Chapter 13
Damien should have been furious at Isolde’s tirade, but he wasn’t.
Because she was right.
He was a fool.
When he first realized Celeste had feelings for him, his initial reaction hadn’t been anger.
It had been joy.
Because he had feelings for her, too.
But it was wrong.
He was her guardian, her protector.
He couldn’t let himself feel that way about her.
was young, vulnerable.
Her feelings were understandable.
But he was an adult.
He should have been the rational one, the one to set boundaries.
And so he had buried his feelings, convincing himself that pushing her away was the right thing to do.
But his “right thing” had led to this.
Now, on what should have been the happiest day of his life, the girl he loved more than anything was gone–lost to a world colder than he could bear to imagine.
Pain engulfed him, suffocating and unrelenting.
He clutched his chest, gasping for air.
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Chapter 13
She had been terrified of the cold, always seeking his warmth.
As a child, she would crawl into his bed at night, calling him her “human heater.”
And yet, in her final act, she had chosen the coldest place imaginable: an icy tomb.
“Why, Celeste?” he whispered.
“Was I the one who froze your heart?”
Damien knew he needed to see her, no matter what.
Even if it meant seeing her frozen form.
His team quickly located the cryonics facility, and Damien wasted no time in rushing there.
The director greeted him, holding a brown envelope in his hand.
“Mr. Sterling,” the man said softly, “Celeste left this for you. She told me to give it to you if you ever came looking for her.”
Damien’s hands trembled as he took the envelope.
Her delicate handwriting adorned the front: For Damien Sterling.
His chest tightened.
“You knew I’d come, didn’t you, Celeste?” he murmured, tears threatening to fall.
The director quietly excused himself, leaving Damien alone to open the letter.
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