Post by celeste on Mar 4, 2018 1:27:00 GMT -5
Celeste regained her senses. The crowd was in an uproar. She saw Ashley glaring at Nora. Then her attention was brought to the outside. CJ bashes Matt Gamble's head off the steel steps.
The fire in her boyfriend's eyes. She’s seen that look before. Not on Conner, but her father. When CJ takes up the chair, Celeste knew he was in a blind rage. This would not help him in the least bit. She rushed toward CJ and Matt, hoping to get there in time.
“What are you doing?!”
CJ’s voice could just be heard over the raving crowd. They wanted blood. And her boyfriend was more than happy to give it to them. But what made Celeste fearful is how much of the man she has come to know would be lost?
“Don't do this CJ. You already made your point okay?!”
Gamble shifted behind her. Celeste scooted toward CJ being sure to stay between him and Matt.
“I'm going to teach this guy a lesson!” He shouted.
“It's not worth it. STOP!”
Celeste glared at him for a moment and that was a mistake. CJ slams the chair down to the ground and storms off. The crowd boos the fact they have been denied being a witness to a beat down. Celeste watches him throw the curtain back as CJ heads backstage. She then goes after him, not bothering to check on Gamble...
~::~
There was nothing worse than waking up alone after sleeping in the same bed with the man or woman you've been in a relationship with for nearly a year. Celeste sat up. The blanket lay around her all twisted. Her sleep must have been restless. The faint moonlight bled through the curtains and fell upon her black hair which hid her anxious face.
Blue eyes darted in the dark. The heart beat against her chest more forcefully than usual. Sweat rolled down her bare back as her right hand clenched the folds of the blanket at her thighs.
What she would give to feel him next to her right now. To hear him breathing in tandem with her. The room was empty. For four days now, and the solitary confinement had no set sentence. It was no surprise to Celeste that her nightmares should return.
After months of peaceful sleep next to him, the dreams of flames and her mother calling her “father's” name bubbled up to the surface again. Celeste shut her eyes tightly. Her mind did not want her to forget. She just wanted to move on. Live a normal as possible life.
Celeste's eyes adjusted to the minimal light in the room. The first thing they focused on was one of CJ’s Boston Red Sox baseball caps.
“You promised to take me to a game one of these days.” she spoke softly to herself. Then she wondered how many promises would go unfulfilled? Her eyes drifted down to the ring on her finger.
“So what are you worth now?” Celeste frowned. “You said we'd get through anything. We'll work together. Then this one thing happens and you run away and then you treat me like crap on Twitter of all places!”
Her voice was a harsh whisper. Celeste grunted as she pulled the ring off and slammed it down onto the nightstand. The tears came back then. All week they have come. She was sick of this, yet didn't know what to do. Does she call him? Does she wait for him to call her? Nothing but a stalemate and her nerves had been shot. This being her first real relationship, Celeste felt like she was stumbling through the dark. Now literally as well as figuratively. She stood up and carefully made her way through the bedroom. Walking out into the living room, her eyes adjusted again to more light from a lamp she left on. Rubbing at her eyes, she groaned while wondering what time it was. The grogginess told her she hadn't slept enough that’s for sure.
Taking a seat on the couch, Celeste took her phone off the charger on the end table and looked at it. “Two in the morning. Great. I really could use someone to talk too.”
She thumbed through her contact list. Who to call at this hour? The names were fewer than she thought, but one stuck out. With some hope and a lot of guilt, Celeste hit the number of her manager.
The phone rang a few times. Each ring made her feel worse. Then suddenly his voice came through with a half-hearted ‘hello’.
“Christian, it's me, Celeste. Sorry for calling this late.”
“Good thing I keep late hours, huh?” His voice perked up a bit. It was a relief to her.
“I already feel bad for calling so late. I just needed to hear a friendly voice before I went crazy, being cooped up alone in my apartment this whole week.”
“I understand. Always here for you, like I said. Want me to get you a room somewhere so you can get out of town for a bit?” Christian asked with sincerity. The idea peaked her interest, however...
“I-I don't know. I don't think I should just in case CJ comes back. I just wish he understood why I stopped him from beating up Gamble. I don't know if you saw the SAP show on Evolve network on Monday?”
“DVR. Was heading to Phoenix Monday night. I think being there with him gone is just going to make it worse.” Her manager's concern made Celeste tear up a bit.
