Chapter 25
Philip boarded the plane to Asterwynn, stepping into the teeth of a raging storm.
As the aircraft taxied down the runway and lifted into the turbulence, the cabin filled with the weary sighs of business travelers.
“Of all days for the bid opening to be tomorrow. With weather like this, I just hope we make it down in one piece.”
“I heard the captain say we might hit some nasty turbulence on landing…”
Philip barely registered the chatter around him. Every second dragged by, heavy with dread.
Why had Celly come back to Asterwynn?
Who was that man beside her?
Why wouldn’t she see him?
The questions gnawed at him until a sudden, violent jolt shook the plane. The captain’s voice crackled over the intercom.
“We’re expecting some turbulence. Please keep your seatbelts fastened…”
A tense pause.
“We may need to prepare for an emergency landing…”
The turbulence worsened, the jolts rattling teeth and nerves alike.
Philip’s heart pounded. Around him, some passengers began to pray. Others called home, hurriedly whispering goodbyes.
Is this really how it ends?
Even as the plane was tossed in the maelstrom, Philip’s mind couldn’t let go of Celly–Celeste–the girl who’d been by his side for thirteen years.
He’d sent her message after message.
All of them bounced back, unread.
Why wouldn’t she answer him?
The aircraft finally shuddered to a halt, the ordeal over. Relief and joy erupted in the cabin–laughter, applause, people hugging strangers.
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Philip felt only nausea twisting his gut. He kept his expression cold, staring at his phone as his desperate messages vanished into the void. Eager to escape, het forced back the urge to vomit, ordered someone to track Celeste down, and drove straight to find her.
In the face of death, there had been only one person in his heart.
He had to see her.
“… The emergency landing was successful. All passengers are safe…”
The news anchor’s voice murmured from the TV.
Celeste had turned the television on just for some company; the apartment felt too silent, too empty.
She caught the host on screen, overcome with emotion, celebrating the survival of everyone onboard.
A reluctant smile curled her lips.
Maybe, she thought, today really hadn’t been so bad after all.
Later, close to midnight, hunger crept in. She ordered takeout, only to get a call from the delivery driver.
“Security’s too tight at Moonwater Grove. They won’t let me in.”
“Wait there, I’ll come down.
She hadn’t found a housekeeper yet. There was no one else, so she slipped on her coat and headed downstairs herself.
As she reached the gate and accepted her food, a voice called out–sharp, familiar, unmistakable.
“Celly!”
That name, that voice. There could only be one person.
Her fingers clenched tight around the plastic bag as she turned, heart pounding.
There he stood, once the picture of confidence, now disheveled and pale, c his stomach–but those eyes, fierce and desperate, never left her face.
hing
He’d finally found her.
But the anger over her silence flared in him, and Philip closed the distance in a few
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Chapter 25
strides, reaching to grab her arm.
“Do you have any idea how long you’ve been gone? Seven days. Twelve hours. Twenty–nine minutes. You came back to Asterwynn and didn’t tell me a word. Do you know how worried I’ve been-?”
4
Above them, the grand clock tower in the heart of Moonwater Grove chimed midnight.
Happiness, Celeste thought, is like Cinderella’s ballgown–when the hour’s up, it all vanishes, leaving nothing behind.
Her heart ached for Philip, but her body moved first, stepping out of reach.
“You remember every second, but it doesn’t matter anymore,” she said quietly. “Whatever we had is over. From now on, you go your way, and I’ll go mine. We’re done.”
She was starving. At this point, the warm meal in her hands meant more than any regret over a failed love.
Celeste turned to walk away.
But Philip seized her wrist, refusing to let go.
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