Begging for a Second Chance (Sienna Sloan and Jarred Sterling) novel Chapter 222

Sienna stood frozen in place.

In a brutal flash of clarity, everything suddenly made perfect sense.

Five years of marriage, years of deep devotion, her naive, youthful love—it had all been a ridiculous, mocking joke.

"You're talking out of your ass!" Luna snapped fiercely, her eyes blazing.

"Pink hyacinths are Sienna's favorite flowers, and Champagne Cake has always been her favorite dessert!

When they were dating, Jarred bought these for Sienna countless times!

There has to be a limit to your thievery, Celeste! Trying to claim everything as your own just makes you look shameless!"

Instead of getting angry, Celeste's gentle expression shifted to one of genuine surprise, as if she had just heard the most unexpected news.

She widened her eyes at Sienna, looking intensely curious. "Dr. Sloan, you like Champagne Cake too?"

Before Sienna could answer, Celeste gave a soft chuckle, shaking her head helplessly.

"I've loved this flavor since I was a little girl. I've traveled all over the world, but I could never find a bakery that got it quite right.

That is, until I stumbled upon the master baker at that shop on the West End. One bite, and I was obsessed."

There was a distinct light in her eyes as she spoke.

It wasn't a fake glimmer; it was the genuine warmth of someone recalling a beautiful memory.

"Jarred wanted to make sure I could eat a fresh slice every single day, so he bought the entire bakery. He has the master baker make a special batch just for me every morning."

Celeste looked at Sienna, her eyes brimming with sheer bliss. "The funniest part is, he actually tried to learn how to bake it himself so he could make it for me, but he just couldn't get the hang of it.

Still, the fact that he tried was enough to make me happy.

You've been married to him for years, Dr. Sloan. I highly doubt he ever bothered to learn anything like that for you, right?"

The air went dead silent for a moment.

The 'fan club' behind Celeste started whispering among themselves, letting out obnoxious, mocking sneers.

As the lingering vowels of the name hung in the air, the undisguised provocation in Celeste's eyes finally surfaced.

"You won't hold it against me, will you?"

The moment she said it, she shoved the flowers into Sienna's arms in one fluid motion, her expression remaining flawlessly sweet.

"He bought these flowers. I'll apologize on his behalf. Consider it my way of saying sorry for monopolizing your favorite things."

Her words seemed submissive and yielding, but every single syllable was designed to cement the fact that Sienna had only ever been a stand-in.

The sneers from the other side grew louder.

Cruel, cutting whispers rippled through the crowd.

"No wonder he kept their marriage a secret for seven years. She was just a body double all along."

"He used someone else's nickname on her, and even her favorite flowers and cake belong to another woman. Sienna is pathetic."