The Lies Between Us

The Past Never Stays Buried

Celeste’s fingers curled around her car keys as she faced the last man she ever wanted to see again, Nathan Hawthorne, the husband she had left behind. The city lights cast sharp shadows across his face, but the smirk curling on his lips was all too familiar, taunting, possessive, a silent reminder that he had once owned her.

Nathan: "It’s been a while, Celeste. Still running?"

Her pulse spiked, but she masked it with a slow, measured breath. Nathan thrived on reactions. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

Celeste: "Still following?"

His smirk deepened, his dark eyes dragging over her like she was his to unravel.

Nathan: "I don’t have to follow what’s already mine."

The words coiled around her like a warning. Nathan had never been the type to let go. She straightened, steel in her spine.

Celeste: "You lost that right the moment you let someone else into our bed."

A flicker of something, annoyance crossed Nathan’s face, but he recovered fast. Too fast.

Nathan: "And yet, you’re the one drawing attention now. Adrian Voss? Interesting choice. But tell me, Celeste… do you really think he’s any different from me?"

The comparison sent a chill through her, but she refused to show it.

Celeste: "I don’t play the same game twice, Nathan."

Nathan took a step closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper.

Nathan: "Then you should really read the rules this time, sweetheart. Because you’re already playing."

He walked away, leaving Celeste standing in the night, heart pounding. She should have known. Nathan never left without a fight.

Celeste had spent the entire night trying to forget Adrian Voss. The way he had seen through her walls so effortlessly at the gallery. The way his presence had ignited something inside her that she wasn’t ready to name. But now, standing outside her apartment complex, she was reminded that Adrian wasn’t the only ghost haunting her.

Because Nathan is here.

Her fingers tightened around her camera bag as she faced the man she had vowed to never see again. He sat down on the couch. The city lights were throwing sharp angles across his face through the glass window.

That smirk, the one that had once seduced her and then destroyed her, was still there.

Nathan: "You’re harder to find than I thought, Celeste. Almost like you didn’t want to be found."

Her stomach twisted, but she masked it with a cool stare.

Celeste: "Maybe because I don’t."

Nathan pushed off the center table, his movements slow, calculated.

Nathan: "That’s a shame. I thought we had unfinished business."

Celeste exhaled sharply. She had walked away from his betrayal. His lies. His control. He had no right to show up like this.

Celeste: "There’s nothing left between us, Nathan."

His smirk faded slightly, and for the briefest moment, something dark flickered behind his eyes. Something she didn’t like.

Nathan: "You walked away, Celeste, but that doesn’t mean I did."

Her pulse kicked up. She wasn’t scared of Nathan, not anymore. But she knew better than to think he’d ever truly let her go.

He took a step closer, lowering his voice.

Nathan: "Tell me, does Adrian Voss know that you’re still mine?"

Her breath caught. So that’s what this was about.

Nathan had seen her with Adrian. And now he was reminding her of the past, of the mistake she had once made in trusting a powerful man.

But Celeste wasn’t that woman anymore. She tilted her head, meeting his gaze with defiance.

Celeste: "I was never yours, Nathan. And Adrian isn’t you."

Nathan chuckled, but there was no humor in it.

Nathan: "No, he’s worse."

With that, he turned and disappeared into the night, leaving Celeste with a racing pulse and a sinking feeling in her gut.

Because for the first time in years, she wondered if Nathan was right.

_______________________

A Deal She Shouldn't Take

Still unsettled, Celeste arrived at the rooftop bar Adrian had texted her about.

She should have canceled.

She should have walked away.

But instead, she found herself standing across from Adrian Voss, his gaze locked onto her the second she stepped onto the terrace.

Adrian:

"You look like you’ve had an interesting night."

Celeste dropped into the seat across from him, masking the turmoil Nathan had stirred inside her.

Celeste:

"And yet, here I am. What does that tell you?"

Adrian leaned forward slightly, his presence darkly magnetic.

Adrian:

"That you’re curious. And curiosity, Celeste, is what gets people into trouble."

She exhaled a quiet laugh, shaking her head.

Celeste:

"Is that what this is? Trouble?"

Adrian’s smirk didn’t fade. Instead, his expression turned more serious. More intense.

Adrian:

"That depends. Do you want it to be?"

Her pulse fluttered, but she refused to let him see it.

Celeste:

"Let’s stick to why we’re here. You said you had an offer?"

He studied her for a moment, then leaned back, swirling the amber liquid in his glass.

Adrian:

"You have talent, Celeste. Your photography isn’t just art—it’s power. The way you see the world… It’s rare. I can make sure the right people see it too."

Celeste narrowed her eyes.

Celeste:

"And what do you get out of it?"

His lips twitched, his gaze never leaving hers.

Adrian:

"I like investing in things, things that are worth it."

The way he said it sent a shiver down her spine. Because she knew he wasn’t just talking about her photography.

Adrian:

"I can put your work in front of people who will change your life. But nothing in this world is free, Celeste."

She expected him to name a price. Money. A contract. Something tangible.

Instead, he said something far more dangerous.

Adrian:

"I just need to know one thing, do you trust me?"

Celeste’s breath hitched.

Because for the first time in a long time… she wasn’t sure.

____________________

A Warning She Shouldn't Ignore

Later that night, as Celeste sat in her apartment, staring at the city skyline, her phone buzzed. A text.

Nathan:

"You should be careful who you let in, Celeste. Some men don’t just take, they consume."

Her fingers hovered over the screen.

For a moment, she almost replied.

Instead, she deleted the message.

But the uneasy feeling in her chest didn’t go away.

Because for all her independence, all her strength, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was already in too deep.

And this time, she wasn’t sure she’d make it out unscathed.