He Gave Her Strawberries, Gave Me Hives (Ford and Sylvia) novel Chapter 77

nside the private jet, Desmond pressed a gentle kiss to Celeste’s forehead, trying to soothe her.

Celeste, baby, don’t worry. I’m fully recovered. It’s just skydiving. I’ve got this.”

With that, Desmond strapped on his gear, slid open the hatch, and leaped out.

Desmond…” The words of protest died on Celeste’s lips. She scrambled to the window, her heart leaping into her throat.

ive years ago, Desmond had gotten into a car wreck while chasing after his ex–girlfriend. It put him in a vegetative state, comatose for four long years.

I had only been a year since he’d woken up and gotten back on his feet. His doctors had drilled it into him over and over: he had to take it easy, and that meant bsolutely no extreme sports.

eleste couldn’t wrap her head around why he was being so damn stubborn all of a sudden, why he felt the need to prove he was healed in such a reckless way.

he next second, the livestream went live, and Desmond’s face filled the screen.

le was fully kitted out–parachute pack on his back, a micro–cam strapped to his forehead, and professional–grade smoke canisters fastened to his arms and

nkles.

few drones buzzed around him, filming his descent. He smirked at one of the cameras and silently mouthed, “Stella, happy birthday. I love you.”

eleste Reese read his lips perfectly. Her heart seized, plummeting as if she’d been plunged into a bottomless, icy chasm.

tella? As in, Stella Winslow?

is childhood sweetheart–the same one who’d dumped him three times and was the very reason he’d been in a coma for four years.

his whole skydiving stunt was it all a grand birthday gesture for Stella? A declaration of love? Then what the hell did that make Celeste, the woman who had tood by him all these years?

eleste clutched her chest and sank to the floor, her vision blurring with tears.

heers erupted from the livestream’s audio feed as Desmond Hart began his mid–air performance.

olorful smoke billowed out around him, swirling into the shape of stars that expanded, then burst apart like a meteor shower painting the sky

OMG! Mr. Hart is so romantic! An extreme skydiving show with stars in the sky. I’m totally obsessed!”

I’m so jealous of Ms. Reese. To be loved by Mr. Hart like this? He’s literally spoiling her to the heavens!”

It’s a two way street, though, Celeste turned her whole life around for him, took care of him for years, even got disfigured in the process. Now he spoils her otten and loves her to the bone. That’s what real love is supposed to look like.”

I ship them so hard! Mr. Hart and Ms. Reese have to live happily ever after!”

Everyone watching was captivated by the spectacle, all of them sending their best wishes to Desmond and celeste. Only Celeste remained frozen, the words a hollow echo.

The next moment, his parachute deployed flawlessly. It was custom made, the canopy glittering with stars that shimmered even in the daylight, searing Celestey

eyes.

Memories she had long buried came rushing back.

Desmond was the Hart family heir, a prodigy who’d been handling corporate affairs since he was in high school

And Celeste was the outcast at their elite prep school. Her divorced parents both wanted nothing to do with her, giving her a trust fund but nothing else.

Chapter 1

She’d been a delinquent, always getting into fights and running with a shady crowd from the wrong side of the tracks.

No one knew how fragile she was underneath it all, and no one knew that she had fallen for Desmond at first sight during freshman orientation.

But Desmond’s heart had always belonged to his childhood sweetheart, Stella. They were inseparable, what everyone called a match made in heaven.

30 Celeste could only ever watch him from a distance, burying her love for him deep down inside.

Intil five years ago, when the accident turned Desmond into a vegetable. Overnight, the golden heir became a pariah. Even Stella broke off their engagement.

That was when Celeste finally worked up the courage to get close to him.

When everyone else had given up on him, it was Celeste who sold everything she owned to take him overseas for treatment.

le was in a coma for four years, and for four years, Celeste stayed by his side, never once leaving.

he got her act together, kicked all her bad habits, and every single day, she’d sit by his bedside and read her textbooks aloud, whether he could hear her or not.

o drag his comatose body out of a fire that broke out in his hospital room, Celeste’s arms and neck were badly burned, leaving behind hideous, gnarled scars.

o earn more money for his medical bills, Celeste worked four, sometimes five jobs at once. During the worst of it, she slept only four hours over three days. ainting several times and nearly dying from sheer exhaustion.

o convince a top neurosurgeon to take his case, she knelt outside the doctor’s house for three days and three nights, promising to cook a thousand different ourmet dishes until her hands were covered in blisters, all just to get him to agree.

he first thing Desmond did when he woke up was pull her into his arms. “Four years. I was aware of it all. Celeste, from this day forward. I swear I’ll never let ou down.”

esmond’s talent was still unmatched among his generation of Harts. In just one year, he clawed his way back to the top, becoming the true head of the family.

ut if she hadn’t seen it with her own two eyes, Celeste would never have imagined that the very first thing Desmond would do after taking control of the Hart amily was declare his love for Stella.

eleste’s heart felt like it was being beaten with a sledgehammer, the pain so sharp that tears streamed down her face.

: turned out he’d never loved her at all. All his kindness, all his affection, it was just his way of repaying a debt.

he didn’t know how much time had passed, but her legs were completely numb by the time the jet finally landed.

I was as if everyone had forgotten she was even there. The cars and the crowd of onlookers were gone. In a daze, she started walking down the mountain.

I was only when she reached the base of the mountain that she saw Desmond, his face etched with anxiety as he searched for her.

Celeste, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me like this! It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have done something so dangerous.” Desmond pulled her into a tight embrace, his eyes urning red as he saw how shattered she looked.

Everyone’s saying this whole performance was your way of proposing to me. Is that true?” Celeste clutched the front of his jacket, as it it took every ounce of er strength to ask.

Desmond hesitated for a split second, his eyes instinctively flicking to the side.

Celeste’s gaze followed his, and she saw Stella standing a short distance away Stella was nervously biting her lip, her eyes glistening with moisture she didn’t say a word, yet her expression screamed a world of unspoken grievances

Desmond said nothing, but his arms tightened around Celeste.

In an instant, all the strength drained from Celeste’s body. The last flicker of light in her eyes died out. What was she even hoping for? For him to lie to her? ‘Celeste, don’t be angry anymore. I won’t do anything dangerous again. I’ve already had someone check the calendar, the eighteenth of next month is a good day to get married. I’ll have my people start the preparations right away.” In the end, he never answered her question.

Celeste forced the corners of her mouth into a bitter, self–mocking smile. “I don’t want to get married anymore.”

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