FINALE?
Celeste sat frozen on the hospital bench, her hands still stained with Adrian's blood.
It had dried on her skin, cracking against her fingers, but she didn't move. She couldn't.
Her body was trembling, but she wasn't sure if it was from the cold hospital air or the horror replaying in her mind.
The gunshot.
The way Adrian's body jerked.
The way his blood soaked through his shirt, staining her hands when she caught him before he fell.
The sheer terror in his eyes as he whispered her name, his fingers weakly clutching her wrist before going limp.
She should have stopped him.
She should have known Lucas wouldn't let them go that easily.
She should have—
The doors to the emergency room burst open.
"Where is he?!"
Ethan's frantic voice cut through the suffocating silence, his usually composed face twisted in sheer panic as he sprinted toward her.
Celeste barely reacted.
She couldn't look away from the floor.
Ethan crouched in front of her, gripping her shoulders. "Celeste. What the hell happened?" His voice wavered as he took in her blood-stained hands.
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
She didn't know how to say it.
She didn't know how to tell him that Adrian had taken a bullet meant for her.
That she had watched him collapse, his blood warm against her skin.
That she had screamed his name, shaking him, begging him to stay with her, while he had just looked at her with pained, exhausted eyes.
She couldn't say any of it.
Because if she did—if she spoke it into existence—then it would become real.
Ethan looked around desperately. "Where is he?"
Before Celeste could answer, a doctor stepped out of the emergency room, pulling off his gloves.
The world slowed.
Celeste shot up from her seat so fast her legs almost gave out.
"Doctor," she gasped, her voice hoarse from crying. "Tell me—tell me he's okay."
The doctor hesitated.
Her heart stopped.
"Ms. Lancaster," he said carefully, "he had lost a lot of blood. The bullet narrowly missed his heart, but—"
"But he's alive, right?"
A long silence.
Then—
"Yes."
Celeste nearly collapsed.
Ethan caught her just in time, his own breath shaky with relief.
"But," the doctor continued, his tone cautious, "he's in critical condition. We managed to stabilize him, but the next 24 hours are crucial. If he—"
Celeste didn't let him finish.
"Can I see him?"
The doctor nodded. "Only for a moment."
She didn't waste another second.
—
The room was eerily quiet.
Adrian lay on the hospital bed, pale against the white sheets.
He looked nothing like the powerful, confident man she had known. There were no sharp remarks, no teasing smirks. No warmth in his dark eyes as he gazed at her like she was the center of his world.
There was only stillness.
And she hated it.
Wires and monitors surrounded him, the steady beep of the heart monitor the only sign that he was still here.
Celeste's breath hitched as she slowly approached his bedside.
Her hands trembled as she reached out, fingers lightly brushing against his hair.
He was so cold.
A choked sob tore from her throat.
She sank into the chair beside him, clutching his hand tightly. "I'm here," she whispered. "I'm right here."
His fingers didn't move.
Her grip tightened. "Adrian, wake up." Her voice cracked. "Please."
Nothing.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
She squeezed his hand harder, as if she could anchor him to her—force him to stay, to keep fighting.
"Do you remember what you said to me?" she whispered. "That you wouldn't let me go?" Her breath trembled. "Then why are you lying here, looking like you're about to leave me?"
The heart monitor beeped steadily, indifferent to her agony.
A sob shook her chest.
"I was so ready to walk away from you," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was ready to sign the divorce papers, to forget about everything we could have been. And I told myself that if I lost you, I wouldn't care."
Her nails dug into his skin.
"But when I saw you fall—when I thought I lost you forever—I realized..." She inhaled sharply, her vision blurring.
"I don't want a life without you."
A tear slipped onto his hand.
"I was stupid to believe that I could ever stop loving you."
Her shoulders shook. "I love you, Adrian."
The words felt like a confession, an admission she had been too scared to say out loud.
She had spent so long convincing herself that she hated him.
But she didn't.
She never did.
She leaned down, pressing a trembling kiss to his knuckles.
"So you better fight," she whispered against his skin. "Because I'm not losing you."
The heart monitor beeped.
Celeste barely noticed, too lost in her grief.
"I don't care how mad I was," she murmured. "I don't care how much we fought. I don't care if we hurt each other. I just want you to wake up, Adrian."
She closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against his hand.
"Come back to me."
The heart monitor beeped.
And for the first time in hours—
Adrian's fingers curled weakly around hers.
——
A/N : Thank you so much for all the love you've shown Chasing Celeste!
If you enjoyed the drama, romance, and twists, I just finished another story you might like — The Billionaire's Hidden Wife.
It's a tale of love, betrayal, and redemption with intense, emotional moments and unforgettable characters.
Check it out and let me know what you think! Your support means everything to me!