Chapter 61 A Dead Kitten
Celene’s POV
I saw the moment the hurt of my rejection passed through his face. I saw it and I almost took back my words… almost… but I didn’t. I couldn't.
But God knows I wanted to.
Azaziel was fictional… he wasn't even real. Even the female lead in my book was very different from me.
Dammit... my head was in a tailspin!
I needed to leave. To clear my head. To think clearly without his imposing presence hovering around me.
For several seconds after I pushed him away, Cole didn’t move.
His hand slowly dropped from my waist. The warmth of his touch disappeared, leaving my skin strangely cold. I kept looking into his eyes, hoping fir something, anything...
Something flickered across his face, something raw and unguarded, but it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. His expression hardened again, the familiar signature 'Cole Ryder' mask of control sliding back into place.
“Alright,” he said quietly.
Just that. No anger...no argument...nothing...
That somehow made me feel worse. I t was almost like I didn't know what I wanted... almost like I was deciding to suffer instead of choosing what my heart clearly wanted...
I wrapped the towel tighter around myself, suddenly very aware of how vulnerable I looked standing there in front of him.
“I'm going to give you some space,” he continued after a moment. “Get dressed. The clothes I bought should fit.”
He turned and walked toward the door without looking back.
The door clicked shut behind him.
And the silence he left behind felt heavier than his presence ever had.
The next morning, I couldn’t take it anymore.
The mansion felt too big. Too quiet... too full of him. His scent... his aura...
Every hallway reminded me of his eyes watching me. Every room carried the memory of the way his voice softened when he said my name.
Even the garden felt different now.
I found Jeffery in the kitchen, pouring himself coffee.
He looked up when I walked in.
“Miss Celene.”
“Jeffery, I need a favor.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, already suspicious of my request...
“That depends on the favor.”
“I want to go home.”
The silence that followed was immediate and thick.
“I don't think Boss would approve of that.”
“Well, thats why I’m not asking him.”
Jeffery sighed and rubbed a hand over his jaw.
“Miss Celene—”
“Jeffrey... I just need to get a few things,” I pressed. “My books. My laptop. My clothes. My toiletries...I left everything there.”
“Toiletries? You have everything you need here.”
"Not everything... my uhm... pads...tampons...bras..." I was making a fool out of myself...
"Miss Celene...You have enough 'toiletries' Jeffery said, emphasising the word luke heals did not believe the crap that just left my mouth.
“That’s not the point,” I snapped, my frustration spilling out.
I lowered my voice immediately.
“I just… I need to see it. My house. My life. Just for a little while... I have't even been able to go to school...”
Jeffery studied my face for a long moment.
“You understand why that’s dangerous.”
“I’ll be quick,” I promised. “Thirty minutes. That’s it.”
He hesitated again.
Then finally muttered under his breath, “Jesus... Boss is going to kill me.”
I heard it, and i knew he was right, but i just needed to leave for a bit... besides, we would be back before big, bad Boss finds out, anyways...
The drive felt surreal.
The city looked exactly the same as it always had. People walking down sidewalks. Cars honking. Life continuing as if nothing had happened.
As if I hadn’t almost died.
As if I hadn’t spent the last several days living inside the mansion of a mafia king.
Jeffery parked outside my house and looked at me.
“I’m coming inside with you”
“Fine.”
We stepped out of the car together.
For a moment, I just stood there staring at the familiar front door.
This place had once been my entire world.
Now it felt like someone else's memory.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The air was stale from lack of ventilation...
The living room was still a mess. Papers scattered across the coffee table. A shattered glass mug scattered all around the ground...
I walked slowly through the space, my chest tightening.
My life.
My normal, boring, peaceful life.
Tears burned behind my eyes before I even realized what was happening.
“Fuck...I miss this,” I whispered.
Jeffery heard me but didn’t say anything... They was nothing he could say to stop the pain of being uprooted from my life....
I moved toward my bedroom, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.
“I’ll just grab a few things—”
I pushed the door open.
And froze.
For a second my brain refused to understand what I was looking at... but then the smell hit me.
Something was rotting inside my room.
My stomach lurched.
There was a cat sprawled across my bed.
Its body stiff. Blood dried into the white sheets beneath it.
A small knife had been pushed straight through its tiny chest, and taped to the wall above the bed was a piece of paper with just two words written in thick black ink.
Hello Kitten.
The scream tore out of my throat before I could stop it was deep and fucking dark!
I felt Jeffery rushing towards me, he stopped behind me and swore violently.
"Celene!! Are you ok? Slowly step away from the door... ok? Are you listening to me?!!"
I could hear him,but I could not respond. It felt like i has been locked in a tight bubble
“Oh God,” I gasped, stumbling backward, my hands shaking uncontrollably. “Oh God… oh God…”
The entire room spun.
"Jesus...Jeffery...Jeffery...Someone had been here"
The thought hit me over and over again like a train wreck... Someone had been inside my house.
Watching and waiting...
Waiting for me to return and find this...
Jeffery pulled his phone out immediately.
“I told you this was a bad idea,” he muttered grimly as he dialed.
The line connected.
“Boss,” he said, his voice turning deadly serious.
“We’ve got a problem.”