Chapter 16
Celeste POV:
I applied a touch of makeup, trying to hide my pale complexion and give myself a healthier appearance.
Outside the window, snowflakes danced gracefully in the air. Looking at the wintry scene, I rummaged through almost all of my thick clothes and wrapped myself tightly like a pie.
Chemotherapy had severely weakened my body, leaving my immune system fragile and vulnerable, like a delicate porcelain doll. Every two days, I had to go to the hospital for routine blood tests to monitor my red and white cell counts. If those counts fell too low, I’d require immediate medical intervention.
Even a slight fever could put my life at risk, so I couldn’t afford to neglect keeping warm. I chose comfort and warmth over looking fashionable.
Carefully, I touched the back of my head, where my hair had started thinning noticeably. With a quiet sigh, I pulled on a soft black knitted hat to conceal it.
As expected, Julian was opposed to my leaving the apartment. He shook his head immediately and sternly reminded me, “Celeste, your body can’t handle going outside right now. Your latest blood test shows your levels have dropped rapidly. As your doctor, I’m responsible for your safety.”
I looked up at him, eyes reddened with quiet desperation. “Julian, no one wants to face their ex–mate looking like a complete mess. Please let me go–I just want to end things while I still have some dignity left.”
He stared at me with hesitation and sympathy in his eyes. His eyes went back to the bottom of my bed, where there was a large box containing my hidden hair.
He finally sighed. “Okay, but…… you have to make sure you’re warm, don’t take off your hat, and don’t take off your
coat.”
“I promise. I’ll be quick, just going to perform the ritual of disconnecting the MATE relationship, and get the credentials. It won’t take long.”
“I’ll drive you.”
This time, I didn’t refuse his offer. I wanted nothing more than to end this mate bond swiftly.
Sitting quietly in Julian’s car, I began checking my phone.
There was a message from Lila–her ex–mate had suddenly returned from abroad, causing trouble at her workplace. No wonder she’d taken a leave and stayed out of contact recently.
Unexpectedly, Dominic had also sent me numerous texts. Most of them contained cold threats about my father’s life if I continued ignoring him.
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Chapter 16
I didn’t reply. I assumed he was merely anxious to finalize the divorce. Soon enough, I would grant him exactly that.
The private detective, Benjamin, had also messaged me extensively, attaching detailed files he’d uncovered.
The files revealed that my father, Anthony, and Delilah had an unusually close relationship. Each month, he spent nearly a third of his time at her place. Surveillance images clearly showed him staying overnight, leaving only in the early morning.
He had also transferred money to Delilah multiple times, even purchasing a luxury car worth a million dollars under her name.
My heart sank as unease washed over me. This was more than just friendly support–such attentiveness and spending far exceeded normal boundaries.
Since my mother’s departure many years ago, my father hadn’t remarried. I understood if he had certain needs, and I’d never judged or questioned him about it.
To a child, a father was always a noble figure–almost sacred. But seeing him shower such excessive attention on a girl young enough to be his daughter made me deeply uncomfortable. My previously unblemished image of him
had cracked.
With Delilah already deceased and my father lying unconscious, I had no choice but to temporarily accept the possibility of their romantic involvement.
Yet, even if Delilah was truly my father’s lover, he was always gentle and considerate by nature. Given their significant age gap, his affection was probably sincere. He would never deliberately harm her.
But if that were the case, why was Dominic filled with such rage and desperate for vengeance against my family?
Benjamin had gathered so much evidence in merely three days–proof of his impressive skill. Without hesitation, I transferred another deposit, asking him to investigate deeper into Delilah’s death.
Staring too long at my phone brought back waves of dizziness and nausea. Surveillance images replayed relentlessly in my mind.
Before seeing these files, I’d confidently believed my father to be an upright, honorable man. Now, doubt clouded my heart.
Snow fell softly over the city, wrapping everything in a pure white veil. Yet beneath this pristine façade, I knew
darker truths lay hidden.
The car stopped gently beside the curb. Julian, ever the gentleman, got out first and opened my door, offering me a steadying hand.
My condition had improved only slightly over the past few days, and my legs still felt weak. I must’ve appeared as delicate as glass.
“Be careful. The snow has made the ground slippery,” he cautioned gently.
lian’s eyes, I
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“Don’t worry, Julian. I’ll be careful,” I reassured him with a grateful smile. “Believe me, no one wishes to live m
than I do.”
I wouldn’t allow myself to die before uncovering the truth.
As I let go of Julian’s hand, turning slowly, my gaze locked with a familiar pair of eyes inside the black luxury car parked across the street.
Dominic.
He stared coldly at the place where Julian had touched me, his eyes fierce enough to send chills through me
I knew all too well the dark possessiveness lurking behind that look. Even if Dominic despised me, he would never tolerate another man laying a hand on me.
This was precisely why I’d always avoided growing too close with Julian. I didn’t want to put him at risk because of
- me.
Feeling Dominic’s glare like a blade against my skin, I quickly urged, “Julian, don’t you have surgery scheduled later today? Go ahead. I can take a taxi home afterward.”
“No rush,” Julian said with calm assurance. “The surgery is in the afternoon. I’d rather stay until you finish.”
My heart raced anxiously. I instantly switched to a cold tone, distancing myself firmly. “Julian, you and I have neither family ties nor personal connections. There’s no need to involve yourself in my life so much. Aren’t you worried about rumors?”
“If I cared about gossip, I wouldn’t have helped you in the first place.”
“You might not care, but I do,” I retorted sharply. “Julian, even if my relationship with Dominic has deteriorated, we’re still legally mate. I don’t want people talking behind my back. So please, stop involving yourself in my affairs. My life and death have nothing to do with you.”
With those harsh words, I turned away, leaving him stunned behind me.
Julian’s family was respected in the city, yet compared to the powerful Kingsford clan, they were insignificant. I refused to let Dominic misunderstand the situation and cause trouble for him.
Only after driving away did Julian fully understand. Catching a glimpse of the expensive car across the street in the rearview mirror, he finally grasped why I’d distanced myself so abruptly. He could only shake his head helplessly.
Despite everything, I still loved that man and didn’t want him to misunderstand.
Across the street, in Dominic’s car, Lucas shrank nervously into the driver’s seat, feeling a cold chill settle over his shoulders. He dared not look behind him.
Hearing Dominic’s icy scoff, Lucas nearly leaped out of his seat, voice trembling nervously, “A–Alpha Kingsford….?”
“Get out of my sight,” Dominic commanded in a dangerously low tone.
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Lucas turned pale, quickly fumbling for the door handle. “I’ll leave now. Should I call Jordan to drive instead?”
Beside him, Jordan gave his cowardly younger brother an annoyed glare and calmly nodded respectfully to Dominic. “Alpha Kingsford, I understand.”
He then got out of the car, vanishing swiftly into the swirling snow.
Only then did Lucas slap his forehead, belatedly realizing that when Dominic said “annoying,” he was referring to Julian–not himself.
Meanwhile, I stood nervously before the Werewolf Civil Hall, heart pounding anxiously as the man in black approached slowly.
Dressed entirely in black, Dominic stood out starkly against the pristine white snow. As he came closer, his handsome, ice–cold face became clearer, making me feel inexplicably nervous.
He stopped directly before me, his voice icy and tinged with mockery.
“Is it …… for that male wolf that you are so eager, to disconnect us?”
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