Thorns Grow After Betrayal (Celeste and Chester) novel Chapter 191

They say that, in the final moments before death, your whole life flashes before your eyes—one last, fevered parade of memories swirling in your mind.

—

"Mom! Mom!"

When Celia and Raymond arrived with Serena, led by trembling hands and pounding hearts, they saw only one thing: Celestine, their mother, being forced off the pier and vanishing beneath the waves.

The two children stood rooted in place, small and stricken, their cries echoing over and over, "Mom! Mom!" as if the word alone could rewind time. But their mother would never answer them again, not the way she used to.

Raymond snapped out of his daze first, turning with a scowl on his tear-streaked face to his little sister, who was sobbing so hard her shoulders shook.

"This is your fault! You killed Mom! You killed her!"

Not long ago, news of Celestine's kidnapping had reached the family estate. From that moment on, Celia had been a ghost of herself, clutching her phone and wandering the halls with a haunted look. Raymond, her twin, had noticed immediately—there was always that strange, silent bond between them, as if they shared the same heart.

He'd pressed her for answers, again and again, until Celia broke down in tears and confessed everything. "I just wanted to teach Mom a lesson! I didn't know those men would turn on us! They lied to me—they're criminals, they tricked me!"

"Celia!" Raymond was shaking with anger. "Mom might nag, but she loves us! How could you use her love to set her up like that? You actually wanted to scare her?"

Even if he'd clashed with their mother, even if their relationship had been rocky, he'd never once dreamed of hurting her.

"How was I supposed to know she'd be so stupid? That she'd actually fall for it?" Celia shot back, voice cracking. "And who are you to judge me? Did you forget what you did? Not that long ago, you jumped into the pool and pretended Mom pushed you! You let everyone blame her! You're just as bad! I only did this because of you, and now you're yelling at me? You're the worst, Raymond!"

The more Celia spoke, the more her voice wavered, until she could hardly get the words out through her sobs.

Raymond's anger drained away, replaced by a cold, heavy dread.

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