Lily POV
“What did you say?”
Beads of sweat formed on my forehead. Celeste’s voice seemed to be echoing from far off. I wasn’t sure if I still had a smile on my face or something hideous.
“They…” she stuttered.
“Just lay it to me as it is, Celeste,” I murmured, giving her another expression that I truly hoped was a smile.
“They say she’s Kai’s firs mate.”
The confirmation hit me like a punch to the gut. I had suspected a mistress, an old girlfriend, a female friend, but nothing had prepared me for this.
“First mate? But that’s impossible. Kai never…” I trailed off, swallowing the tears at the back of my throat. “That would explain things now,” I chuckled, swiping at a tear that rolled down my cheeks. “Why didn’t he just tell me? I swear, I would have understood. Why did he make me go through all this trauma of finding out?”
