Chapter 201

The spacious room was dead quiet—so still that even a pin drop would've echoed like thunder. Celestia Brooks sat motionless on the bed, her once bright eyes now dull and lifeless, fixed blankly on the silent computer screen. Her focus had drifted far, fading away just like the brightness in her gaze. She’d listened to the recording Isabelle Ryan gave her—every word, over and over again. Dozens of times, at least. For more than two hours, she had done nothing but listen to that recording. Her body was physically exhausted, but the emotional fatigue hit even harder. Sleep was completely out of the question now, not after hearing what was on that recording. Time trickled by, slow and heavy. Nothing changed—just the same crushing silence and the storm of emotions behind her eyes: shock, heartbreak, betrayal, confusion. It took a long while before she even remembered to breathe. When she finally drew in a deep breath, a hint of warmth returned to her face—but that deep, aching sorrow in her