A Night of Chaos and Accusations
The night was quiet—almost peaceful. Celeste lay in bed, curled against Adrian's side, her fingers lazily tracing circles on his chest. It had been a long day, but at least it ended on a sweet note. Adrian had been extra affectionate, holding her close as if she'd disappear if he let go.
Just as Celeste was about to drift off to sleep, Adrian's phone rang, the shrill sound cutting through the silence. He groaned, blindly reaching for it on the nightstand. Celeste shifted, blinking away sleep. Who would be calling this late?
Adrian answered without looking at the screen. "Hello?"
What came next jolted him upright.
"Adrian—please, help me!" Emily's voice trembled through the phone, raw with fear and panic. "I—I don't know what to do! They're chasing me—oh my God, they're coming—"
A strangled sob cut off her words.
Adrian shot up, his muscles tensing. "Emily! Where are you?!"
"I—I don't know! Near the old park by the bridge—I just ran—I don't know who else to call!"
Celeste sat up as well, watching Adrian's face harden. "Stay where you are," he ordered. "I'm coming."
"I—I'm scared," Emily whimpered.
"I'll be there in five minutes. Just hide!"
Adrian threw off the covers and jumped out of bed, already grabbing his keys and slipping on a shirt.
Celeste quickly followed. "Wait, I'm coming with you—"
"No." Adrian didn't even look at her as he shoved his arms into a jacket.
Celeste's brows furrowed. "Adrian, she's in danger. I—"
"Stay here, Celeste," he snapped, his patience razor-thin.
And before she could protest, he was already out the door.
Celeste stood frozen, her heart sinking. He left her. Just like that.
For Emily.
——
The night was heavy with tension, a stark contrast to the earlier warmth between Celeste and Adrian. Now, as she waited by the poolside, her thoughts were a mess.
Adrian had left her in the middle of the night. For Emily.
She told herself it was fine. That he had no choice. That Emily had been in danger.
But the image of him rushing out, not even sparing her a glance, burned in her mind.
The sound of a car pulling up broke her thoughts. Celeste turned as Adrian entered the garden, his jaw tight with concern.
And beside him, wrapped in his jacket, was Emily.
Celeste's breath hitched.
Emily looked pitiful—her clothes were ruined, her hair a mess, dried tear tracks staining her face. Bruises peeked from under her sleeves.
"She's staying here for the night," Adrian announced, his voice firm.
Celeste frowned. "What?"
"She's not safe alone."
Celeste swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "She could stay at a hotel—"
Adrian's brows furrowed. "Celeste." His tone was laced with warning.
Celeste bit her tongue.
Emily's broken voice cut through the tension. "I'm sorry." She sniffled, eyes glassy. "I didn't mean to disturb your night. I just... I was scared."
Celeste exhaled, forcing her emotions down. "It's fine."
Adrian squeezed Emily's shoulder. "You're safe now."
Celeste looked away. She shouldn't feel like this—shouldn't feel the sharp sting of jealousy seeing Adrian's protective stance over another woman.
But she did.
Adrian left to get Emily some water.
Emily turned to Celeste hesitantly. "I just wanted to say... I'm sorry. For everything."
Celeste blinked.
Emily swallowed. "I know I've been mean before, but I really want to start over."
Celeste hesitated. Something felt off. But she wasn't in the mood to argue.
She nodded stiffly. "Okay."
Emily's face lit up. "Thank you."
Then, she stepped forward and hugged Celeste.
Celeste stiffened. The scent of Adrian's jacket on Emily made her stomach churn.
She tried to move, to step back—
But the moment she pushed Emily lightly to put some space between them, Emily's foot slipped.
And in an instant, she was falling.
A sharp scream cut through the air as Emily plunged into the pool.
The exact moment Adrian returned.
"Celeste!" His voice was sharp with alarm.
Celeste's eyes widened. "I—"
Water splashed violently as Emily surfaced, gasping and coughing, eyes filled with shock and hurt.
Adrian didn't think—he threw down the glass of water and jumped in after her.
Celeste's heart pounded as she watched him pull Emily into his arms, his hands gripping her securely. The way he held her, the way his jaw clenched with worry—it felt like a stab to Celeste's chest.
When they surfaced, Emily shivered in his hold, her voice trembling.
"Celeste..." Emily whispered, looking up at her with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Why... why did you push me?"
The world tilted.
Celeste's breath hitched.
Adrian's sharp gaze snapped to her, his expression unreadable. "You... pushed her?"
Celeste's stomach dropped. "I—" She opened her mouth but found herself speechless.
Had she?
No—she only tried to put some distance between them. It wasn't a push... was it?
Emily bit her lip, hesitating, as if she didn't want to say it. "I—I don't think she meant to," she murmured weakly, looking away. "But... she did push me."
Celeste's blood ran cold.
Adrian's brows furrowed. "Celeste," his voice was dangerously low, "what the hell were you thinking?"
"I didn't do it!" Celeste's voice cracked with frustration. "I didn't push her on purpose!"
Adrian scoffed, his jaw tightening. "So you're saying Emily threw herself into the pool? While she's already injured?"
Celeste clenched her fists. "I only moved her back! It wasn't even a real push!"
Emily sniffled, looking away. "I—I'm sorry if I made you upset, Celeste."
Celeste turned to her, anger flaring. "Don't twist this—"
"Enough." Adrian's tone was final.
Celeste's breath came out shaky. "Adrian, you don't actually think I did this on purpose, do you?"
Adrian didn't answer immediately. His silence was a louder accusation than words could ever be.
Celeste's chest tightened painfully.
He doesn't believe me.
Adrian sighed, rubbing his temples. "Emily, let's get you inside. You need dry clothes."
Celeste wanted to scream. To shake him. To force him to see reason.
But instead, she did nothing.
She just watched as Adrian helped Emily out of the pool, wrapping her in his jacket once more.
And just like that, Celeste felt something inside her crack.
He had left her earlier for Emily.
And now, once again, he was choosing Emily over her.
Tears burned at the back of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
Instead, she turned sharply and walked away.
If Adrian wanted to play the hero to Emily, fine.
But she wasn't going to stand there and let herself be treated like a villain.
She disappeared into the house without looking back.
And in that moment, she realized—
No matter how much Adrian said he loved her, there were still moments where it felt like he would never choose her first.
And that realization hurt more than anything else.