“I haven't been sleeping well, I can tell you that. He hasn't even tried to call me. Nothing but his tweets last night on Twitter…” Her voice begins to choke up. The harshness of his tweets felt just as bad as if he stood right in front of her and gave the cold shoulder. Christian’s voice came through again.
“He’ll get over it. He’s just jealous and insecure. Shows how much you mean when you get that kind of reaction. If you didn’t matter, he wouldn’t care, right?”
Celeste couldn't stop the sob that passed through her lips, but she was able to cut it short by agreeing with her manager.
“Y-yeah. My friend Jordyn said something similar to me when we hung out earlier today. *sniffles* It's like obvious he cares, but I know he doesn't understand why I did what I did and he didn't even give me a chance to explain.”
That hurt the worst. She knew it wouldn't have been so bad if she could just tell him why. Set CJ’s mind at ease.
“Let him chill out. He’ll come to his senses. Girls like you are too hard to replace, after all.” Christian said. Celeste could feel his smile over the phone. Another sob got cut short by a laugh.
“I hope so. I mean that's one of the reasons I didn't do so well at Genesis. Half my mind was elsewhere during that match.” She wished she could go back and refocus, but what is done is done.
“One match means nothing. I’m more interested in a happy you. You’ll be fine, it’s just a bump in the road. Everybody has them. Should have seen the hell I caught losing an umbrella once.” He said, trying to be reassuring.
“Losing an umbrella? I don't know if I want to know.”The odd comment about the umbrella made her laugh again.
“But it just wasn't a single bump. I lost all three nights. And just a week before I was a champion for 48 hours...this roller coaster is tough to deal with sometimes.”
“It is, there will be stretches like this your whole career. But I’m always behind you, and always believe in you.”
Celeste smiled. Even though Christian couldn't see it, he could hear it in her voice as she spoke.
“That makes me feel better Christian. Not many believe in me. Heck, sometimes I have trouble believing in myself.”
“I’ll make sure to believe enough for us both.”
There was a moment of silence. Celeste felt better already. She knew she needed to focus on what was to come in each company she worked for. She had to push aside what was happening with CJ if the situation did not resolve itself by the time the next events rolled around. With that, Celeste needed to make sure she wouldn't be left alone for FFW’s future card.
“Oh, I got the notice from FFW about the mixed tag match thing and um, I obviously thought that CJ and I could...or would...but I guess that might not happen, or won't. So I was wondering. Um. Would you like to be my partner for it?”
She nibbled on her lip nervously. Luckily Christian’s response was prompt.
“You got it. I said I’d always be in your corner. Now I don’t have to stand on the floor to do it!”
He could hear her laughter and relief. “Yes, now you will literally be in my corner. Thank you Christian. Really. I promise I'll do my best. I won't let us down.”
“I know you won’t. And regardless, I’m always here to pick you up when you fall.” There came a sigh from her end of the line.
“I feel a lot better now. I just needed to hear a friendly voice. I'm going to stay here a bit longer, but if I get too uncomfortable I'll take you up on the offer for a change of scenery.”
“Standing offer. Now try to get some sleep. Manager’s orders.” Christian said with a managerial tone.
“I will Christian. Have a good night.” Celeste ended the call and set her phone back onto the wireless charger. Rubbing her eyes, she made her way back to the bedroom, and hoped to get enough sleep for tomorrow.
~::~
The next day she woke up feeling better. Celeste was even happier as she rode up the elevator of a fancy hotel. She was finally going to see WL. It's been several months since their last rendezvous. Some intimacy was shared, but no lines were crossed. That may change today considering the circumstances...and heavy flirting in private social media…
The elevator doors opened and she stepped out. So close now. Her heart raced again. They both expressed several times how much they longed to see one another, but Celeste couldn't help feeling a bit apprehensive.
She approached the door to the penthouse carefully. Her nerves had the better of her and that little voice in her mind kept asking the same question over and over again. Should she be doing this?
The hesitation was momentary. The knock felt like an eternity. Celeste smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles in her Capri shorts and did a quick adjust to the white, lace tube top she wore. It was a balmy 85 degrees in Miami, but thankfully she was used to it and didn't sweat much despite the circumstances.
When the door opened, Celeste almost gasped. There he was, in the flesh after all this time.
WL stepped into the view, a rare sight in a T-Shirt and shorts, rather than his normal suit or dress shirts and slacks. His smile was warming. It had been a long time since the two had seen each other. But he noticed in her eyes, that something…. was different. He didn't know what it was, but his skills as a gambler, were seeing a tell.
