Chapter 2

"Ethan, stop! Don't hit him!" Sophia shoved Ethan aside and stood protectively in front of Jareth. Her face, usually calm and beautiful, was streaked with tears. Even though her heart was breaking from his betrayal, she still couldn't bear to see him get hurt. "What are you doing, Sophia? This man cheated on you! And you're still defending him?" Ethan's voice was shaking with fury. Not just because her fiancé betrayed her-but because he did it with his own girlfriend. The jealousy and rage inside Ethan were enough to set him on fire. Ethan, usually the composed and collected one, now looked like a man on the edge. His whole vibe screamed danger. Celestia, standing off to the side, felt a wave of guilt crash over her. She opened her mouth to try explaining how it all went down, but Sophia's eyes turned to her, filled with pain and cold accusation. "Why don't you ask your girlfriend how it happened?" Sophia snapped, her voice like ice. Ethan stiffened. His gaze slowly slid toward Celestia. And then he saw it-that red mark on her neck, bright against her pale skin. It hit him like a punch to the gut. "Celestia..." "Tell us what happened last night!" Sophia demanded, her voice hard as nails. The words cut deep, and Celestia flinched, her chest tightening. Seeing her once-close friend now glaring at her like a stranger made Celestia's stomach twist. She swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice steady. "I was drunk last night. I swear-I don't know how any of it happened... Sophia, I'm sorry. Please believe me, I honestly don't remember how it got to that point." She desperately laid it all out, trying to explain every confusing piece she could recall. Meanwhile, Jareth looked completely unbothered, half-reclined on the bed like he was watching some drama unfold that had nothing to do with him. Calm, detached, like none of this mattered. "Jareth, do you seriously have nothing to say? Celestia was wasted-don't tell me you were drunk too?" Ethan shot him a glare, his tone hard and cold. But to everyone's surprise, Jareth simply raised an eyebrow and replied lazily, "Nah, nothing to add." Then, with a smug grin that had no place in that room, he added, "We had a few drinks, ended up in bed. She was a virgin. I'll take responsibility." Just like that, he wrapped the whole mess up in one dismissive sentence. No explanation. No apology. Like it wasn't even a big deal. Celestia's face turned ghost-white on the spot. What the hell did he just say? "Take responsibility? How exactly are you planning to do that?" Ethan's eyes narrowed dangerously. And Sophia, standing off to the side, looked too stunned to speak. Just as everyone was still reeling from what he said, Jareth calmly reached for the phone on the nightstand and pressed a button. Within seconds, a figure appeared at the door. "Mr. Carrington, how can I help you?" It was Leon Taylor, his personal assistant. "Inform the press. The bride's been changed to Celestia." Jareth's voice was cool and steady, like this kind of chaos was just another part of his day. He didn't even glance at Sophia, who was still standing right there. His words were like a grenade tossed into the room - all attention immediately shifted to Celestia, cutting into her like blades. Especially the look on her best friend's face - fierce, hurt, and filled with betrayal - that alone stabbed deep into her conscience. "Jareth, I don't need you to take responsibility," she snapped, voice tight with frustration. Then she turned to Sophia, whose whole body was trembling. "Sophia, please, let me explain, I swear I didn't-" Before she could finish, Sophia lashed out, cutting her off sharply. "Celestia! I really thought you were my best friend. How could you do this to me?!" Sophia screamed, her voice breaking, face flushing red with fury. One look at Celestia's still-gorgeous yet pale face, and the emotions she had been holding back exploded - anger, bitterness, and jealousy she didn't know she had. "So you planned this from the beginning? All your warnings about me not marrying him-was that just part of your scheme? You were jealous of me being with him, weren't you? That's why you pulled this disgusting stunt. I can't believe how fake you really are! I was completely blind!" With every word that came out of Sophia's mouth, her tears came harder, burning with betrayal. Her accusations hit Celestia like ice daggers, straight through the heart. The pain was searing, unbearable. She shook her head furiously, desperate to be heard. "No, that's not it, Sophia, please, you have to believe me, I never-" She reached out with trembling hands, trying to grab hers, only for Sophia to yank hers away like the touch burned. "Don't! Don't pretend anymore! I see you for who you really are now!" Sophia suddenly raised her hand, and Ethan instantly realized what she intended to do. "Sophia, don't!" he shouted, trying to stop her, but it was too late. Smack! The sound was ruthless. The force of the slap twisted Celestia's head to the side. A wave of dizziness hit her, the sting on her cheek flaring up instantly while a metallic taste filled her mouth. Blood trickled subtly from the corner of her lips, mixing with tears as they welled up in her eyes. Her gaze turned slowly back to Sophia. Twelve years of friendship, and she'd never seen her like this-erratic, consumed by rage. It terrified her. More than that, it broke her. She knew-even if none of this was something she meant, she'd still hurt Sophia deeply. Maybe she deserved that slap. But what hurt the most... was realizing that Sophia's trust had always been this fragile. "Celestia, we're done. I never want to see you again!" Sophia snapped, her voice shaking with fury as she turned around and bolted out the door, tears blurring her vision. Ethan looked torn as he glanced at Celestia, his hand twitching like he wanted to say something-but in the end, he stayed silent and quickly chased after his sister. Seeing that, Celestia moved to follow, but just as she lifted her foot, a strong hand grabbed her wrist. "Where do you think you're going?" came a low, smooth voice close behind. That hand spun her around effortlessly, and what met her gaze was Jareth's trademark cocky smirk and half-naked torso. "Let go of me," Celestia snapped, eyes cold as ice. Her voice trembled ever so slightly, laced with disgust at the man now standing so arrogantly in front of her. "Why'd you say that just now? When did I ever ask you to take responsibility?" Jareth ignored her anger, one eyebrow quirking playfully. His lips curled up in an amused grin as he leaned in. "I much preferred the version of you from last night...The one moaning sweetly beneath me." "You're disgusting," Celestia spat, face flushed with rage and embarrassment. She yanked her arm free, her glare filled with loathing. Truth be told, she'd never liked him-not even a little. His reputation as a flirt was bad enough, and the only reason she ever tolerated him was because he was Sophia's fiancé. But after last night... just thinking about it made her stomach churn. "Nothing happened last night," she bit out. "I don't need you taking responsibility. If you want to make things right, do it for Sophia." But her serious words only made him laugh. "You really turning down the engagement?" Jareth raised an eyebrow, the smirk on his lips not quite reaching the unreadable glint deep in his dark eyes. "Pretty soon, everyone will be whispering about how you ended up in bed with your best friend's fiancé the night before her wedding. Think any guy out there's still gonna want you after that?" The smile faded, replaced by an icy sneer. Not wanting to waste another breath on him, Celestia just shot back, "My love life is none of your business," and stormed out of the room. The door slammed shut behind her. Jareth's grin faded instantly. A cold scoff escaped his nose, and his sharp gaze turned dangerous. Let's see how long she can keep that head held high. After hearing that Sophia had left the hotel, Celestia rushed all the way to the Quinns', only to be shut out at the door. Mrs. Quinn, who used to treat her like her own daughter, now didn't even pretend to be polite. Determined to make things right, Celestia stood under the blazing sun for nearly three hours until the Quinns' butler finally came out and gently told her to leave.