Chapter 63
“We’re going home,” Kael said, his voice calm yet firm as he zipped up his suitcase.
Celestina sat on the edge of the bed in the cold, secluded Russian estate that had been her refuge—and prison—for the past month. Her fingers absentmindedly traced the embroidery on her scarf, her gaze distant.
“Are you sure it’s safe?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. The dreams of Dimitri had been haunting her night after night, leaving her restless and uncertain.
Kael turned to her, his expression unwavering. “The security team cleared everything. The palace has been fortified, and the investigation into the bombing hasn’t turned up anything credible. We’ll be fine. And besides, you’re the president now. The country needs you.” He stepped closer and took her hands gently in his. “I know this has been hard, Celestina. But it’s time to go back and start living again.”
She wanted to believe him, but the unease in her chest wouldn’t fade. The letter, the explosion, the whispers of Dimitri still alive—it all felt like a dark cloud she couldn’t escape.
The flight back was quiet. Celestina stared out the window at the endless sky, her reflection ghostly against the glass. Kael sat beside her, typing on his phone, focused as ever. The silence between them was heavy, but neither broke it.
When they landed, the airport was buzzing with activity—people rushing to and from terminals, announcements echoing overhead. Celestina felt a strange sense of relief being back in her country, but it was tinged with anxiety.
As they walked toward the exit, Kael’s hand lightly touched the small of her back, guiding her through the crowd. “Our car is waiting just outside,” he said, his tone clipped, always in control.
But Celestina barely heard him. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes locked on a figure across the terminal.
He was tall, with broad shoulders and dark hair, his profile strikingly familiar. The way he moved, the way he carried himself—it was him. It was Dimitri.
“Dimitri?” she whispered, her legs frozen in place.
Kael stopped walking, turning to look at her. “What did you say?”
But she didn’t answer. She broke away from him, weaving through the crowd, her pulse racing. The man was walking toward a different terminal, his back to her now, but she was certain it was him.
“Dimitri!” she called out, her voice shaky as she pushed past travelers, her heart pounding in her chest. “Wait!”
The figure paused for a brief moment, just long enough to glance over his shoulder. Celestina’s world tilted. It was him. His face, his eyes—it was Dimitri.
But before she could reach him, he disappeared into the throng of people.
“Wait!” she cried again, her hands trembling. She pushed forward, her mind a whirl of disbelief and hope, but the figure was gone. The crowd swallowed him whole.
Kael caught up to her, his expression stern but tinged with concern. “Celestina, what the hell are you doing? What’s wrong?”
She turned to him, her face pale, her eyes wide and brimming with emotion. “I saw him, Kael. I saw Dimitri.”
Kael’s brow furrowed, and for a moment, his expression softened. He placed his hands on her shoulders, steadying her. “Celestina,” he said gently, his voice measured, “you didn’t see Dimitri. He’s gone. You know that.”
“No!” she snapped, pulling away from him. “It was him. I’m not imagining it! I know what I saw.”
Kael sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re grieving, Celestina. You’ve been through so much. It’s normal for your mind to play tricks on you, especially when you’re this stressed.”
“I’m not crazy!” she shouted, earning a few curious glances from passersby. She lowered her voice, her hands trembling at her sides. “I know what I saw, Kael. He looked right at me.”
Kael stepped closer, his tone calm but firm. “It wasn’t him. I promise you, it wasn’t. Whoever you saw, it was just someone who happened to look like him. You need to let this go.”
Celestina swallowed hard, her chest tightening as she searched his face. There was no doubt in his eyes, no hint of hesitation in his words. And yet, the image of Dimitri’s face—so vivid, so real—wouldn’t leave her mind.
Back at the palace, everything felt surreal. The familiar halls, the grandeur of the rooms—it was home, but Celestina felt like a stranger walking through it.
Kael threw himself back into work immediately, spending hours in meetings and on calls. Celestina, meanwhile, tried to immerse herself in her duties, attending briefings and reviewing reports, but her mind kept wandering.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Dimitri’s face. Every time she turned a corner, she half-expected to see him waiting for her.
One evening, as she sat alone in her study, she noticed something out of place. There, on the edge of her desk, was a gold pocket watch.
Her heart stopped.
It was Dimitri’s.
She picked it up slowly, her fingers trembling as she turned it over. She had given this to him years ago, engraved with his initials. There was no mistaking it—it was his.
Her mind reeled. The watch hadn’t been there before. She was certain of it. And yet, here it was, as if placed there deliberately.
Kael’s voice echoed in her mind: “You’re grieving. Your mind is playing tricks on you.”
But this wasn’t a trick. This was real.
Celestina clutched the watch tightly, her breath shallow. She couldn’t tell Kael. Not yet. Not until she knew what this meant.
Celestina hid the watch in her desk drawer, her heart racing. “If Dimitri is alive,” she thought, “what does that mean for everything Kael has told me?”
