the hallway clap.
And the officer from the front desk comes in, panting. “You can’t be here, sir.”
I clear my throat and straighten my tie. Grabbing Celeste’s hand, I turn on my heels. “We’re leaving, anyway.”
I nod and march out of there. As soon as we’re in the hallway, I pull my wife to me and kiss the hell out of her .
“You’re staying.” I lower my forehead to her. “Why are you crying?”
“Because I’m happy.” Her breath hitches as she holds onto my lapels.
“Why the fuck did you go to the airport?”
Perhaps this is not the time and place to unravel that. Perhaps it doesn’t matter anymore, but the question leaves my lips before I can stop it.
“For a brief moment, I believed that it would be easier for you. For Mia and Merged. They need you here. But I couldn’t do it.”
“So you didn’t return for this?” I reach to my pocket and pull out her old watch.
I almost forgot I put it there in my hurry to leave the house this morning, when the delivery from the watchmaker arrived.
Celeste stares at the now polished and repaired watch, her eyes blinking. She lifts her gaze to me. “I thought I lost it…”
“I wanted to surprise you. I didn’t anticipate the shitty circumstances. I figured it’s important, though.” I take her wrist and clasp the tiny antique watch in place.
“But how?” She sniffles.
“Well, you didn’t wear any of the watches I bought you, but you kept wearing this one, even though it wasn’t working anymore.” I shrug .
She sobs again, wiping her tears while smiling. “It’s my mom’s. I couldn’t afford to repair it. You must have thought I’m crazy wearing it, but I felt stupid admitting it’s value to you.”
I pull her to me. “Who else do you want to be vulnerable with, black swan?” We stand there, frozen in an embrace, the stress evaporating slowly. “You couldn’t leave.”
I don’t even know why I utter the last sentence, other than a desperate need for validation. For some assurance.
“I realized you deserve better than me running away. I realized I’d be leaving pieces of me behind. Vital, irreplaceable pieces of me, that belong to my husband.”