Thorns Grow After Betrayal (Celeste and Chester) novel Chapter 55

Celestine looked thoughtful.

"This isn't something I can decide lightly. Let me think it over."

"Alright."

The two of them left the police station together, only to be confronted by the pitiful wails of two battered men suddenly stumbling into view.

"Officer, we need to report a crime! Where are the police?"

Recognizing Bob and Jake—the same pair who'd stormed out earlier—Celestine and Denton both paused in surprise.

The two men were bruised and swollen from head to toe, barely a patch of uninjured skin between them. They were a frightening sight.

Denton raised his eyebrows, then grinned. "Looks like karma found them sooner than expected."

Celestine smiled. "Seems someone decided to dish out a little justice. Let's get going."

They parted ways at the police station entrance.

On her way home, Celestine stopped by the neighborhood grocery store, buying some essentials and fresh produce. She was planning a thorough cleaning and, later, a pot of comforting soup for herself.

As she was leaving the market, a thriving pot of lavender caught her eye.

She thought of the elderly gentleman next door who loved tending to his plants—she hadn't seen him in ages.

So she paid for the lavender and took it along.

Downstairs at her apartment building, she spotted a couple arguing at a distance.

The woman was dressed head-to-toe in designer labels, her chestnut curls pinned back elegantly.

The man, looking worn and haggard, was kneeling on the pavement, pleading, "Carmen, didn't you say you'd be with me if I got divorced? I did it—I left my wife and kid for you! I bought you a house, a car, all those gifts, and now you want to break up? You can't do this to me!"

Carmen looked utterly exasperated, barking orders at him like he was a misbehaving child. "Conrad, don't you dare put all the blame on me! I'm barely in my twenties, and I got tricked by an old man like you. If people found out, they'd say I was the victim! All those gifts? Consider them emotional damages! Now get out of my sight before I call the police!"

Celestine glanced over and couldn't help a silent, inward sigh.

A man who abandoned his wife and child—a real piece of work.

And a gold-digging homewrecker.

She shook her head, quickening her pace to put the drama behind her.

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