Chapter 1
Celeste’s POV
I spent five years waiting for a wedding, only to watch his first love move in—pregnant, sleeping in our master bedroom, wearing my wedding dress.
She said the baby was his. He believed her.
She said I pushed her. He believed her.
She said I was eaten up with jealousy. He believed her.
But me? He didn't believe a single word I said.
The day I tried on my wedding gown, gunfire erupted. My fiancé shielded her and ran, never once looking back. He forgot that the woman left behind in the line of fire was the one he was supposed to marry. In that moment, my heart turned to ash.
Then came the report from his men—
"Boss, we couldn't find Miss Celeste..."
And so, this cold-blooded mafia king finally learned what it felt like to lose something.
Too bad. Some things, once lost, are gone forever.
My fiancé got his ex-girlfriend pregnant. Three months along—though this wasn't the first time he'd betrayed me.
I rushed to the casino the moment I got the call. Someone was causing trouble at one of the Ravenna family's establishments. What I found when I arrived was a woman nestled in my fiancé's arms, one hand resting gently on her belly—on the slight but unmistakable curve there.
She noticed me first.
"Celeste?" Her voice was soft, laced with surprise and something that might have been pity. "What are you doing here?"
Kieran's body went rigid, though his arm stayed wrapped around Juniper's waist.
"There was an incident," he said, his voice low, his eyes avoiding mine. "Some idiot disrespected Juniper. I handled it."
I stared at her pale fingers stroking her stomach.
"How far along?"
"...Three months."
Three months ago, I'd been at my mother's bedside, watching the last person in my family slip away. Three months ago, I'd been planning her funeral alone while Kieran claimed he had "business to handle." He'd shown his face at the service for all of five minutes before disappearing.
Now I knew what that business had been.
"You've known for three months," I said, "and you never told me."
"Celeste—"
"Six months ago, she showed up claiming her heart was failing. Terminal, you said. You dropped everything for her—specialists, surgeons, the best cardiac team money could buy. I understood. I told myself it was just guilt. Just responsibility."
He said nothing.
"Two months ago, at the family dinner—the night you were supposed to announce our wedding date—you walked in with her on your arm instead. I stood in the corner like a fool while everyone whispered that the Don had found a new fiancée."
"That was because—"
"And now she's carrying your child."
Juniper's eyes glistened with tears. She looked up at him, her face pale and heartbreakingly fragile.
"Celeste... I'm so sorry..." Her voice trembled. "I never meant for this to happen. I just—"
She clutched her chest, her breathing suddenly ragged.
"The doctors said my heart could give out at any moment. I might not survive the delivery. I just wanted to know what it felt like to be a mother—even if it was only once, before I died."
Tears spilled down her cheeks. Kieran immediately tightened his hold on her, his gray-blue eyes filled with concern.
"Don't cry," he murmured, his voice soft in a way I'd never heard before. "The stress isn't good for your heart."
I stood frozen, watching my fiancé comfort another woman—a woman pregnant with his child.
"This isn't her fault, Celeste." He finally looked at me, exhaustion heavy in his voice. "Things just... happened."
Things just happened. Five years of standing by his side. Five years of waiting. Five years of giving him everything I had.
And that was all he had to say.
Juniper suddenly swayed, gripping Kieran's arm for support.
"I... I feel dizzy... my chest feels tight..."
His expression shifted instantly to alarm. "What's wrong? Is it your heart?"
"I don't know... maybe it was the shock from earlier..."
He swept her into his arms and turned toward the door, sparing me a single glance.
"Go home. I need to get her to a doctor."
He was already carrying her out, murmuring questions about how she felt. She leaned against his chest, nodding weakly.
As they passed through the doorway, her gaze drifted over his shoulder to find mine. Through her tears, I caught something else in her eyes—a flash of cold, triumphant satisfaction.
Two hours later, I sat in the bank manager's office.
"Miss Rosewood, your mother's estate should clear in about five business days."
"That's fine."
Five days. I could hold on for five more days. The inheritance she'd left me would be enough to go anywhere—anywhere Kieran Ravenna wasn't.
I signed the paperwork and walked out into the sharp autumn wind. In five days, I would disappear from his life completely.
By the time I returned to the estate, night had fallen. I went straight upstairs to the guest room at the end of the hall—the room that had been mine for the past five years.
The master bedroom had always been reserved for after the wedding. Kieran had pointed to that closed door once and said, "When we're married, this will be ours."
Now I understood. That door was never going to open for me.
I pulled out my suitcase and started packing. Voices drifted up from below—footsteps, and Kieran's low murmur.
"Watch the stairs."
I walked to the hallway and looked down. Juniper clung to Kieran's arm as they ascended the staircase together.
She looked up and saw me. Then she smiled.
"Celeste," she said sweetly, "this house is beautiful. I had no idea it was so lovely until Kieran invited me to stay."
Kieran didn't look at me. He guided Juniper up the final step.
"The doctor says she needs rest," he said flatly. "She'll be staying in the master bedroom. It's more spacious—better for her condition."
Our master bedroom.
"Kieran—"
"She's dying, Celeste." He finally met my eyes, and I saw something like pleading there. "Don't fight with someone who's dying."
Juniper ducked her head as if the words pained her, then leaned into his shoulder with a sigh. "The windows in there are so big... the light must be wonderful... I can almost imagine getting better here..."
A pause. Then, softly: "If I live that long."
Kieran's arm tightened around her. "Don't say that."
He led her to the master bedroom—the room I'd never once entered—and the door swung open for her. It closed behind them, and I heard his voice through the wood, gentle as if he were soothing a child.
I turned back to the guest room and sank onto the bed.
This house was supposed to be my home. That bedroom was supposed to be our future.
Now it all belonged to her.
I didn't sleep that night. When the first gray light of dawn crept through the curtains, I gave up trying and made my way to the kitchen.
I'd cooked countless meals for him in this room. Now even this last territory was slipping away from me.
"Good morning, Celeste."
I turned. Juniper stood in the doorway.
She wore a black silk robe that fell open at the chest, revealing an expanse of pale skin. Her hair tumbled loose over her shoulders, artfully disheveled. She looked languid. Sensual.
She didn't look anything like a woman about to die.
