Ethan's apartment hadn't changed — but Celeste had.
She stood outside his door, heart calm but heavy. No more butterflies, no more hopes or dreams tied to this man. Only the need to say goodbye properly. Not with tears or shattered surprises. But with dignity.
When he opened the door, Ethan's face fell.
"Celeste."
His voice was hoarse, regret clinging to it like smoke.
She stepped inside. "I won't stay long."
He shut the door, scratching the back of his neck. "I messed up. I know. But Sadie meant nothing, it just—"
"Stop," she said sharply. "This isn't about excuses."
He went quiet.
She looked around the room, remembering how once it had felt like home. Now it felt hollow.
"I came to tell you something," she began. "Naomi asked me to raise Zara. Her dying wish. And I'm going to honor that."
Ethan furrowed his brows. "You're serious? Raising a baby that isn't even yours?"
Celeste's eyes turned cold. "Yes. And I'm marrying someone to make it happen."
He blinked. "You're marrying... who?"
"Adrian."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Ethan scoffed. "That quiet rich guy? What, he's been waiting for me to screw up?"
"No," Celeste said. "He's been waiting for me to see what love should really look like."
Ethan opened his mouth, then closed it again. His face twisted in frustration and disbelief.
"You were going to propose to me," he muttered. "I know. I saw the box. So what, now I'm nothing?"
Celeste stepped closer, her voice calm but firm. "You made yourself nothing the moment you got into bed with my best friend."
As the words left her mouth, her mind drifted to that night. The night the truth shattered her.
---
FLASHBACK
Celeste had collapsed onto the pavement, her legs unable to carry her past the betrayal. The small velvet box she'd been planning to give Ethan lay crushed in her hand.
She didn't even notice Adrian at first—until his coat dropped over her shoulders, warm and steady.
"Don't speak," he'd whispered, kneeling beside her.
She hadn't. She couldn't. The tears came in broken waves, silent and relentless. Adrian simply pulled her into him, letting her sob against his chest.
"I warned you," she choked, "but I didn't listen. I believed him."
He didn't say I told you so.
Instead, he said the one thing she didn't know she needed:
"You deserve a love that never asks you to doubt yourself."
They'd sat there for nearly an hour, her tears soaking his shirt, his arms refusing to let her fall apart alone.
---
She snapped back to the present, the sting in her eyes more bittersweet now.
"I'm done, Ethan," she said finally.
Ethan looked down, his chest rising and falling in silent defeat.
Celeste nodded to herself, like something inside her had clicked shut.
"This is goodbye."
She turned and walked out.
By the time she crossed the street, the air felt lighter. Adrian stood beside his car, watching her. No words needed—just his presence, like always.
"It's done," she said.
He nodded. "You okay?"
"I think I am."
She took a deep breath. "I meant it. About marrying you."
His eyes searched hers. "You're sure?"
She nodded again. "Zara needs stability. I need... you."
Adrian opened the car door. "Let's go pick out a ring."
She laughed. "No proposal?"
"We skipped that part, remember?"
Inside the car, her phone buzzed.
A picture popped up. Zara, holding tightly onto Adrian's finger. The nurse had written: She hasn't let go all afternoon. I think she's already chosen her father.
Celeste looked at Adrian, her heart softening in a way it never had for Ethan.
She reached out and took his hand.
Firm. Steady. Familiar.
Maybe it wasn't the love story she expected.
But it was the one that would rewrite everything.