First Love or Husband? I Choose Neither Chapter 05

First Love or Husband? I Choose Neither Chapter 05

And just like that, the divorce battle dragged on for two full years.

Long enough for Declan to reappear at my side.

The truth was, I had never been in it for the settlement. I only wanted to bleed Sienna dry. But onc

e Declan showed up and I caught the scent of his real agenda, the entire charade turned to ash.

I couldn’t even be bothered to dig any deeper into whatever existed between the two of them.

“Sign it,” I said, sliding the papers across the table toward Adrian.

But Adrian didn’t move.

Beside him, Sienna was a portrait of jittery nerves, her fingers twitching as if to snatch the pen from his hand.

“Adrian,” she said softly, lowering her head with practiced sweetness, “I still have my ultrasound this afternoon.”

So she was pregnant again.

Adrian’s pen paused over the page, but he never brought it down. After a long silence, he tossed it aside.

“Not today,” he said. “I’m taking you to your appointment.”

Sienna clearly hadn’t expected him to fold so easily. She caught his arm at once. “I’m not in a hurry,” she said quickly. “We should finish this first.”

Adrian stopped, then looked at me and Declan.

“I’m not signing,” he said flatly. “Celeste, you think once the ink is dry, you’re just going to run back into his arms?”

His voice turned sharp with something ugly and possessive. “Keep dreaming.”

Then he stormed out, leaving the air vibrating in his wake.

Sienna’s eyes reddened. She looked once at Declan before hurrying after Adrian.

Before I could say anything, Declan rose too. “I’m going to see what’s going on.”

The concern on his face might have looked like it was for me.

But I knew better.

It was for Sienna.

Sure enough, when I stepped out a moment later, I saw them at the corner of the hallway. Sienna was folded into Declan’s arms, crying against his chest.

“Declan, what am I supposed to do?” she whispered. “What do I do now…?”

He patted her gently on the back and murmured a few words to calm her down before asking.

“You told me Celeste was the one refusing to divorce him, but after what happened in there, it doesn’t look that simple.”

He paused, then said quietly, “You need to find out what Adrian’s endgame is.”

Then, softer still, “Sienna, you know this. As long as you’re happy, I’ll burn the world down for you.”

The words felt like sandpaper against my soul.

He had said things like that to me before.

He had said them in college. He had said them again after we met each other years later.

But hearing them now made my blood run cold.

I didn’t stay to listen any longer.

By the time I took the elevator down to the lobby, the rain still hadn’t stopped.

I stared at the thin, endless drizzle outside, then at the rideshare app on my phone, still spinning and failing to find me a car, and let out a long breath.

A horn beeped twice.

Declan’s car pulled up smoothly in front of me.

“Celeste,” he called through the lowered window, “get in.”

I looked at the rain, then canceled the ride on my phone and got into the car.

“Are you cold?” he asked. “There’s a blanket here.”

He reached into the back and handed me a folded knit throw. I unfolded it, and the second I saw it, I recognized it.

It was the exact same kind Sienna used.

I had seen one just like it in Adrian’s car once. Back then, he had said, “It’s Sienna’s. She is a hothouse flower always freezing.”

I peeled back one corner, then folded it neatly and set it aside.

Declan glanced over, surprised. “What’s wrong?”

I took a slow breath and watched the raindrops slide down the window.

“Why did you come back to Halewick?”

Then I turned to him.

“And what exactly is your relationship with Sienna?”

The car lurched with a violent screech as he slammed on the brakes.

Declan stared at me, startled, almost frightened. His throat moved like the words were burning on the way up.

I leaned back in my seat and looked at him sideways.

“Relax,” I said. “Take your time. I’m not in a hurry.”

The wipers swept back and forth in steady rhythm, matching the pounding in my chest.

Declan opened his mouth, then let out only a tired sigh.

“Celeste,” he said at last, “there are some things I don’t know how to explain.”

He hesitated. “But Sienna and I are not what you think we are…”

“Declan,” I cut in quietly, “why do you think I haven’t signed those papers in seven hundred days?”

“The truth is, I never wanted to stay tied to Adrian forever,” I said. “You’ve seen the Mercer money. Even if I only walked away with ten percent, I’d still have enough to live on.”

I kept my eyes on the rain outside as I spoke, letting the words come one after another.

“But Sienna plays dirty and I’ve never had much patience for people like that.”

“Same goes for you.”