Thorns Grow After Betrayal (Celeste and Chester) novel Chapter 30

Celestine had just received word that Gideon would be arriving any minute.

By the elevator, the light above the tenth floor blinked on.

The doors slid open—and her smile froze.

"Mom?"

Celestine hesitated, her gaze falling on Dahlia and the entourage behind her.

Since returning to Harborview, she hadn't visited Dahlia in days. She knew her mother-in-law never cared for her, always looking down on her background and the fact she brought nothing to help Chester's ambitions.

After their wedding, when Celestine was first introduced to the Fordham family, Dahlia set the rules. She made Celestine kneel all night in the tiny family chapel. And whenever the mood struck, Dahlia would punish her with more kneeling—never mind that Celestine was eight months pregnant at the time.

Chester never stopped it. If anything, when Celestine's knees ached so badly she couldn't stand, he told her to endure it.

"If you just listened, Mom wouldn't punish you for no reason."

He'd even dressed her wounds himself that time.

Celestine, starved for his rare tenderness, swallowed all her suffering and said nothing.

It wasn't until after Raymond and Celia were born that Dahlia's attitude softened, just a little. The punishments eased up, and kneeling in the chapel became rare.

Celestine dared hope she might finally win Dahlia over.

So when Chester took the children to Harborview, Celestine stayed behind in Oceanview to look after her in-laws, trying to prove herself.

But while everyone whispered that Chester and Joanna were a perfect match, Celestine alone remained in the dark, like an abandoned wife—clueless, left behind.

She lowered her eyes, forcing her thoughts away from those bitter memories.

Dahlia swept in, her posture rigid, eyes flashing. "Celestine, get on your knees!"

Celestine didn't move.

She looked at Dahlia with cool indifference. "Is something wrong, Mom?"

Not a hint of guilt or panic.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify