Chapter 3

Dragging herself through the doorway, Celestia barely made it into the house before her legs gave out-she blacked out right then and there. When she came to, it was already 7 PM. The blinding ceiling light pierced her half-open eyes, making them sting. She squinted, forcing herself to fully open them, and the first thing she saw was her dad's deeply worried face. "Celestia, you okay?" Henry Brooks let out a breath he'd been holding when his daughter finally woke up. He gently helped her sit up, tucked a pillow behind her back, and said softly, "Don't talk yet. Try to take a few sips of this oatmeal first." Celestia took the bowl he offered, forced down a couple of spoonfuls under his watchful gaze, then put it aside. "I'm fine now, Dad. Really, don't worry too much." She tried to smile, but it came out weak and shaky. Watching her pretend she was fine, Henry sighed inwardly. He waited until she looked a little more stable before asking, "What happened, Celestia? You went to Sophia's wedding, didn't you? But the news said it got canceled. What's going on?" As soon as those words left his mouth, the smile on Celestia's face froze. She silently dropped her gaze, dredging up the memories from earlier that morning. Henry grew more anxious when she didn't reply. "Celestia?" he called again gently. When she finally looked up, her eyes were already glistening with tears. "Dad..." Her voice broke. Just thinking about everything-the mistake she couldn't even explain, Sophia's slap, the accusations like knives-made her chest ache like someone had cut her open. Henry didn't know the full story yet, but her expression said enough. His heart cracked watching her fall apart. "Don't cry, sweetheart. Just tell Dad what happened. Whatever it is, I'm here for you." He pulled her into an embrace, gently patting her back, letting her cry it out. She sobbed hard in his arms for a long time. When the storm passed and she could breathe again, she finally told him everything-start to finish. By the time she was done, Henry's brow was tightly knit, his face unreadable, deep in thought. Jareth-Henry had met him twice before. The guy came off as cold and intimidating, with a mind you couldn't read if your life depended on it. Both times they talked, he felt like Jareth wasn't very fond of him. Definitely not someone you could size up easily. And now this man had somehow ended up in bed with his daughter after a drunken night? Henry couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't as simple as they looked. Celestia' sobs snapped him out of it, dragging his thoughts back from the swirl of doubts. "Sweetheart, stop blaming yourself. This isn't on you, alright? It was an accident, just a damn accident." Henry gently stroked his daughter's back as she cried in his arms. His face, weathered with age, showed nothing but pain and helpless love. She had always been tough, barely ever cried growing up, so seeing her break down like this was hard to bear. "You and Sophia have been close for years. I'm sure you two can sort this out." His voice softened. "Let her cool off a bit, and then try talking to her, okay?" Curled up against his chest, Celestia didn't respond. Feeling her shaking uncontrollably, Henry's heart clenched even tighter. "And don't worry about the rest-I'll take care of it. I won't let anyone hurt you," he said with quiet determination. After his wife passed, Celestia was all he had left, his entire world. He'd protect her no matter what. Celestia gave a small nod through her tears, barely holding it together. Even though Henry spent a fortune trying to suppress the scandal involving Celestia and Jareth, rumors spread like wildfire anyway. The next morning, headlines everywhere splashed the news, and just like that, the whole city was buzzing about this twisted triangle involving Celestia, Sophia, and Jareth. Celestia was labeled the "homewrecker." The press swarmed the Brooks' house day in, day out. Life as she knew it? Gone. Celestia couldn't even step outside without being mobbed. The whole Brooks household was in chaos. She called Sophia every day, hoping for just one conversation, but Sophia either hung up immediately or her number went out of service altogether. What hit them hardest, though, was something they hadn't seen coming-the Brooks Corporation's stock crashed, hitting record lows. Watching more gray hairs sprout on her father's head, Celestia was riddled with guilt. But she wasn't doing great herself either-she had lost a noticeable amount of weight in days, her face as pale as if she were seriously ill. And then came the final blow-her period was two weeks late. Sitting in the hospital, Celestia stared at the test report like her brain just stopped working. A full three minutes passed-she didn't blink, didn't move, just kept staring at that one terrible word. Pregnant. She was already two weeks along. No way... how could this be happening...