Thorns Grow After Betrayal (Celeste and Chester) novel Chapter 1

The day Celestine Selwyn returned from Oceanview City to Portside was her third wedding anniversary.

She'd come down with the flu before the trip, her cough persistent and rough. But it had been three months since she'd seen Chester Fordham, her husband, and their children, and she insisted on making the journey home.

The Fordham family had always been locals in Portside. After the city's reorganization, their business expanded to Oceanview, so the family had moved there—though the old manor still stood, firmly rooted in Portside.

When Celestine arrived at Fordham Manor, her phone lit up with a news alert: "Mr. Fordham Spares No Expense Throwing a Bonfire Party for Oscar Winner Joanna Sinclair."

Celestine's expression cooled.

The housekeeper, a woman from Oceanview, caught sight of the headline and rushed to comfort her. "Don't take it to heart, ma'am. Portside Media loves to stir up nonsense. Sir is busy with work tonight."

Celestine said nothing.

Before she'd returned, she'd gone out of her way to message Chester. That message now lay unread on her phone, not even a single word in reply.

She wasn't the type to dwell on things, but sometimes she couldn't help wondering: just how busy was a man who stood at the very top of Portside's economic pyramid? Busy enough to ignore his own wife's message?

She forced herself to stop thinking about it.

Slipping off her coat, Celestine headed to the children's playroom to see her son and daughter.

Three months apart, and the twins had both grown so much.

She smiled, kneeling beside them as they played house—building little homes from sand, placing tiny figures inside. It was obvious at a glance who those little dolls were meant to be: the children's parents.

Celestine decided to tease her daughter. "Sweetheart, who are these two?"

Her daughter didn't even look up from her sandcastle. "Daddy and Miss Sinclair."

"That's not right," her son piped up, shaking his head. "Miss Sinclair lives in my house. Mommy lives in yours."

"But I want Miss Sinclair to be my mommy!" The girl pouted, lips trembling.

Celestine's hand paused mid-reach as she gently rubbed her daughter's pigtails. "Isn't Mommy good enough?"

"Of course you are. But Miss Sinclair and Daddy look better together."

Her son chimed in without missing a beat. The little girl nodded earnestly.

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