Chapter 11
Damien struggled to maintain his composure as he found his voice, “Celeste, stop making a scene. I’ll spend a few more days with you if you come out
now.
of her.
“Didn’t I tell you? Ophelia is just for fun. I’m already getting tired of her.
“You’re the one I love most–you’re irreplaceable. Give me a little more time, and I’ll return to our family soon.
“There’s no point in continuing this tantrum. Aren’t you afraid I’ll actually divorce you?”
No matter what he said, only silence answered him. He couldn’t find any trace of Celeste in any of the mansion’s rooms. Even some of her belongings were missing.
She had truly left. Damien’s lips pressed into a tight line when this realization finally hit him, the air around him becoming oppressively tense, ready to explode.
It wasn’t just that Celeste’s things were gone; the proof of their love and shared memories had vanished as well. The backyard was bare, with the large grove of plane trees completely gone, leaving only ugly stumps behind.
Only at this moment did Damien truly panic. No inatter how many times he had made her unhappy in the past, she had never gone this far. A little coaxing would always earn her forgiveness.
But now, she had chopped down every plane tree he’d planted for her–six years of shared memories reduced to stumps.
무
Damien
Damien touched the tree stumps in disbelief. The cross–sections were somewhat weathered, clearly not cut down in recent days.
She had ordered them cut down some time ago, long before now. Yet he hadn’t noticed at all.
Damien’s heart gradually sank to rock bottom, completely engulfed in darkness. He called Celeste with trembling hands. And unsurprisingly, it was still disconnected.
“Celeste, where on earth did you go?” he roared.
He sent his first message in days, but the next second, he realized that the message was only sent–not delivered.
He had never imagined that Celeste would one day completely cut off all contact with him! A terrible premonition rose in Damien’s heart, and he hurriedly called Thomas and Eleanor.
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service…” The same voice repeated endlessly, as if mocking his ridiculousness.
Thomas and Eleanor had also blocked and deleted all his contact information. The whole family seemed determined to sever ties with him completely. Even so, he wouldn’t allow it! He hadn’t signed the divorce papers. So even if they ran to the ends of the earth, he would drag her entire family back! Damien’s expression was dark as he called Taylor, roaring, “Find out where Celeste’s family went as quickly as possible! Check everywhere they’ve been since that abduction incident–I want every detail!
“Celeste wants to leave me? Not a chance!”
Taylor was woken up in the middle of the night and, suppressing his exhaustion, replied, “Alright, I’ll find someone to investigate immediately.” After hanging up, Damien’s heart still couldn’t calm down. He returned to the mansion and looked at the empty home. A feeling of desolation and loneliness washed over him.
He felt as if a piece of his heart had been brutally carved out. He felt hollow, and his heart bled with pain. Lying on the bed without Celeste beside him, he found it strangely difficult to get used to.
Even though all traces of her were gone, he felt like he could see her everywhere. Looking at the vanity table, he could still picture Celeste sitting there, doing her makeup and skincare routine.
The breeze on the balcony stirred the curtains, and he remembered how she used to be timid and scared, always thinking the wind–blown curtains looked like ghostly shadows. She would make him get out of bed to tie up the curtains, then cling to him, burying herself in his arms and refusing to let
- go.
arguments.
Those warm, tender moments from the past were now gone forever. He didn’t know when their interactions had reduced to jealousy and Even when they slept in the same bed, there was a clear divide as she would practically press herself against the wall, unwilling to have any physical
contact with him.
They had once loved each other so deeply. How did they reach this point?
