The Past Refuses to Stay Buried
662 Words
An Unwelcome Reminder:
Celeste wasn’t afraid of the dark.
She had spent years capturing shadows through her lens, finding beauty in the places others overlooked. But tonight, the darkness felt different. Because tonight, It was watching her.
Celeste had spent the night tossing and turning, Nathan’s words coiling around her thoughts like a noose.
"Some men don’t just take, they consume."
It was just another one of his mind games. It had to be.
But as she stepped into her studio the next morning, the sight in front of her made her blood turn to ice.
Sitting on the center table was an old framed photograph, one she hadn’t seen in years.
Her wedding photo.
The glass was cracked right over her face.
Celeste’s stomach clenched. No one had a key to this place. She had changed the locks. She had made sure.
But Nathan was always one step ahead. Her fingers trembled as she picked up the frame, her breath coming shallow.
A note was tucked behind the glass. She unfolded it with cold, numbed fingers.
Nathan's Note:
"You still take beautiful pictures, Celeste. But some things should never be erased. See you soon."
A knock on the door made her jump.
Her pulse hammered as she turned, only to find Adrian.
A Dangerous Game:
He took one look at her face and his expression hardened.
Adrian:
"What happened?"
Celeste hesitated. Did she tell him?
Nathan was a shadow from a past she had buried. She didn’t want to drag Adrian into it.
But when his gaze flickered to the cracked frame in her hands, his entire demeanor shifted.
Adrian:
"Who did this?"
Celeste exhaled sharply, setting the frame down as if it wasn’t suffocating her.
Celeste:
"It’s nothing. Just someone trying to rattle me."
Adrian stepped closer, his presence commanding, overwhelming.
Adrian:
"You don’t rattle easily. Who is he?"
For the first time since Nathan’s reappearance, Celeste felt something dangerous stir inside her.
Adrian wasn’t asking because he was curious. He was asking because he wanted to do something about it.
And that? That was almost more terrifying than Nathan himself.
Celeste:
"It’s nothing I can’t handle."
Adrian studied her, his gaze too sharp, too knowing. Then, he reached out and traced a slow, deliberate finger over the c***k in the frame.
Adrian:
"He wants to remind you that he still owns you."
Celeste’s breath caught.
Adrian:
"I don’t share, Celeste. If he comes near you again, I’ll make sure he doesn’t walk away from it."
His words sent a shiver through her, not of fear, but of something darker. Deeper.
Because for all her independence, all her strength… she didn’t hate the idea of someone fighting for her.
But she also knew that letting Adrian fight this battle meant giving him a piece of her she wasn’t sure she wanted to give.
And that? That might be even more dangerous than Nathan.
A Warning She Can’t Ignore:
That night, Celeste double-locked every door, every window. She paced her apartment, checking every shadow.
She refused to let Nathan get under her skin.
But when her phone buzzed at exactly midnight, her heart slammed against her ribs.
A message.
Nathan:
"You should have stayed out of his world, Celeste. You know what happens to things Adrian Voss wants."
Her fingers curled around the phone, fury simmering in her veins.
Then, another message.
An image.
Her stomach plummeted.
It was a photo of her studio.
Taken tonight.
From the outside.
Her throat went dry.
Nathan hadn’t just left a warning.
He had been watching her.
Her grip on the phone tightened, her breath uneven.
She had walked away from Nathan years ago.
But tonight, she realized the terrifying truth.
Nathan had never let her go.
And now?
She wasn’t just caught between two men.
She was caught in a game where losing meant surrendering everything.
And this time? She wasn’t sure she’d make it out unscathed.
She was caught in a war.
- Writer
