Chapter 32: Chapter 32
FLASHBACK:
Celeste ran toward Landon with all in her. She laughed, her arms were wide like a child chasing the wind without restrain.
She jumped into his arms with a joy that could shatter the sky. Landon caught her effortlessly, wrapping his arms around her like she was made of everything he’d ever sworn to protect. He spun her around.
Laughter burst from both of them, echoing through the campus courtyard. A few students stopped by to smile at them.
"I passed," she giggled breathlessly. "I passed all damn courses. I expected at least two Fs."
Landon stopped spinning, but he didn’t let her go. He looked up at her, smiled softly, and proud. "I told you you wouldn’t get any F. My baby gets no F except the one from me."
Celeste playfully slapped his shoulder, rolling her eyes. "Landon! Gross!"
"Just saying," he shrugged, then placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You worked your ass off. I’m proud of you."
She melted. She had only known Landon for six months and she swear she made a right choice saying yes to him.
He always knew what to say. He had this way of making the world quieter. Softer. Like her panic didn’t matter when he was around, like her failures could be folded up neatly and stored away because she was more than grades or struggle or the mess of her childhood.
They sat under the large oak tree behind the science block. Landon laid his blazer on the grass so she wouldn’t stain her jeans.
He bought her soda and her favorite chips from the vending machine without her asking. He wiped her smudged eyeliner without teasing her about it.
"You’re my best girl, Celeste," he said.
It wasn’t the words, really. It was the way he said them. No pressure. No expectation. Like he already knew she didn’t believe it but he’d keep saying it until she did.
She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for tutoring me. I wouldn’t have made it without you."
He smiled, warm. "That’s what I’m here for. To annoy you into passing."
She laughed. However, even in her joy, there was that lingering fear. That feeling that this, or whatever they were, was too good. Too easy and too warm.
She won’t lie, it was the way he looked at other girls sometimes. He stared at them politely, but too polite. Sometimes, he’d occasionally cancel their plans without real explanation.
Once or twice, she’d caught him texting someone late into the night and turning his screen down. He always had an excuse—classmate, group project, cousin.
She noticed all of that, but ignored them. His good sides were higher than his flaws, and she’d live with that. He’s the last person she has on earth right now.
She knew Landon. She knew him like her heartbeat. She knew when something didn’t add up.
Still, she stayed.
....
The cracks came slowly.
First, it was her birthday. He promised a picnic, but ended up ghosting her the entire day. There was no text from him, nor calls. She cried herself to sleep with her makeup still on.
He showed up the next morning with flowers and apologies.
"Something came up. Family emergency. You know how it gets." He explained immediately, before she’d blink.
Knowing his family, she forgave him. His family wasn’t a regular one. He came from old money as it was rumoured, and his uncle was the legendary Dominic Cross.
The next crack came on the night of her first major internship interview. He promised to run mock questions with her and then refused to pick her calls that night.
She later found out through the internet that he went out with friends that night. The pictures were on a mutual friend’s Instagram. His arm around a girl. The next morning, he swore it meant nothing.
"You’re overthinking, Cel. You know how people twist things on social media."
She forgave him again.
.....
PRESENT DAY:
Celeste stared at her book, deep in memory. She hated Landon so much right now. It’s been two months since she overheard how she was just a bet.
And six weeks to their marriage. She shut her book, and held her head. She groans in frustration, as she tries to breathe.
Celeste clutched her chest as the edges of her memory sharpened like broken glass. The light from her lamp suddenly felt too bright, too hot on her skin. She rubbed her arms as if she could wipe away the past, but it remained stuck.
The memory played on like a cruel, looping film: Landon’s smile, the way his voice dropped when he spoke to her, how he made her feel safe... until she found out it was all a bet.
A fucking bet!
She tried to inhale, but the air scraped down her throat like sandpaper. Her heart pounded, hard and irregular. She looked around the room, and her vision began to blur.
The walls were shrinking. They had to be. Her room suddenly felt too small, like it was closing in on her from all angles.
She stood abruptly. Her book tumbled to the floor with a sharp clap. She staggered back, reaching out for the desk, for the wall, for anything—but nothing felt steady. Everything was shaking.
Her fingers curled, trembling, into fists. The sound of her own breath was ragged. It became too loud in her ears.
No air. There was no air in the room.
"Breathe, Celeste," she whispered to herself. Her voice was barely audible. It choked.
The pressure kept rising, like something was sitting on her chest, crushing her ribs, and squeezing her lungs.
She pressed a hand against the wall to steady herself. Her knees buckled.
A gasping sound clawed from her throat as she sank slowly to the floor. Her back slid against the cold surface behind her until she sat, hunched, at the base of her bookshelf. Her head dropped between her knees.
She rocked gently.
In. Out. In. Out.
It wasn’t working.