Chapter 32 My Responsiblity
\-Celeste-
I steadied myself, stepping out into the open like I hadn’t just received an ominous message.
David and Denise walked in front of me, engrossed in a conversation of theirs. While my mind was clouded with questions.
What did the message mean? Why now?
Just then, I felt my hands vibrate. I looked down and saw my phone ringing with that strange number from before.
I froze in place.
A shiver coursed through my spine, spreading a sinking feeling in my abdomen. My chest tightened with dread, and the tingling in my ears grew louder than the ringtone itself.
I didn’t hesitate. I answered, pressing the phone against my ears. My pulse raced wildly, but I needed answers.
“Hello?”
“Celeste.” A deep, monotonous, muffled voice responded. They were masking their identity. “I came to deliver my message.”
My heart stopped.
“Who are you?”
“My identity doesn’t matter. Don’t you want to hear what I have to say?” I could hear the twisted amusement in his tone.
“Stop this, whoever you are, stop!” I snapped, causing David and Denise to turn. “You can’t keep messing with me like this,” I breathed, “It’s so wrong—”
He cut in, ignoring my warning. “Well the good news is that your mother is alive, Celeste.”
The racing resumed, only louder and faster this time.
“… And the bad news…” his words slowed in a chilling manner, “is that you may never see her again because—”
A deafening gunshot ripped through the line, reverberating through my ears like I was in the middle.
I jerked hard with a muffled scream, the sound echoing through my head. “Hello? Hello? Are you still there?” My voice cracked through the silence on his side. “Hello?”
Then the line went dead.
Realization suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. He’d been shot.
“No, no, no.” My breath hitched. “God, no.” My knees trembled uncontrollably, legs melting like jelly until I almost fell.
Denise rushed to my side, helping me to a nearby spot so I could sit. I only felt worse. My breath came out in sharp gasps, heart pounding in my chest like a time bomb about to explode.
I fought back tears, but even my hands couldn't even steady themselves to wipe it off. I was having a panic attack.
“Celeste,” Denise called, gently squeezing my hands, “It’s alright. I’m right here. You’re alright,” she assured.
In the chaos, I handed her my phone. “They’ve shot him,” I stuttered. “He was about to tell me—now he’s dead.” I choked through the tears clouding my face.
I couldn’t think straight, not when I knew he was probably lying in a pool of his own blood.
Denise steadied me, trying to understand the situation. “I—I’ve been getting these weird calls—and messages.” I said in-between sobs.
“H-He said he had some news—bad and good, he was trying to tell—no he already told me and…they shot him. I think someone shot him…” I said breathlessly. “Oh, God. A person is dead because of me—”
“Celeste, look at me,” Denise snapped, holding my face in place. “He’s not dead. Do you understand? This person has been playing these pranks on you. They’re probably faking this too, do you understand?” She told me fiercely.
I wanted to believe. God knows I badly wanted to. But a part of me heard him gasp—or maybe it was in my head.
He’s dead. I knew he was.
She stared at the message, then handed the phone to David and they both exchanged a look. He tried calling the number, but there was no answer. His expression shifted as he got closer. “How long has this been going on?”
“Ever since that photo of that woman circulated,” I admitted. “Right now, I don’t know what to believe.” My voice trembled. “My family says she’s dead. But this person seems to think otherwise…and now, he’s…” My voice trailed off. I couldn’t say it out loud.
“We should report this to the cops, find out who they are,” David said with concern.
Denise nodded in agreement. But before we could say anything else, Fae’s assistant came for David.
“Fae says there’s some little she has to discuss with you.” She said apologetically.
He opened his mouth to protest, but told him it was fine.
“Take my car,” he offered, “I insist.”
And so we did. Denise drove.
Throughout the ride, she held onto my hand. No explanations. No reprimands. I was glad we remained that way.
When we got to the station, I explained everything. I watched the officer scribble in his notebook, nodding as if he believed me, even though his eyes betrayed him.
“Did you try calling the number back?” he asked.
“Yes. It’s active, but there’s… nothing. No voice, no signal. It just… connects and then nothing.”
He frowned, tapping his pen against the paper. “We can run a trace, but… if the call came from a private line, or an encrypted source, it’s basically impossible to track.”
I felt a chill creep over me. “Impossible?”
“Not completely,” he said carefully. “We’ll try and make a trace and see where it leads. But for now, I suggest you go home and rest, Miss Ashford.”
“Thank you, officer,” I said as we rose to our feet. There was nothing reliving about the entire situation. Perhaps it'll be too late when, whoever he was, will be found.
Just as we made our way out of the office, Lucien came hurrying in. My heart skipped, and I froze. I wanted to run into his arms, to grab onto him, but I remembered what he had said in the morning, the distance in his voice. I forced myself to step back.
“What is he doing here?” The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
Denise gave me a weird look. “I called him—”
“You shouldn’t have,” I said, sharper than I’d intended.
Her brows knitted in confusion, “I have to return David’s car, and I can’t have you all out here by yourself. That’s why I called him.”
She added softly. Though I could sense her annoyance.
Lucien stepped forward, his expression unreadable. “Thank you, Denise.” He said, “I’ll take it from here.”
After that, she left. Then I had to sit and wait while he discussed with the officer for the next half-hour.
When he was finally done, we drove home in a tensed, awkward silence. The events of this morning were still fresh in my mind, still unfinished.
When we got home, I quickly walked to my room, slamming the door hard before anything could happen.
My stomach rumbled restlessly after that, but I was too upset to even set feet in the kitchen, let alone cross paths with him tonight.
The contraceptive laid there staring at me, like it knew it had won. Without another thought, I took a pill and shoved it down my throat. With everything going on, a baby was the last thing either of us needed at the moment.
Better late than never, I told myself. Now all I could do was wait, and hope it worked.
A while later, I heard a knock on my door. I tried to ignore it, but I didn’t realize Lucien could be so annoying.
He kept knocking until I couldn’t hold back any longer. I rose to my feet, ready to scream in his face once the door opened, but the sweet smell of food hit my nose first.
He stared at me, eyes wide. “I made dinner. Let’s eat.” Then he turned and walked away.
I wanted to turn away and slam the door in his face again, but my stomach protested. So I caved.
The food was annoyingly good, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that. The awkward silence from before settled between us as we ate.
I hated that he looked completely unfazed. I hated that he cared, and somehow didn’t at the same time.
A part of me wanted to scream at him, just to shake something out of him, but it wasn’t necessary. So we stayed like that until he finally broke the silence.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were getting those calls and texts?”
“Because it’s none of your business,” I retorted.
Our eyes met, and I caught the faint annoyance tightening his expression.
His brows drew together. “What if something worse had happened today?”
“It already did—”
“We don’t know that for sure!” he snapped.
A beat of silence and exhaustion.
My jaw clenched. Every damn thing between us always managed to turn into an argument, and tonight… I just didn’t have the strength.
So, I focused on my food instead.
He exhaled sharply, dropping his cutlery as his gaze locked on me.
“By law, we’re married, and you’re my responsibility,” he said, his voice hard and firm. “But, I don’t care about the law. From now on, I’m claiming the right to protect you, whether you like it or not.”
Heat flushed through me, like a teen girl with her crush.
My fork froze halfway into my mouth as his words sank in. And for the first time tonight, I felt the tiniest spark of something I wasn’t ready to name.