Chapter Eleven
Celeste’s POV
I sat by my studio window, gazing out at the street below with longing for my daughter. I’d seen her once in the past three months.
My heart ached as the memory came back afresh.
Damien and I arranged for me to fetch Bonnie from preschool and take her for ice cream. I arrived half an hour early. My fingers drummed on the steering wheel as I waited.
A knot of anxiety twisted my stomach. It had been weeks since I’d seen Bonnie in the hospital. She’d caused me unfathomable pain that day.
Only a few minutes later, I saw her walking hand in hand with Vanessa. They laughed together like mother and daughter as they walked to one of Damien’s cars.
That bitch.
I called the school almost daily to ask how Bonnie was doing. Vanessa always fetched her late–when she remembered to fetch her at all.
This wasn’t a coincidence.
Vanessa jumped out of her skin when I walked up to them.
“Celeste, what a surprise.” She said with a sickly sweet voice once she recovered.
I threw her a deadly glare before turning my attention to Bonnie. She’d grown a little taller and had lost too much weight.
“Hi, honey. Mommy missed you soooo much.”
I opened my arms as a swell of emotion threatened to overtake me. Reluctantly, my daughter stepped into my embrace. I squeezed her like I could catch up on lost time.
The memory became too painful.
All too quickly, she wriggled out of my arms and clung to Vanessa’s side. Bonnie refused to come with me. Vanessa had promised to take her to Build–A–Bear.
Needles pricked my heart when I realised I had raised such an ungrateful child.
To distract myself from the pain, I threw myself into my partnership with Grace. We rented a cosy apartment together with enough space for a studio and office to run a jewellery business.
It was the most alive I’d felt in years.
“Wow, Celeste. I love your new bracelet design.” Grace’s eyes scanned a page as she walked into my studio.
“Really?”
She winked and took a seat on the chaise beside me.
“It’s unique and brilliant, just like you.‘
Pride blossomed in my chest. The walls of my studio were lined with my design sketches, all signed under the pseudonym “Rosemary“.
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“Thanks, I wasn’t sure if the links worked.”
“Oh, they work.” She tapped the page. “I think this will be hit.”
I smiled, my spirits lifting.
She placed the page on my worktable. Sparkling gemstones wire of various precious metals, and the tools ! needed to create my masterpieces lay strewn across it.
“I’ll craft the piece today.” I said, eager to bring my design to life.
“I can’t wait to see it.” She smiled before standing up. “I need to go. I have a meeting downtown in an hour.”
Grace handled sourcing orders and pitching to investors. Her social skills and business acumen reeled in the big fish. Only three months into the business, and we already had an overflow of orders from many of the wealthy elite.
“You’ll do great. See you later.” I gave her a hug.
“I’ll bring home dinner.” She said as she left the studio. “Keep up the incredible work, Celeste.”
This was the life I’d dreamed of when I applied for design school. I’d made my mark in the jewellery world as an up–and–coming designer. I wouldn’t brood over Bonnie’s rejection.
Stretching my strained shoulders, I sat at my worktable and did what I loved.
The smell of mouth watering spices tickled my nose. I looked up from the sapphire I was polishing to see the sun disappearing over the skyline.
Light flooded my studio, and I blinked rapidly as my eyes adjusted. Grace leaned against the doorway, her hand on her hip as she gave me a pointed stare.
“You didn’t take a single break in the last five hours, did you?”
“Guilty as charged.” I said with a rueful grin.
She walked in and peered over my shoulder.
“Wow.” She breathed.
“It turned out great, right?”
“Absolutely beautiful.” She pulled out my chair. “Now leave it and come eat.
“But I really want to finish the bracelet. I’m almost done.”
“You said you were craving curry. I guess I’ll go eat it on my own.”
My stomach grumbled as I bolted out of my studio into the dining room.
“Oh my god, Grace, I could kiss you right now.”
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She’d gone to my favourite Indian restaurant that was an extra thirty minutes out of her way. I’d been craving their tikka masala curry for days.
Grace laughed at my antics.
“Let’s eat.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice. We ate in companionable silence and I savoured each bite.
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“Oh my god, I just remembered!”
Grace blurted, and I flinched, choking on my food.
“Sorry,” She said, passing me a glass of water. “You’ll never believe what I heard about Vanessa.”
“Spill already.” I said, intrigued.
She handed me an envelope. “We got this today. It’s an anonymous letter.”
I took it, my curiosity piqued. I opened it and started reading. My eyes widened as I went through the contents.
“Vanessa plagiarized her way into college?” I blurted.
Grace nodded, her expression grim. “Yeah, and she used her connections to cover it up.
Somehow, this didn’t surprise me. The more I learnt about her, the more I understood how low she would stoop to get what she wanted.
I glanced back at the letter, my fingers tracing the words. “But who sent this? Someone from her past?”
Grace shook her head. “No idea. But whoever it is, they’re on our side.”
Grace continued, peeved. “I thought hatred was a line you cross, but she’s taught me it has depth.”
“It’s appalling. Everything about her is fake.”
Grace rested her head on her knuckles. “It makes me wonder if she really couldn’t find a job after graduating.”
“You think she pretended to need work so I’d get her a job at Damien’s company?” I asked, as I considered her words.
“That’s it! She must have had offers from bigger companies. Damien’s company was still young back then.”
I sat back as the realization dawned on me. Our friendship had been a lie right from the beginning. She just used me to get to Damien.
“How could someone be so calculating?” I asked.
“I have no clue. But her reputation in the jewellery industry is a complete hoax.”
I shook my head. “It just makes me so mad.”
“Livid.” Grace agreed.
I took another bite of my food.
“James mentioned a university alumni event happening Saturday night. We should go.”
I hesitated. I hadn’t been in that crowd since falling pregnant.
What if I was out of my depth?
But then I thought about catching up with my old classmates and professors, perhaps finding inspiration. I had no reason to hide away.
Whispers of an idea curled into my mind, making my decision easy.
“Why not?” I said, a finger tapping my fork. “It could be fun.”
This was an opportunity I couldn’t miss.
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Chapter Twelve
