Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 153

Chapter 153

“Wow,” I muttered to myself stabbing another forkful of pasta. “You cannot even take it, but you want to advise me? Double standards. You are all the same in that family. You, Julian, and your whore of a mother.”

The waiter brought my garlic bread and-Late in silence, the food good but the satisfaction of the conversation fading as the reality of what was coming tomorrow settled back into my chest. I finished my meal, paid the bill, but I did not get up. I just sat there at the corner table, staring at the condensation on my water glass, watching the bubbles rise and pop, feeling the weight of the afternoon press down on me.

I did not want to go back to Helix. The environment now reminded me of what Seraphine had done earlier, the way she had stormed into the lab and tried to humiliate me. Yes, I had triumphed. Yes, I had shown the video and turned the tables on her. But Julian was in that video. He was still my husband, or at least he was for now, and everyone at Helix knew it. I could feel their pitying glances already, the way they looked at me when I walked, the whispers that now followed me down the hallways. It made my stomach turn.

But that was not really why I did not want to go back. The heaviness in my chest had nothing to do with Julian or Seraphine or the gossiping staff. It had everything to do with Dominic. Because tomorrow evening, I would have the conversation with him. And after that, it would be truly goodbye. No more excuses. No more reasons to see him. Just the memory of what we had done together and the hollow space where something might have grown if I had let it.

I sat there until I got fed up with my own company, the silence of the restaurant becoming suffocating instead of soothing, and then I paid and walked back to Helix. The walk did nothing to clear my head. If anything, the afternoon sun and the gentle breeze only made me feel more detached from my body, like I was watching myself move through the world from a great

distance.

When I got back, I found Pat in the main lab and told her I was retiring for the day. She gave me a knowing look, something sympathetic and understanding in her eyes, but she did not press. She just nodded and said she would handle everything. I went to my room, closed the door, and lay down on the bed fully dressed/

My mind would not shut up. It kept replaying everything, my conversations with Dominic, the way he looked at me, the way his hands felt on my body, the way he said my name like it was something precious. The memories ran through my head like a film reel I could not stop, each one sharper and more vivid than the last.

I kept asking myself the same question over and over. Why did I feel so strongly toward someone I had barely known? We had not known each other intimately for long. But I could not stop thinking about him. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face.

“You really need to come see this yourself, Celeste.”

I rolled my eyes so hard I felt a headache forming behind them. “Seriously? First Seraphine, then Riley, and now Julian. Does nobody plan to give me a break even for one single day?”

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