He Went Mad After I Left

Chapter 4 Leaving

Celeste bit her lip before finally mustering the courage to send a message.

Celeste: Orion, are you busy?

No response.

After that, Orion read her messages but never replied. He ignored her calls, blocked her entirely.

Celeste refused to give up. She couldn't understand what had gone wrong. Why was Orion treating her like this?

Staring at Lancaster Manor, its lights still glowing in the night, she made up her mind. She had to confront him and get an answer.

She got up, quickly tidied herself, and stepped into the estate's courtyard. As she walked, her foot accidentally hit a stone slab, sending a sharp pain up her leg.

She gasped in pain.

Just then, a woman's unfamiliar voice drifted down from the balcony above. "Who's there?"

Panicking, Celeste clutched the hem of her shirt and quickly stepped back, hiding in the shadows beneath the corridor.

Then, she heard Orion's voice from above—low, husky, filled with a kind of desire she had never heard from him before. "Probably a stray cat. Just ignore it. God, I missed you, baby..."

The woman giggled, playing coy. "Orion, not on the balcony… it's cold."

Orion didn't let go. "That's what makes it exciting. I'll keep you warm."

The woman let out a few breathy sighs before speaking again. "Wait, I have a question for you."

Orion exhaled sharply, clearly impatient. "Does it have to be right now? It can wait."

The woman insisted, "No! I heard you have a fiancée. And that you're still in school?"

Orion scoffed. "Why are you bringing her up now? What a buzzkill. Relax. That engagement isn't happening. She still thinks she can cling to me and become Mrs. Lancaster? She can keep dreaming."

Celeste shut her eyes, then forced them open again.

There was nothing left to ask.

A metallic taste filled her mouth—she had been biting her lip too hard.

If Orion wanted her gone so badly, then she'd give him exactly what he wanted.

When she got home, she packed away everything Orion had ever given her.

Then, she picked up her phone and called Avalon Academy's admissions office. "Hello, this is Celeste. I'd like to ask… are there any spots left for the exchange program in Ashbourne?"

The administrator checked the list. "There's one spot left. Are you interested in applying?"

Celeste nodded. "Yes."

She had always been at the top of her class. Her professors had encouraged her to apply for the Ashbourne program, as the university was world-renowned in her field. They had wanted her to have better academic opportunities.

Back then, she had refused without hesitation. All she could think about was Orion. She had been afraid that if he returned home and didn't find her there, he would be disappointed.

But now, she had finally made up her mind.

If Orion didn't want to see her, then she'd disappear from his life for good.

The clingy girl who had always followed him around? Celeste Harrington?

She was gone. Forever.