Chapter 57: Chapter 57
The next morning, the sun filtered softly through the sheer curtains. Celeste stirred, her body cocooned in warmth and comfort she hadn’t known in a long while.
Her whole body felt like they were broken and put together again. The deep night rest reset her whole body in a good way.
The chair beside the bed was empty, but a faint scent of coffee filled the air.
She stretched, smiling to herself. When she walked out, she found Dominic in the kitchen, wearing a black shirt and grey sweatpants. He held two mugs in hand.
"You made coffee?" she asked, surprised. He always prepares coffee before leaving for work but seeing him without his work attire and two coffees in his hand felt like they already started a family.
She saw pictures of what they could be.
He looked up and gave her that rare, tender smile. "It’s not as good as yours, but yes."
She took the mug he handed her and sipped.
"Mmm. It’s perfect." She smiled. "As usual."
They sat by the breakfast bar. The silence between them was warm, and extremely comfortable.
"About last night," Celeste began. "About Landon."
"You don’t owe me an explanation," Dominic said quickly. "Not about Landon. Not about anything."
She studied him. "I want to explain."
He gave a small nod and leaned back, letting her speak.
"The truth is, I stayed because I was scared. Not of being alone, but of starting over, and you were supposed to be just part of a revenge process. Nana knew. She never said it out loud, but she knew. And then, when everything started happening... I couldn’t evade you. Everything just came down." She confessed, knowing he deserved the truth.
Even if she felt real feelings for him now, she needed to let him know he was right that night. She only pretended to care about him to get what she wanted.
Dominic didn’t interrupt.
"You didn’t pressure me. You never once tried to own me. You just sat there, and let me do what I wanted." She stared into her coffee cup. "Even if you were who you are."
He reached across the counter and took her hand. "It doesn’t matter now, Celeste,"
Her throat tightened. "Even if I can’t say what you want to hear?"
Dominic flinched, but masked it up quickly. "Especially then."
She blinked back the emotion and gave him a trembling smile. "You don’t have to wait for me to be certain. You know that, right?"
He let go of her hand and stood slowly, reaching for the coffee pot. She watched him pour himself another cup with quiet precision, his back straight, and his movements calm.
"I’m not waiting for certainty," he said without turning. "I’m waiting for you."
Celeste’s heart throbbed. "That might take forever."
He turned, his dark eyes holding a soft glint. "Then I guess I’ll live a long life."
She laughed. A small, surprised, choked laugh. She hadn’t expected that. He was always effortlessly funny.
As if on cue, her phone buzzed again. She had expected to see a text from Amara but she saw someone else, and her tongue went numb.
Celeste stared at the phone screen for a long moment. The message from Landon sat there like an unopened wound.
"We need to talk. Just you and me." the message read. She frowned, her whole energy leaving her.
The message was direct, and not desperate. It unsettled her all the same. She wondered why she hadn’t blocked him yet.
She placed the phone back on the counter facing down, her fingers curling slightly against the ceramic mug Dominic had handed her earlier. The warmth from it had long since cooled.
Dominic’s hand still rested over hers.
He hadn’t looked at the phone, hadn’t asked who it was, and maybe that was what made her chest ache even more.
He trusted her.
She looked up slowly to find him watching her. His gaze on her was quiet and calm, as if he was waiting for her to invite him in again.
"It was Landon," she said finally, voice soft.
He gave a small nod.
"He said he wants to talk. Just him and me."
Dominic looked down at their hands, brushing his thumb across the back of hers. "And what do you want?"
She swallowed. That question felt heavier than it should have. She wanted clarity. Closure. But she also wanted peace. And peace had never looked like Landon.
"I don’t know yet," she admitted. "But I think I need to hear him out."
He nodded again, then slowly released her hand and stood up. He picked up the mugs and moved toward the sink.
The silence between them had shifted. It was not a hostile one, but it was tentative.
"I’m not angry," Dominic said over the gentle sound of water running. "Don’t think that," he hated the weight the air suddenly carried and he wanted her to know that he’d never be mad at her.
Celeste looked up.
"I know."
He rinsed the mugs, then dried his hands with a towel and turned back to her. "I just want you to be okay. Whatever that looks like. Even if it means hearing from him."
"Sometimes, closure doesn’t have to come from the next person." She said more to herself than him.
Dominic turned to her. "Closure isn’t the same for everyone. Well, whatever you choose, put yourself first."
The sincerity in his voice wrapped around her like a warm coat, and she could only nod. She doesn’t know how he does it but almost all the time he spoke to her, she felt sides in her he never broke getting their healing from him.
She got up slowly and crossed the kitchen toward him. She reached for his shirt and held onto the hem lightly, with her forehead resting against his chest.
"Thank you." She murmured softly.
Dominic didn’t say anything. He just wrapped his arms around her, grounding her.