Chapter Seventeen
+25 BONUS
Chapter Seventeen
Celeste’s POV
“Celeste, dear, come in.” My mother beamed at me from her front door.
“Hi, mom.” I handed her a bouquet as I walked into my childhood home.
She squeezed the breath out of me before shutting the door.
“Oh, they’re lovely.” She said, fetching a vase. “What’s the occasion?”
I sat on a barstool facing the kitchen window. The swings of the old treehouse my father had built swayed in the afternoon breeze.
“There’s no occasion. I just thought of you when I saw them.”
She placed the vase on the island before sitting beside me.
“How have things been, Celeste?”
Her voice betrayed her worry.
“Honestly? Really great.” I said. “I find designing jewelry so stimulating. I could do it forever.”
The purple hydrangeas I’d bought because they were my mother’s favorite caught my eye. My heart ached.
Would my daughter do the same?
I blinked back tears.
“The hard part is being separated from Bonnie.”
My mother rested her hand on mine, nodding. I could see my pain reflected in her eyes.
“I–miss Bonnie so much, too.” Her voice quivered.
I wasn’t the only one suffering.
“I tried calling her on that smartwatch thing she has, but she never picks up.” Tears slipped past her cheeks. “And when she does, she speaks to me like I’m a stranger, not her grandmother.”
As much as I longed for my daughter, I was also deeply disappointed in her. I thought I’d raised her better than this.
I handed my mother a tissue from the box on the counter.
We both needed to heal.
“Oh, I brought some things to show you.” I said, changing the subject.
“Let’s see it, dear,” she said as she dried her face.
I dug out several velvet boxes from my laptop bag and a folder full of sketches.
“I wanted to show you some of my work,” I said, anxious for her opinion.
She opened the nearest box.
Nestled inside was a pair of earrings. The crisp curves of silver offset the spray of rich emerald stones.
1/3
+25 BONUS
Chapter Seventeen
“Celeste,” she breathed. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life.”
She opened the next box and inhaled.
Carefully, she lifted an elegant diamond necklace. It hit the light and a rainbow of colors danced on her face.
“I take that back. This is the most beautiful.”
I smiled at her. The look of awe on her face was all I could ever ask for.
“Here.” I took the necklace. “Let me.”
I stood behind her. Brushing her hair aside, I clasped it around her neck.
“Celeste, what are you doing?” she asked.
I centered the diamond between her collarbones before standing back to admire my work.
“I must have been thinking of you when I made it, because it suits you perfectly.”
My mother went to the mirror.
“It’s magnificent.”
“Keep it, mom.”
Her head whipped around.
“Celeste, I couldn’t-” she started.
“I don’t want to hear it.” I held up a finger. “It’s a small gift in comparison to everything you’ve done for me.”
She softened.
“I must’ve done something right to be blessed with a daughter like you.”
Her kind words felt like knives.
I smiled and sat back down, shoving thoughts of Bonnie out of my mind.
“Your career is doing well,” she said as she joined me. “But what I’m really concerned about is your happiness.”
“What do you mean?”
“After your father passed, I was so lonely.” Unshed tears shone from her eyes. “I was about your age now when it happened.”
“Oh, mom.” I said gently. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
“I don’t want you to suffer the same fate.”
She really worried about me
“For now, I just want to focus on myself. Pursuing my career, finding direction, learning to value myself. These things make me happy.”
I smiled wholeheartedly, knowing what I said was true.
“And if someone catches my eye along the way, I’d give them a chance.”
My mother watched me for a moment.
Chauter Seventeen
+25 BONUS
“I like this new air of self assurance you carry.” She nodded with approval. “It’s very becoming.”
I laughed and we moved on to lighter topics.
We chatted for hours. When dinnertime came around, I devoured my mother’s lasagne.
The sky through the window was dark and still as I washed the dishes. I’d chased my mother from the kitchen so she could retire early.
Once everything was clean, I sat with my legs folded beneath me on the sofa. I opened my laptop. The screen flickered on, showing far too many open tabs.
I read through a pending order. Then scrolled through various design blueprints, searching for the right one. Time flew as my work engrossed me.
An urgent knock startled me.
I checked the time as several more knocks echoed through the house. It was so late. Who could be outside at this hour?
I opened the door and gasped.
It was Damien.
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