“It's nice to see you again.”
“It certainly is.”
She said and managed a smile. The nervousness subsided a bit, enough for her to let out a soft sigh. A question sprung from her rose-colored lips, if for nothing else than to fill the momentary silence between them as she stood in the hallway.
“Have you been enjoying the weather?”
“Much better than Milwaukee, that's for sure. The team is enjoying the day away from Practice, but Coral insisted on taking everyone out for Lunch and Shopping. I have a feeling my Black Card may need to have the limit raised.”
He holds the door open, motioning for her to come in.
“I was a little surprised to hear you were coming up, you caught me off-guard.”
Celeste heads inside, brushing past him, and is met with a cool breeze from the air conditioning.
“I didn't mean to catch you off guard, but you and I both have been wanting so badly to see each other. Plus with what is going on, I couldn't stand to be alone in that apartment a minute longer.”
She places her purse on a small table near the door. Taking a quick glance around the penthouse makes her realize two if not three of her apartments could fit into this one place.
He closes the door and watches her glances around the penthouse. He sees the slight shock on her face, reflecting off one of the tall windows, the Miami cityscape and the ocean visible from this view. A chuckle nearly escapes his lips.
“It’s not much but I only need it for a few more weeks before we start the season, and head back to Pensacola. And yeah, I have been wanting to talk with you.”
He walks up behind her and points towards a certain part of the city, letting her gaze follow along his arm.
“Over there is yours and CJ’s apartment, if i remember right. At least I think so.”
“Yes. That's it. Not the fanciest of places but not an eyesore either. I think the palm trees help.”
Celeste lets out a small laugh. She can feel him behind her, the memories of their previous meetings surface, and she tries not to shiver. Taking a step closer to the window, which is a step away from him, Celeste looks toward the ocean.
“What have you been wanting to talk about?”
She asks while keeping her bright blue eyes on the waves that roll in.
“About… what happened. About us. And ….. about what can’t be. I've been doing a lot of soul searching, a lot of self reflecting, and a lot of self-assessment. As much as I care about you, it's just an impossible dream to be more than what we are. You have CJ, I have Coral. We each have our jobs. There just isn’t enough time for us right now.”
He walks over to the window, looking out towards the waves.
“I don't know if there will ever be an us…”
Celeste keeps her gaze on the ocean while her left hand rises up to touch the glass and slowly trace the horizon. Her right hand makes a fist as the pangs of disappointment surface. She nibbles on her bottom lip, trying to make sense of it all. Several moments pass. His eyes are on her, she knows this.
“I...I guess you are right. I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. To pursue...us...would destroy everything we have. And I know we both know this, but I don't know why we still dare to try it.”
“I wish I could give you a better answer on why, but it was just one of those things. Fate. Kismet. Dumb Luck. The cards were against us. And there has to be a time to know when to walk away.”
His right hand reaches up and takes her left hand, the two looking out at the horizon.
“We can play the “What If” til were old and gray, but there isn’t… there can’t be any…. Us. I’m sorry.”
She squeezes his hand once before pulling hers away. WL is right. He is always right. Celeste then at that moment realized one of the things which drew her to him was his wisdom. His older sensibilities. In this manner, however, they have become her enemy. She takes a step back from both him and the window.
“I-I’m sorry too.”
She stumbles on her words. Celeste wanted to flee right then. Feeling wrong. A little stupid. Hurt.
He sighs silently, knowing that this … was not how they wanted things to end. But, using his gambler’s mind, he knows that not every hand is a winner and there has to be a hand that you take the loss and move forward. Celeste was always a gamble, for many reasons, and for the longest time, she was worth the risk. But neither of them could or would risk everything and now, he knows she's hurt…and she's not alone.
Celeste couldn't speak another word. The lump in her throat grew too big. She hastily made her way out of the penthouse and down the hall. She practically dove into the elevator as soon as it opened and thankfully it didn't take long. If WL had appeared in the hallway, she didn't know what she would do.
The moment the doors shut, Celeste broke down. Loud sobs echoed in the small space. She couldn't stop her mind from replaying the words of her enemies: “Nobody can stand you, sweetie.”, “You live in a fantasy world.”
The voices of Eli Carlson and the Crimson Baroness plagued her. When the doors of the elevator opened, Celeste rushed through the lobby, then the parking lot to get to her car. She shut the door after getting in and didn't bother starting the engine. All she could do was cry…
And let the weight of the world crumble down upon her.
