Chapter 254

Celestia Brooks didn’t ignore Isabelle Ryan’s words—far from it. She just kept a blank face, her delicate features unreadable, even though her mind was chaos. Across the table, Isabelle’s eyes locked on Celestia’s face, sharp and perceptive, catching every twitch, every flicker of emotion. She stared for a long while, lips curving into a smile before she finally spoke. “I mean... probably not, right?” Her long lashes lifted slightly as her tone turned serious. “After everything Jareth did to hurt you, if you’re still into him, that’d be... well.” She let the last word hang in the air, the unspoken meaning striking far deeper than anything directly said. But before she could finish, Celestia cut her off, her tone clipped and cold. “No. I don’t love him.” She broke eye contact, grabbed her water, and took a sip, hoping it would cover the storm inside her. She knew Isabelle was baiting her, trying to get her to slip—but that didn’t mean she could lay her heart bare. Not now. Even in her t