Chapter 11

The second those words came out, Jareth's face turned completely dark. And Natalie? She was practically smirking with glee, like she couldn't wait to fan the flames. "Jareth, look at her. Forget about me, she doesn't even care about you." Celestia didn't have the patience to keep going back and forth with them. She just tossed a sentence over her shoulder: "I'm not coming home tonight. Do whatever you want." Then she walked right past them and left. "Jareth, did you see her attitude? Like she thinks she's some kind of queen or something..." Natalie was fuming, glaring at Celestia's retreating back. But when she glanced at Jareth's expression, which was just as awful, her voice softened sweetly, "Well... since she's not coming home tonight, how about I stay?" What Natalie didn't expect, though, was for Jareth to shove her away suddenly, spitting out just one word: "Out." Natalie stared at him with wide eyes, "What?" "I said get out!" His voice was low but clearly on the edge, barely holding in the fury. Natalie took one look at his stormy, terrifying face and hesitated like she wanted to argue-but in the end, she forced down her pride and gave in. "You're clearly upset. I'll come by another day." She grabbed her purse and quickly walked out. The moment she was gone, Jareth couldn't hold it in anymore-he let out a deep, angry yell like a beast backed into a corner, chest heaving in frustration. Before heading to the hospital, Celestia popped back home for a bit. She made a pot of chicken soup and packed a few things before setting out. As she waited to cross the street, her mind wandered right back to what Jareth had said earlier that day. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the red light at all. It wasn't until a blaring horn snapped her out of it that she looked up-only to see a huge truck speeding straight at her. Just as she thought to run, her legs froze up like someone had nailed her to the ground. She couldn't move an inch. The truck got closer. Her eyes widened, and everything around her faded. The screams from the crowd barely registered. Her mind went totally blank. Then, just when the truck was barely five meters away, a voice shouted behind her. "Watch out!" Next thing she knew, someone grabbed her hand and yanked her hard. She stumbled and landed by the curb, shaken. "Celestia, what the hell were you thinking!" a sharp voice barked above her. Still dazed, she looked up, squinting against the harsh sunlight. When she saw the familiar face, her chest tightened. "Ethan..." Ethan didn't bother replying to her shocked whisper. He just grabbed her shoulders and helped her to her feet, guiding her off to the side. His hands ran quickly over her arms and legs, checking for injuries. Only when he saw it was just a scraped shin did his tense posture finally ease. "What were you thinking? How do you not see a red light? Do you have any idea what could've happened if I hadn't pulled you away?" Ethan's brows were knitted tight, voice full of anger. Celestia didn't say a word. She just kept her head down, looking like a kid who got caught doing something wrong, letting him scold her as much as he wanted. Ethan had way more to say, but when he saw how fragile and defeated she looked, he couldn't bring himself to keep going. His eyes softened as he took a closer look. She looked way worse than she had a month ago-thinner, more fragile. Her body seemed so light it might get blown away by a stiff wind, her clothes hanging loosely on her. And her face... she didn't look well at all. Looking at Celestia juggling a large tote in one hand and a lunchbox in the other, Ethan asked, "Where are you heading?" For nearly a month, she'd basically vanished-calls went unanswered, and even showing up at her office was a dead end. He'd been loitering near her place, hoping she might show, and finally, he'd caught her. But she hadn't even noticed him until he ran up and grabbed her arm. Celestia glanced at him coolly. "The hospital." "The hospital? Are you sick?" Ethan's brows furrowed in concern. Seeing his worried face made Celestia's chest tighten. Apart from her dad, the only person who had ever truly cared for her like this was him. Ever since their college days, he'd always been there, sharing everything-her laughs, her breakdowns, her awkward moments. Even knowing she didn't feel that kind of love for him, he had never stopped caring. And now they were like this... Besides Sophia, he was the one she felt most sorry toward. Not wanting him to stress over her, she shook her head and gave a small, gentle smile. "I'm fine. It's my dad who's sick." "Your dad? Is it serious? Does it have something to do with the company stuff I saw on the news?" he asked, clearly connecting the dots. "It's all been handled." She gave him a reassuring smile, then quickly checked her watch. Noticing the time, she said, "Ethan, thanks again for earlier, really. I need to get going." She dipped her head lightly and turned to leave. "Wait." Ethan stopped her, grabbing her wrist. She looked at him, surprised. He said, "Let me give you a ride." Celestia didn't hesitate before shaking her head. "No need. It's close, I can walk." Her gaze dropped slightly, trying to hide the sadness in her eyes. When they were still together, she could lean on him without overthinking it. But now? She was someone else's wife. She couldn't keep crossing lines. However, Ethan completely misunderstood her reaction. "So it's because of Jareth? That's why you're drawing the line with me now?" His words came out like sparks flying, eyes burning. "The papers say you two got married-was that for real?" Her heart ached under his intense stare, but she still nodded. "Yeah." And just like that, Ethan's anger gave way to pain. "Why?" he asked, voice low and strained. "You told me you didn't want anything from him. That you couldn't stand the guy. So why'd you end up marrying him?" A flood of questions crashed over her, leaving her overwhelmed, drowning. She looked up at him-those furious, red-rimmed eyes-and the guilt just swallowed her whole. "I'm sorry." That was all she could say. She didn't mean for any of this. But it was the path she'd chosen the moment she asked Jareth for help-for her father's sake-knowing full well it would break Ethan's heart. Seeing her eyes well up, Ethan couldn't even stay mad. "Hey... come on, don't cry. None of this is your fault," he said softly, willing the pain away. "It's Jareth who messed this all up." But his words only made it worse. As soon as he spoke, Celestia's tears started falling like a dam had burst. And once they started, there was no stopping them. She sobbed so hard her whole body was shaking, and Ethan stood there, watching helplessly, heart twisting into knots. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Please-don't cry." Gently, Ethan pulled her into a hug, wrapping her in warmth, his voice low and soothing. What neither of them realized was that the entire scene had been quietly captured on camera.