The fire in her boyfriend's eyes. She’s seen that look before. Not on Conner, but her father. When CJ takes up the chair, Celeste knew he was in a blind rage. This would not help him in the least bit. She rushed toward CJ and Matt, hoping to get there in time.
“What are you doing?!”
CJ’s voice could just be heard over the raving crowd. They wanted blood. And her boyfriend was more than happy to give it to them. But what made Celeste fearful is how much of the man she has come to know would be lost?
“Don't do this CJ. You already made your point okay?!”
Gamble shifted behind her. Celeste scooted toward CJ being sure to stay between him and Matt.
“I'm going to teach this guy a lesson!” He shouted.
“It's not worth it. STOP!”
Celeste glared at him for a moment and that was a mistake. CJ slams the chair down to the ground and storms off. The crowd boos the fact they have been denied being a witness to a beat down. Celeste watches him throw the curtain back as CJ heads backstage. She then goes after him, not bothering to check on Gamble...
~::~
There was nothing worse than waking up alone after sleeping in the same bed with the man or woman you've been in a relationship with for nearly a year. Celeste sat up. The blanket lay around her all twisted. Her sleep must have been restless. The faint moonlight bled through the curtains and fell upon her black hair which hid her anxious face.
Blue eyes darted in the dark. The heart beat against her chest more forcefully than usual. Sweat rolled down her bare back as her right hand clenched the folds of the blanket at her thighs.
What she would give to feel him next to her right now. To hear him breathing in tandem with her. The room was empty. For four days now, and the solitary confinement had no set sentence. It was no surprise to Celeste that her nightmares should return.
After months of peaceful sleep next to him, the dreams of flames and her mother calling her “father's” name bubbled up to the surface again. Celeste shut her eyes tightly. Her mind did not want her to forget. She just wanted to move on. Live a normal as possible life.
Celeste's eyes adjusted to the minimal light in the room. The first thing they focused on was one of CJ’s Boston Red Sox baseball caps.
“You promised to take me to a game one of these days.” she spoke softly to herself. Then she wondered how many promises would go unfulfilled? Her eyes drifted down to the ring on her finger.
“So what are you worth now?” Celeste frowned. “You said we'd get through anything. We'll work together. Then this one thing happens and you run away and then you treat me like crap on Twitter of all places!”
Her voice was a harsh whisper. Celeste grunted as she pulled the ring off and slammed it down onto the nightstand. The tears came back then. All week they have come. She was sick of this, yet didn't know what to do. Does she call him? Does she wait for him to call her? Nothing but a stalemate and her nerves had been shot. This being her first real relationship, Celeste felt like she was stumbling through the dark. Now literally as well as figuratively. She stood up and carefully made her way through the bedroom. Walking out into the living room, her eyes adjusted again to more light from a lamp she left on. Rubbing at her eyes, she groaned while wondering what time it was. The grogginess told her she hadn't slept enough that’s for sure.
Taking a seat on the couch, Celeste took her phone off the charger on the end table and looked at it. “Two in the morning. Great. I really could use someone to talk too.”
She thumbed through her contact list. Who to call at this hour? The names were fewer than she thought, but one stuck out. With some hope and a lot of guilt, Celeste hit the number of her manager.
The phone rang a few times. Each ring made her feel worse. Then suddenly his voice came through with a half-hearted ‘hello’.
“Christian, it's me, Celeste. Sorry for calling this late.”
“Good thing I keep late hours, huh?” His voice perked up a bit. It was a relief to her.
“I already feel bad for calling so late. I just needed to hear a friendly voice before I went crazy, being cooped up alone in my apartment this whole week.”
“I understand. Always here for you, like I said. Want me to get you a room somewhere so you can get out of town for a bit?” Christian asked with sincerity. The idea peaked her interest, however...
“I-I don't know. I don't think I should just in case CJ comes back. I just wish he understood why I stopped him from beating up Gamble. I don't know if you saw the SAP show on Evolve network on Monday?”
“DVR. Was heading to Phoenix Monday night. I think being there with him gone is just going to make it worse.” Her manager's concern made Celeste tear up a bit.
“I haven't been sleeping well, I can tell you that. He hasn't even tried to call me. Nothing but his tweets last night on Twitter…” Her voice begins to choke up. The harshness of his tweets felt just as bad as if he stood right in front of her and gave the cold shoulder. Christian’s voice came through again.
