Celeste's Price
Chapter 11 - Celeste's Price
Celeste asked to meet in a diner near the ferry terminal. I almost refused. Miriam encouraged me to bring a neutral witness and avoid discussing legal strategy. Jonah sat at a separate table, close enough that I could leave comfortably if the conversation turned ugly.
Celeste looked smaller without her stage-perfect makeup. She kept wrapping her hands around the mug of coffee she hadn't touched.
"Daniel didn't tell me everything," she said.
"You knew enough."
She nodded. "I did."
She told me she'd been struggling with credit-card debt and overdue taxes. Daniel promised a well-paid executive assistant position at the future development company if she helped persuade me to accept the sale. Initially, she said, she believed the plan was legal and financially sound. When I refused the proposal, Daniel grew impatient.
"He said you needed a moment that would make everyone doubt your judgment," she whispered. "I thought if I embarrassed you, you'd want to get the night over with and sign."
I stared at her. "You planned to humiliate me so I'd trust him more?"
"I know how insane it sounds."
"It wasn't insane. It was cruel."
Tears slid down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."
I remembered her holding my hand when Dad died. The memory didn't disappear. It simply existed beside the new truth.
"I'm not ready to forgive you," I said.
She nodded. "I understand."
"If you have documents, give them to your lawyer and tell the truth through the proper channels. Don't tell me what I want to hear."
She pulled an envelope from her bag. "Copies of messages. I kept them because Daniel stopped answering me after the wedding."
I didn't open it. I told her to provide it through counsel.
When I left the diner, my knees were shaking. Jonah walked beside me toward the harbor.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Not yet."
May you like
He nodded. "That's fair."
We stood quietly watching the boats. I realized how rare it had become for someone to accept my answer without trying to change it.
