Chapter 203

The air was thick with sorrow, like an invisible fog pulling the room’s temperature down. After Celestia Brooks’ quiet, heart-wrenching words, the atmosphere sank even heavier, as if even breathing became a struggle. She knew—she would never be that woman. Celestia’s eyes, once bright and full of life, had dulled. She stared at Jareth Carrington, whose jaw was tight, brows pinched together. Just looking at him made her chest ache so badly it felt like her throat might close, her tears threatening to spill there and then. How could she ever be his ex? He had loved her far too deeply. So deeply that even after all these years, the memory of her still took up all the space in his heart. So deep it had survived past her death, untouched by time. So deep that he had married Celestia only because of a pair of eyes that reminded him of that woman—even though those eyes belonged to someone he blamed for her death. The moment she put all of this together, something inside her froze. It didn't m