“He’ll get over it. He’s just jealous and insecure. Shows how much you mean when you get that kind of reaction. If you didn’t matter, he wouldn’t care, right?”
Celeste couldn't stop the sob that passed through her lips, but she was able to cut it short by agreeing with her manager.
“Y-yeah. My friend Jordyn said something similar to me when we hung out earlier today. *sniffles* It's like obvious he cares, but I know he doesn't understand why I did what I did and he didn't even give me a chance to explain.”
That hurt the worst. She knew it wouldn't have been so bad if she could just tell him why. Set CJ’s mind at ease.
“Let him chill out. He’ll come to his senses. Girls like you are too hard to replace, after all.” Christian said. Celeste could feel his smile over the phone. Another sob got cut short by a laugh.
“I hope so. I mean that's one of the reasons I didn't do so well at Genesis. Half my mind was elsewhere during that match.” She wished she could go back and refocus, but what is done is done.
“One match means nothing. I’m more interested in a happy you. You’ll be fine, it’s just a bump in the road. Everybody has them. Should have seen the hell I caught losing an umbrella once.” He said, trying to be reassuring.
“Losing an umbrella? I don't know if I want to know.”The odd comment about the umbrella made her laugh again.
“But it just wasn't a single bump. I lost all three nights. And just a week before I was a champion for 48 hours...this roller coaster is tough to deal with sometimes.”
“It is, there will be stretches like this your whole career. But I’m always behind you, and always believe in you.”
Celeste smiled. Even though Christian couldn't see it, he could hear it in her voice as she spoke.
“That makes me feel better Christian. Not many believe in me. Heck, sometimes I have trouble believing in myself.”
“I’ll make sure to believe enough for us both.”
There was a moment of silence. Celeste felt better already. She knew she needed to focus on what was to come in each company she worked for. She had to push aside what was happening with CJ if the situation did not resolve itself by the time the next events rolled around. With that, Celeste needed to make sure she wouldn't be left alone for FFW’s future card.
“Oh, I got the notice from FFW about the mixed tag match thing and um, I obviously thought that CJ and I could...or would...but I guess that might not happen, or won't. So I was wondering. Um. Would you like to be my partner for it?”
She nibbled on her lip nervously. Luckily Christian’s response was prompt.
“You got it. I said I’d always be in your corner. Now I don’t have to stand on the floor to do it!”
He could hear her laughter and relief. “Yes, now you will literally be in my corner. Thank you Christian. Really. I promise I'll do my best. I won't let us down.”
“I know you won’t. And regardless, I’m always here to pick you up when you fall.” There came a sigh from her end of the line.
“I feel a lot better now. I just needed to hear a friendly voice. I'm going to stay here a bit longer, but if I get too uncomfortable I'll take you up on the offer for a change of scenery.”
“Standing offer. Now try to get some sleep. Manager’s orders.” Christian said with a managerial tone.
“I will Christian. Have a good night.” Celeste ended the call and set her phone back onto the wireless charger. Rubbing her eyes, she made her way back to the bedroom, and hoped to get enough sleep for tomorrow.
~::~
The next day she woke up feeling better. Celeste was even happier as she rode up the elevator of a fancy hotel. She was finally going to see WL. It's been several months since their last rendezvous. Some intimacy was shared, but no lines were crossed. That may change today considering the circumstances...and heavy flirting in private social media…
The elevator doors opened and she stepped out. So close now. Her heart raced again. They both expressed several times how much they longed to see one another, but Celeste couldn't help feeling a bit apprehensive.
She approached the door to the penthouse carefully. Her nerves had the better of her and that little voice in her mind kept asking the same question over and over again. Should she be doing this?
The hesitation was momentary. The knock felt like an eternity. Celeste smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles in her Capri shorts and did a quick adjust to the white, lace tube top she wore. It was a balmy 85 degrees in Miami, but thankfully she was used to it and didn't sweat much despite the circumstances.
When the door opened, Celeste almost gasped. There he was, in the flesh after all this time.
WL stepped into the view, a rare sight in a T-Shirt and shorts, rather than his normal suit or dress shirts and slacks. His smile was warming. It had been a long time since the two had seen each other. But he noticed in her eyes, that something…. was different. He didn't know what it was, but his skills as a gambler, were seeing a tell.
“It's nice to see you again.”
