Thorns Grow After Betrayal (Celeste and Chester) novel Chapter 255

She said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

But it was deeply selfish.

Celia didn’t notice how close Chester was to losing his temper. She just kept playing on her phone, occasionally letting out a burst of laughter.

Chester’s face grew darker by the second.

Right before he exploded, Joanna reached over and grabbed his hand, anxious. “Chester, Celia’s just upset because her mom favors her sister. Don’t blame her for it. If I were her age and my mom had been away for so long, I’d feel terrible too. It’s normal for kids to have feelings—they’re supposed to. It’s when they bottle everything up that it becomes a problem. She’s still young. We can help her grow.”

Joanna’s gentle honesty slowly doused the anger in him.

Celia finally sensed something was wrong in the car. She hurriedly put her phone away and scooted over to make room for Chester.

Taking Joanna’s lead, she spoke carefully. “Dad, I’m just in a bad mood. Miss Joanna said playing games helps take my mind off things. And in the back seat, I was worried I’d bump into you if I wasn’t careful. Are you mad at me?”

“No.” Chester forced his anger down and spoke in a calmer tone. “But from now on, no matter what your mom says, don’t talk back. She’s upset right now, and you shouldn’t push her.”

He was certain now that whatever Celia did had completely disappointed Celestine.

Trying to force Celestine to accept and forgive their daughter would only backfire—just like today.

Better to let time work things out. One day, Celestine’s anger would fade.

Right now, it was Celia who needed to rein in her temper and stop making things worse.

Hearing her father’s warning, Celia felt a fresh wave of resentment.

Why was it always on her to give in to her mom?

She was just a kid! She was their daughter!

Even if she’d made mistakes, it was her mom who crossed the line first.

And besides, her mom wasn’t dead—she’d fooled everyone and left Celia terrified for weeks. How could Dad not see how cruel that was?

Celia felt the whole world was unfair. Her face clouded with hurt, and she stayed silent.

Chester’s voice turned cold. “Celia, did you hear me?”

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