Unwelcome Realizations
Adrian leaned back in his chair, staring at Ethan with an unreadable expression. "Do you think it's possible?"
Ethan raised a brow. "Possible for what?"
Adrian exhaled sharply, swirling the glass of whiskey in his hand. "For Celeste to have moved on. To be... seeing someone else behind my back."
Ethan chuckled. "Behind your back?" He shook his head. "Adrian, you do realize you're getting divorced, right? If she was seeing someone else, she wouldn't even need to hide it from you."
Adrian's grip on his glass tightened. "Just answer the question."
Ethan leaned back on the couch, smirking. "If you're asking whether she's moving on? Yeah, I think so." He took a sip of his drink before adding, "But cheating? No. Celeste isn't like that."
Adrian's jaw clenched.
Ethan studied him for a moment before smirking. "Why? Worried she's meeting someone after work?"
Adrian scoffed. "Of course not."
Ethan laughed. "Don't lie."
Adrian ignored him.
Ethan shook his head, amused. "Relax, man. If it makes you feel better, I can tell you she's been meeting me after work."
Adrian's expression darkened immediately. "And why the hell is that?"
"She needed my help," Ethan said casually. "And before you start throwing a fit, we're meeting as client and consultant. I can't tell you the reason because it's a surprise, but trust me, it's nothing shady."
Adrian narrowed his eyes. "You're not playing games with me, are you?"
Ethan sighed, rubbing his temple. "You're impossible. If you don't trust me, fine. But trust Celeste at least."
Adrian didn't respond, but something in his chest loosened—just a little.
She wasn't sneaking around with another man.
She was just meeting Ethan.
Adrian told himself he should feel relieved. And he did.
Mostly.
But the jealousy still burned beneath his skin.
And he hated it.
—
Later that evening, Celeste sat across from Ethan at an alfresco café, stirring her iced coffee.
"So," Ethan said, grinning. "How does it feel to have your soon-to-be ex-husband suspicious of you?"
Celeste rolled her eyes. "You told him?"
"He asked."
Celeste groaned. "Great. Now he probably thinks I'm begging you for help."
Ethan smirked. "Well, technically, you are asking for my help."
Celeste huffed. "As a client, okay? Not as some desperate soon-to-be divorcée."
Ethan chuckled, leaning back. "Alright, alright. Anyway, I found some good apartments within your budget. But I gotta ask—why an apartment? You can afford a house."
Celeste shrugged. "I want to be independent. And besides, my dad took my cards."
Ethan blinked. "What?"
Celeste sighed. "Remember the bar incident? Where I got drunk and declared myself single?"
Ethan burst out laughing. "Oh, that."
"My dad wasn't too happy about it," she muttered. "So as punishment, he suspended my credit cards."
Ethan wiped a tear from his eye. "That's hilarious."
Celeste scowled. "Glad you think so."
Ethan smirked. "Well, at least you're still earning now. But let's be real, Celeste. Adrian won't be stingy with you, even if you divorce him. You could ask for a whole villa, and he wouldn't budge."
Celeste shook her head. "That's exactly what I don't want. I want to stop relying on him—or anyone, for that matter." She leaned back in her chair. "I'm earning now. It's not much, but it's enough."
Ethan raised a brow. "Not much? You're Adrian Sinclair's secretary. Your salary is competitive."
Celeste snorted. "Competitive? Ethan, my entire monthly salary is what I used to spend on a single designer bag."
Ethan laughed. "Ouch. Must be tough adjusting."
Celeste grinned playfully. "That's why you should give me a discount." She leaned forward, tilting her head. "Come on, Ethan. Pretty please?"
She batted her lashes dramatically, acting cute.
Ethan shook his head, amused. "You're ridiculous."
Unbeknownst to them, across the street, a sleek black car sat at a red stoplight.
Adrian sat in the backseat, his fingers drumming a restless rhythm against his knee.
The quiet hum of the car did nothing to quiet his mind.
Celeste. She was all he could think about—the way she had looked at him the night before, the unspoken words that had hung in the air between them.
He hadn't wanted to admit it, but there was something gnawing at him, a feeling he couldn't shake.
His driver's voice broke through his haze of thoughts.
"Sir, that's Madam over there."
Adrian's gaze snapped toward the café across the street, and his breath caught in his throat.
There she was.
With Ethan.
Laughing.
Leaning in closer than she ever had with him.
A tight knot formed in his chest as he watched her, her smile wide and genuine.
It was a look that used to be reserved for him alone.
The way her eyes lit up when she was with him.
But now, it was for Ethan. She was... too comfortable.
And that damn face. The one she always made when she was trying to charm someone. Trying to get something from them.
His heart slammed in his chest.
Adrian didn't even realize he was gripping the armrest until his driver spoke again.
"Shall we pick her up, sir?"
Adrian didn't respond immediately. His eyes stayed locked on her, watching as she tilted her head back, her laughter ringing in the air like a distant echo. For a moment, he couldn't breathe. His throat tightened, his mind racing, but he forced himself to look away.
"No," he muttered, his voice low, controlled. "Go straight home."
The driver hesitated, clearly sensing the shift in Adrian's mood. But after a moment, he nodded and turned the wheel.
As the café receded into the distance, Adrian leaned back against the seat, closing his eyes. He tried to push the image of Celeste laughing with another man out of his head, but it was burned into his mind—impossible to escape. The weight of it pressed down on his chest, suffocating him.
It shouldn't bother him.
It shouldn't.
But there was a cold, undeniable realization settling into his bones.
The truth hit him like a freight train.
He wasn't ready to let her go.
Not yet.
And maybe... maybe he never would be.