Chapter 107 We're Done
When Derek did not answer her, a smile curved on Celia's face.
“Are we?” Celia asked again, her voice quiet but steady.
He inhaled slowly, then turned around to face her fully. Whatever confusion had flickered in his eyes moments ago was gone now. In its place was something harder. Controlled, even.
“Yes,” he said firmly. “We are done.”
Celia watched him closely, as if measuring the weight of his words. She did not argue this time. She simply smiled, but it was different now. The smile was less playful and even more calculating.
“You can keep telling yourself that,” she replied calmly.
Derek walked toward the door and opened it without another word.
“This conversation is over,” he said. “You need to leave.”
For a brief second, she did not move. Then she picked up her handbag and walked past him. When she reached the doorway, she paused.
“You didn’t push me away immediately,” she said softly. “That matters.”
“It doesn’t,” he replied coldly.
She studied him one last time and chuckled seductively.
“We’ll see,” she said and then left.
The door closed. And for the first time since she walked in, Derek allowed his shoulders to drop.
The office suddenly felt smaller. The air felt heavier. He ran both hands through his hair and let out a long breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.
What had he just done? It had been one second. One stupid, careless second, yet too much had happened. Something he couldn't take back even if he wanted to.
“It meant nothing.” he told himself.
He repeated that in his head. “It meant nothing.”
There had been no feelings in it. No longing. No desire. Just shock. Just instinct. Just unfinished history rising to the surface without permission.
That was all.
He kept telling himself as he walked back to his desk and leaned both palms against it, staring down at the polished wood.
’You didn’t want her. You don’t want her.’
He forced himself to think clearly. Celia had kissed him. She had planned it. She had walked into his office knowing exactly what she was going to do.
And what had been him reacting.
That was different. It was a reaction, not a choice.
That was what he told himself, and slowly, he began to believe it.
After a few minutes, he pressed the intercom.
“Cancel my remaining meetings,” he said calmly.
There was a slight pause on the other end. “Sir?”
“Reschedule them for tomorrow.”
“Yes, Mr. Hemsworth.”
His voice hadn’t shaken. It hadn’t cracked. On the outside, he was still in control.
But inside, something felt unsettled. Not because he loved Celia. But because she had managed to make him question himself, and that was something he hated more than anything.
He grabbed his jacket and left the office earlier than usual.
As he stepped into his car, he leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes briefly. Rebecca’s face came to mind instantly.
Her soft smile. The way she looked at him carefully now, as if she was slowly learning to trust him again. The way she had accepted his flowers the other night with quiet relief.
And suddenly, guilt pressed heavily against his chest.
“You’re overthinking this. It was nothing. You don’t need to tell her. There was nothing to tell.”
He told himself as he started the engine. When Derek walked through the front door that evening, Rebecca was arranging flowers in the living room.
She looked up when she heard him. “You’re home early,” she said, surprised but pleased.
He forced a smile. “Finished faster than I expected.”
That was the first lie. Although it was small and simple, it was still a lie.
Unknowingly to Rebecca, the storm raging inside of Derek, she walked toward him. “You look tired,” she said softly.
He stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her without hesitation. She stiffened slightly at the sudden closeness, then slowly relaxed into him.
“I missed you,” he said quietly against her hair.
And that part was true. He'd missed her like crazy.
Rebecca blinked in surprise. He hadn’t been this openly affectionate during the day since after she mentioned Celia.
“You were only gone for a few hours,” she said lightly.
“Still,” he murmured, still holding her.
He held her a little longer than usual, as if trying to reassure himself of something. As if trying to anchor himself with the embrace.
Rebecca pulled back slightly and studied his face.
“Did something happen?” she asked gently.
“What? No,” he answered very quickly.
Rebecca noticed how his reply seemed to be like he was lying but she didn’t push.
“Okay,” she replied softly.
He kissed her forehead, then her temple, then her cheek.
She laughed quietly. “What’s gotten into you tonight?”
He smiled faintly. “Can’t I be affectionate with my wife?”
“Of course you can,” she said, though her eyes searched his face again.
Dinner that night was different. Derek talked more. He asked about her day. He listened carefully. He even reached across the table at one point and took her hand, rubbing his thumb gently across her knuckles.
Rebecca felt warmth rise in her chest. This was what she had wanted. This was what she had hoped for, and yet… there was something underneath it. Something she couldn’t name.
It wasn’t distance, or coldness like the day before. It was the intensity. As if he was trying too hard.
“You’re staring,” he said suddenly, catching her watching him.
She blinked. “Sorry.”
“What?” h
e asked softly.
“Nothing,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “I just… I’m happy.”
His chest tightened slightly at that. Happy. He squeezed her hand gently.
Good. That’s what matters.