Chapter 197

The room was warm and cozy, everything looked so perfect—but for Celestia Brooks, it felt like a storm was simmering, on the brink of crashing in. Her eyes stayed calm, almost too calm, like a glassy lake in autumn. She never once looked away from Jareth Carrington. It was like she didn’t even notice the brewing storm behind his eyes, didn’t blink once. “Let’s just live our own lives from now on,” she said, her tone flat, totally expressionless. Then she gave a faint smile, as if amused by her own words, and added, “Actually, not even from now—hasn’t it always been like that? We’ve always done our own thing. Nothing’s changing, really. I won’t bother you, and I hope you’ll do the same.” Her tone was light, almost too light, like the topic was nothing more than the weather. Jareth’s brows, already furrowed tight, drew even tighter—like he could crush something between them. His lips pressed into a hard line, and that cool edge in his voice was almost icy. His dark eyes were sharp and pi