Chapter 264
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Chapter 264:
The car slowed. They were not pulling up to the penthouse — they were passing through the massive iron gates of the Collins Estate in upstate New York.
“Why are we here?” Jocelyn asked, looking out at the lit-up mansion.
“My father wants to congratulate you,” Gaston said, the corner of his mouth lifting. “And he has fireworks p>
They entered the grand foyer. Elbert Collins was waiting with a bottle of vintage champagne in hand.
Do𝘄ոloа𝘥 р𝗗F𝘴 𝖿𝘳𝘦𝗲 oո gal𝘯𝗈𝗏е𝘭s.с𝘰𝗆
“Bravo!” Elbert clapped slowly, beaming. “I watched the livestream. Magnificent. The timing on the videos? Chef’s kiss p>
“You watched?” Jocelyn laughed, a blush rising in her cheeks.
“The best show in town. Better than the Super Bowl.” Elbert handed her a glass. “To the fall of the Schneider-Douglas alliance! Their stock dropped 12% in the last hour p>
“To justice,” Jocelyn corrected, clinking her glass against his.
“Same thing,” Elbert winked.
BOOM.
Outside, the sky ignited. Red, gold, and purple explosions bloomed and faded above the Hudson River.
Jocelyn stepped out onto the terrace and watched the colors burst and dissolve.
“It’s really over,” she whispered. The fear. The hiding. The shame. All of it — gone.
Gaston wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.
“No, Jo,” he murmured into her ear, his voice warm and full of promise. “It’s just beginning p>
The hospital room was quiet, smelling of antiseptic and regret.
Kieran woke. His head throbbed with a dull, heavy rhythm.
Mrs. Douglas, his mother, was crying softly by the window. Bella sat in the visitor’s chair, flipping through a fashion magazine. She looked bored, but her foot tapped nervously against the floor.
“Is it… true?” Kieran asked. His voice was raspy, dry as sandpaper.
Bella looked up. She didn’t smile.
“Is what true? That you married a criminal? Yes.” She flipped a page.
“Bella! Be nice,” Mrs. Douglas scolded, dabbing her eyes. “He’s hurt p>
“I’m being real,” Bella said. “He needs reality. He’s been living in a fantasy for too long p>
Kieran closed his eyes. The darkness behind his eyelids brought the images rushing back — the two videos, Aspen’s cold voice paying off Branden, her teenage sneer as she turned the key in the attic lock. And then Jocelyn’s face as she confronted her. Calm. Unbroken.
He thought about how he had treated Jocelyn when they were together. Cold. Dismissive. He had called her needy. He had accused her of being jealous of Aspen.
The realization hit him with a sick lurch: he had spent years berating the victim while defending the perpetrator.
“I have to talk to her,” Kieran said, trying to sit up. The room spun.
“She won’t see you,” Bella said without looking up. “She’s with Collins. They’re probably on a yacht, or in a penthouse, or ruling the world. She’s not coming here p>
“I need to apologize. I need to explain,” Kieran insisted, clutching the bedsheet.
“Explain what? That you’re stupid?” Bella threw the magazine down. “That you let a pretty face blind you to a rotten soul p>
“That I loved her,” Kieran said, his voice breaking. “I always… I always cared about her. I just… I was so blind p>