Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 566

SCARLETT

From the moment my palm connected with Tasha's cheek and I walked away to find a quiet corner, I hadn't felt like myself.

I kept staring at my hand, unable to believe I had actually used that same hand to slap Tasha. I had never wanted to hurt her. Not even when she made me angry. Not even when she pushed me away.

I hated what I had done.

I had only wanted to protect her. That was all I had ever wanted. At least until she was strong enough to protect herself and no longer needed me.

But somehow, things had become so complicated.

I wanted Tasha to be happy, but why did it seem so difficult?

Before now, my biggest concern had been figuring out how to get Tasha away from Big Bryan and get the Hemovax poison out of her system. That had been something I understood. It was dangerous, but it was simple. Find the problem, make a plan, and solve it.

But this?

I didn't understand what was happening between Tasha and me.

Why had she trusted those girls she had just met after everything we had been through? How could she listen to them so easily after everything I had done for her?

I had spent years protecting her.

I had worried about her safety when nobody else seemed to care. I had fought for her. I had made sacrifices for her. I had put my own life on the line more times than I could count.

Yet now, she looked at me like I was the problem.

No matter how many times I thought about it, it simply didn't make sense.

I sat alone, tears rolling down my cheeks as I tried to understand what had gone wrong.

Maybe if I knew what the problem was, I could fix it.

That was what I always did.

I fixed things.

But I couldn't fix this.

Tasha was treating me like a stranger, and I had no idea what to do about it.

I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand and took a deep breath, but the tears kept coming.

I felt hot and exhausted at the same time. My clothes were still wet from the pool, and they clung uncomfortably to my skin.

For some reason, though, having Sparrow's jacket wrapped around me, kept me anchored.

It was strange.

The jacket still smelled like him, and simply having it around my shoulders reminded me that I wasn't completely alone in the world.

At least one person had noticed that I was hurting.

I didn't know how long I had been sitting there.

Tasha had obviously stayed with her friends because I didn't see her anywhere around anymore.

Part of me wanted to go after her.

Another part of me knew that she probably didn't want me around.

That thought hurt more than I wanted to admit.

I felt chilled to the bone, and my heart wouldn't stop thumping. But I couldn't tell whether it was because of the wet clothes I was wearing or because of the unpleasant situation with Tasha.

Maybe it was both.

Then my phone vibrated.

I pulled it out and saw a text from Sparrow telling me to come out.

I stared at the message for a moment before getting to my feet.

I had to admit, the fact that Sparrow had gone out of his way to get me a new outfit and arrange for people to help me get ready, despite how busy he was, warmed my heart in a way I believed I had no right to examine too closely.

He had no reason to care this much.

At least, that was what I kept telling myself.

After they got me ready, I stood in front of the mirror and stared at my reflection.

For a moment, I barely recognized myself.

The dress was beautiful. Everything about it looked perfect, from the way it fitted my body to the way my hair had been styled.

I touched my hair lightly and turned from side to side.

Sparrow was being far too good to me.

Was this all because of the way I had pleased him in bed?

The thought made me uncomfortable.

Lately, he had been acting so out of character, and it left me puzzled about why.

So I kept quiet.

When we finally arrived at the engagement party, I found myself completely immersed in watching the couple in love.

Dominic and Celeste looked so happy together.

It was obvious to everyone that Dominic was head over heels in love with her.

The way he looked at her said everything.

There was so much love in his eyes that I almost felt like I was intruding just by watching them.

I had seen people pretend to love each other before.

I had seen couples smile for cameras and hold hands because it was expected of them.

But this was different.

Dominic looked at Celeste like she was the most precious thing in his world.

And seeing them together, I couldn't help but wonder if it was possible for someone to ever love me that way.

For a few seconds, I allowed myself to imagine it.

Someone looking at me like I was his whole world.

Someone choosing me without hesitation.

Someone wanting me not because of what I could do for him, but simply because I was me.

The thought made something ache inside my chest.

Then I scoffed at myself for entertaining such a ridiculous thought.

What was I thinking?

A love like that wasn't meant for someone like me.

I knew better.

I had lived too much of my life in darkness to believe that someone would ever look at me and see something worth loving completely.

Because I knew without a doubt that it was wishful thinking for such a possibility to ever exist for a woman like me.

A love like that simply wasn't, and could never be, in the cards for me.