Begging for a Second Chance (Sienna Sloan and Jarred Sterling) novel Chapter 575

"Don't move. Going to bed on an empty stomach could easily lead to a hypoglycemic crash in the middle of the night. I won't allow it."

Jarred's voice was a low, commanding rumble that left no room for argument.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sienna glanced at Celeste, who had been left completely ignored in the cold shadows of the streetlamp.

A deeply sarcastic smirk curled her lips as she drawled, "You really should go comfort the woman behind you.

Ms. Carlyle has taken quite the beating tonight. She's completely devastated and desperately waiting for you to soothe her and play the hero. Stop wasting your time on me."

Jarred finally turned his head.

But his glance at Celeste was so fleeting, so brief, that Celeste didn't even have time to lock eyes with him.

He had already turned back.

Looking down at the woman in his arms, his voice dropped to a low, teasing register meant only for her. "I only want to comfort you."

He enunciated the word 'comfort' perfectly.

So perfectly that, despite being a decent word, the slight, husky lift at the end of his sentence completely changed its implication.

Those inherently seductive eyes locked onto hers, hiding something intense behind the gleam of the streetlights—something restrained, something deep.

Sienna felt a wave of physical revulsion at the sudden, cheap flirtation, leaving her feeling nothing but deep annoyance.

To her, his tender words and practiced affection had been handed out to too many people. It was cheap and entirely fake.

Sitting in her wheelchair, Celeste took in the entire scene, her nails digging brutally into her own palms.

She watched how Jarred didn't even spare her a real look. She watched how his fingers still clung to Sienna's sleeve, refusing to let go.

Her fingers gripped the armrests tightly before slowly relaxing.

Forcing a harmless, fragile expression onto her face, she rolled her wheelchair forward a few inches.

"Ms. Sloan..." Celeste's voice trailed toward them, laced with a deliberate, pathetic humility.

"I know part of the reason you divorced Jarred is because of me.

But his hands were tied. His heart has never wavered from you...

Since you two split, he has never stopped trying to win you back. He certainly never entertained the idea of starting anything with me."

Sienna turned around, looking down at the tear-stained, pitiful woman sitting in the wheelchair.

Celeste's chin was tilted up just slightly, a fresh layer of tears glistening in her eyes.

She painted the perfect picture of a saint—someone who had been horribly wronged yet was still selflessly looking out for everyone else.

"He is just grateful that I saved his life... It's not that I matter more to him than you do."

When Celeste emphasized the words 'saved his life,' she lowered her head slightly, her eyelashes fluttering.

It was performed to look as though she had accidentally slipped a secret she wasn't supposed to share.

Yet, every single syllable was enunciated with crystal-clear precision, engineered to serve as a glaring reminder.

"Someone like me, who can't even take care of herself and only drags others down... what right do I have to stand beside him?

I've never dared to dream of taking your place.

Jarred is just too loyal. He refuses to turn his back on the person who saved his life all those years ago.

Couldn't you just show him a little understanding? Please forgive him for the difficult position he's in."

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