“It certainly is.”
She said and managed a smile. The nervousness subsided a bit, enough for her to let out a soft sigh. A question sprung from her rose-colored lips, if for nothing else than to fill the momentary silence between them as she stood in the hallway.
“Have you been enjoying the weather?”
“Much better than Milwaukee, that's for sure. The team is enjoying the day away from Practice, but Coral insisted on taking everyone out for Lunch and Shopping. I have a feeling my Black Card may need to have the limit raised.”
He holds the door open, motioning for her to come in.
“I was a little surprised to hear you were coming up, you caught me off-guard.”
Celeste heads inside, brushing past him, and is met with a cool breeze from the air conditioning.
“I didn't mean to catch you off guard, but you and I both have been wanting so badly to see each other. Plus with what is going on, I couldn't stand to be alone in that apartment a minute longer.”
She places her purse on a small table near the door. Taking a quick glance around the penthouse makes her realize two if not three of her apartments could fit into this one place.
He closes the door and watches her glances around the penthouse. He sees the slight shock on her face, reflecting off one of the tall windows, the Miami cityscape and the ocean visible from this view. A chuckle nearly escapes his lips.
“It’s not much but I only need it for a few more weeks before we start the season, and head back to Pensacola. And yeah, I have been wanting to talk with you.”
He walks up behind her and points towards a certain part of the city, letting her gaze follow along his arm.
“Over there is yours and CJ’s apartment, if i remember right. At least I think so.”
“Yes. That's it. Not the fanciest of places but not an eyesore either. I think the palm trees help.”
Celeste lets out a small laugh. She can feel him behind her, the memories of their previous meetings surface, and she tries not to shiver. Taking a step closer to the window, which is a step away from him, Celeste looks toward the ocean.
“What have you been wanting to talk about?”
She asks while keeping her bright blue eyes on the waves that roll in.
“About… what happened. About us. And ….. about what can’t be. I've been doing a lot of soul searching, a lot of self reflecting, and a lot of self-assessment. As much as I care about you, it's just an impossible dream to be more than what we are. You have CJ, I have Coral. We each have our jobs. There just isn’t enough time for us right now.”
He walks over to the window, looking out towards the waves.
“I don't know if there will ever be an us…”
Celeste keeps her gaze on the ocean while her left hand rises up to touch the glass and slowly trace the horizon. Her right hand makes a fist as the pangs of disappointment surface. She nibbles on her bottom lip, trying to make sense of it all. Several moments pass. His eyes are on her, she knows this.
“I...I guess you are right. I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. To pursue...us...would destroy everything we have. And I know we both know this, but I don't know why we still dare to try it.”
“I wish I could give you a better answer on why, but it was just one of those things. Fate. Kismet. Dumb Luck. The cards were against us. And there has to be a time to know when to walk away.”
His right hand reaches up and takes her left hand, the two looking out at the horizon.
“We can play the “What If” til were old and gray, but there isn’t… there can’t be any…. Us. I’m sorry.”
She squeezes his hand once before pulling hers away. WL is right. He is always right. Celeste then at that moment realized one of the things which drew her to him was his wisdom. His older sensibilities. In this manner, however, they have become her enemy. She takes a step back from both him and the window.
“I-I’m sorry too.”
She stumbles on her words. Celeste wanted to flee right then. Feeling wrong. A little stupid. Hurt.
He sighs silently, knowing that this … was not how they wanted things to end. But, using his gambler’s mind, he knows that not every hand is a winner and there has to be a hand that you take the loss and move forward. Celeste was always a gamble, for many reasons, and for the longest time, she was worth the risk. But neither of them could or would risk everything and now, he knows she's hurt…and she's not alone.
Celeste couldn't speak another word. The lump in her throat grew too big. She hastily made her way out of the penthouse and down the hall. She practically dove into the elevator as soon as it opened and thankfully it didn't take long. If WL had appeared in the hallway, she didn't know what she would do.
The moment the doors shut, Celeste broke down. Loud sobs echoed in the small space. She couldn't stop her mind from replaying the words of her enemies: “Nobody can stand you, sweetie.”, “You live in a fantasy world.”
The voices of Eli Carlson and the Crimson Baroness plagued her. When the doors of the elevator opened, Celeste rushed through the lobby, then the parking lot to get to her car. She shut the door after getting in and didn't bother starting the engine. All she could do was cry…
And let the weight of the world crumble down upon her.