The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon (Celine and Bastian) novel Chapter 188

Chapter 188

Narration in third person

66

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Celine and Bastian arrive at the castle’s spacious dining hall, completely transformed to receive the family. The long dark wooden tables are covered with light-colored tablecloths, porcelain dishes, and crystal glasses that reflect the warm light of the chandeliers hanging above their heads. Dozens of candles rest among arrangements of white flowers and green branches, filling the hall with small points of light. On the tables there are trays with roasted meats, freshly baked bread, fruit, cheeses, salads, and different dishes prepared for the celebration. The aroma of spices, hot meat, and freshly baked bread mixes with the perfume of the flowers and the faint smell of wine. A soft melody can be heard in the background, barely loud enough to accompany the conversations without interrupting them.

The Thorn family is complete. Christian, Celine’s uncle, is talking with Robert, Bastian’s maternal grandfather, while William, his mother’s brother, remains near them with a glass in his hand. Thomas and his partner, Aymara, Jared, Alaric, and Jack, one of Bastian’s closest friends, are also there. Everyone seems to have left behind for a few hours the worries of the last few days.

They have come to celebrate Oana’s birth.

The little girl sleeps comfortably in her mother’s arms, wrapped in a pink blanket that barely reveals her face. Celine holds her carefully, protecting her from the voices and movement filling the dining hall while she looks around the place.

Silas and Sonia are together near one of the tables, each with a glass of wine in their hands, talking with an almost absurd calmness for two people who still carry old grudges.

Magnus is sitting near them and rolls his eyes every time he hears one of their indirect remarks. On the other side of the dining hall, Jared and Thomas talk with Alaric and Aymara, while Jack completely ignores the wine someone has placed in front of him and pours himself a generous glass of whiskey.

There is laughter, conversations crossing over one another, and silverware softly clinking against the plates. For the first time in a long time, the castle seems full of life.

Bastian places a hand on the lower part of Celine’s back and guides her between the people until they take a place closer to the main table. The gesture seems affectionate to anyone watching them from the outside, but Celine feels the tension contained in his fingers and knows that closeness has nothing to do with tenderness.

She turns her face slightly toward him.

“Where is Johan?” she asks in a low voice.

The change in Bastian is immediate.

His jaw tightens and a low growl vibrates in his throat. The hand he keeps on Celine’s back becomes rigid and his posture changes completely. His shoulders harden, his gaze loses any trace of warmth, and his black eyes fix on her with an intensity that makes Celine hold her breath.

Bastian leans toward her, coming close enough for no one else to hear his words.

“It’s a family celebration, Celine. Don’t ruin it.”

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The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon

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66

She holds his gaze without looking away. Around them, the laughter, soft music, and conversations continue, but between the two of them it seems that their own silence has formed.

A celebration has just begun.

And neither of them has forgotten the conversation they had upstairs.

I swallow the words that were about to come out of my mouth and try to undo the knot that forms in my throat. I don’t want to argue here. Not after everything that has just happened and, much less, in front of our family. I hold Oana a little tighter against my chest and force my face to relax just when several of those present begin to approach after noticing our arrival. The conversations are interrupted one after another and the eyes turn toward us. Smiles, congratulations, hands reaching out to touch the little pink blanket, and voices asking about the baby once again fill the space between us. Celine responds, smiles, and thanks them for every word, but her attention is somewhere else.

Johan.

The question returns to her head again and again. Where is he? She tries to perceive his scent among everyone filling the dining hall, but she finds nothing. She only distinguishes the perfume of the flowers, the wine, the food, and the familiar scents of those surrounding them. She closes her eyes for a moment and breathes more deeply, trying to recognize that essence that should now be impossible for her to ignore. Nothing. Not even the faintest trace.

Then she understands.

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