Chapter 147 Can't Go Back
Then his eyes moved again and involuntarily landed on Adrian. He was standing across the room talking to someone in that calm and relaxed manner like nothing had happened. Like the conversation they had minutes ago meant nothing.
Derek’s jaw tightened, his anger rising up again just by merely looking at him. Adrian looked up and their eyes met again.
And this time, there was something in Adrian’s face. It was a faint, knowing look.
Derek felt it and he didn’t like it. Not one bit. He looked away first.
“I’m not doing this here,” he told himself and without another thought, he turned and walked out.
The cool night air hit his face as soon as he stepped outside but it did nothing to calm him, not even a little.
He had just taken a few steps when he felt something or rather someone bump into him.
“Derek!”
He stopped and his body went still. That voice again. He had to be mistaken, he thought as he turned, and there she was.
Celia, looking at him with a wide smile that seemed to irritate him now.
Before he could even react, she reached him and wrapped her arms around him.
“H—”
Derek stiffened immediately.
What is she doing?
His hands didn’t move to hold her, instead, he pulled her off immediately, making it clear he didn't want her doing that.
“Celia,” he said, his voice tight. “What are you doing?”
She looked up at him, a small smile on her face as though nothing was wrong with what she'd just done.
“I heard you were here,” she said. “I came to see you.”
Derek stared at her, still just understanding how that connected with her hugging him the way she did like they were married or in a kind of relationship.
“And hugging me like that?” he asked. “Do you not remember I’m married?”
The words came out sharp and clear, surprising Celia whom in her life would never had expected him to say that to her directly.
Not letting it show that it affected her, she quickly covered it with a laugh.
“Married? To who?” she said. “Derek… Rebecca already left you.” she said innocently as though she was only trying to help him remember.
“And I heard she’s already seeing someone else,” she added. “If you ask me, I think it won’t be long before she asks for a divorce.”
Derek’s expression changed, his eyes piercing into her like he wanted to put a hole in her body by just looking.
“It’s a good thing I didn't ask for your opinion. So, just keep your thoughts to yourself. Rebecca is still my wife and we're married,” he said coldly.
Celia frowned, wondering why he was acting cold towards her all of a sudden. “Wait, haven't you heard?” she said, deciding to continue with her act.
“Rebecca is going out with someone else. You should stop holding on to something that's in the past and look at what's right in front of you——”
“And by that, do you mean you? Because if you do then I'm sorry to tell you I don't see you. You're the one in my past who needs to stop coming to me,” he added.
That stopped her, completely. The smile on her face slowly disappeared and she eyed him.
Derek took a breath. “You should stop of all these. I’m tired,” he said.
Celia frowned slightly. “Tired of what?”
Derek took a good look at her this time abd ut confirmed to him that indeed there was nothing there. No pull, no warmth, no anything.
“I’m tired of you trying to bring up the past to make me feel something for you that isn’t there anymore. Everything that happened between us is already in the past. We can't go back to any of that,” he said slowly as though trying to explain himself to a five year old.
“But—”
“I already have someone,” he cut in before she could say whatever it was she had to say.
Celia opened her mouth to speak but no words came out because she could see it. Something had changed.
Derek didn’t wait to hear anything else she wanted to say. He just turned and started walking away.
“Derek!” she called after him. “I just want to talk—”
But he didn’t stop, neither did he turn or slow down. He just kept walking straight to his car, each step steady and clear.
He started the car and as he drove off into the night his mind was already set.
He wasn’t going to sit back anymore. He wasn’t going to watch from a distance. After his confrontation with Adrian, he was going to go after his wife fully and properly.
And this time, he wasn’t going to stop or let his past come in between them.