Chapter 11 Dominic's lips pressed into a tight line . What had he done ? ] That night , Vivienne said she didn't like anything in the apartment . [ ] So the next day , he'd made Celeste come back . Made her watch as he threw away everything that belonged to her . Among those things - might there have been notes like this ? Might there have been other tokens of Celeste's affection ? Dominic suddenly felt like he'd taken a punch straight to the chest . He could barely breathe . [ ] He turned and walked out . It was raining outside . [] Standing under the eaves , Dominic called Vivienne . ] ] Vivienne answered excitedly . " Dominic , did you agree to help me ? I knew- " ] Dominic cut her off flatly . " What did you do that night in the apartment ? " [ ] Vivienne froze . " I didn't do anything . I was tired , so I went to bed early . " " Vivienne ! " Dominic's voice turned icy . " What did you see in Celeste's room that night ? " Vivienne was silent for a moment . " Since you're asking , you already know . Do I really need to spell it out ? I just stated some facts . If she were only a gold - digger , fine . But she dared to actually love you ? A toad lusting after swan meat . I just helped her see what she really was . Was I wrong ? " ] Dominic said in disbelief , " How could you do this ? " ] " Your brother and you drove me to it ! One cheats on me , the other won't help me - you hide away in England with your little mistress , and when I need someone to lean on , there's no one behind me . I just wanted to chase her away , make you focus only on me . What did I do wrong ? " [ ] Vivienne bit out , " Besides , you were the one who actually threw her things away , weren't you ? " Dominic went completely still . [ ] Yes . The one who threw everything away , the one who lost Celeste - it had always been him . [ ] He hung up weakly and stared at the pitch - black night . [ ] No stars . No wind . Rain falling straight down onto the ground . Onto him . [ ] No Celeste . The dark world stretched empty and vast . st . ] He really couldn't find her anymore . She'd vanished into the night , never to appear again . [ ] A strange pain , an unfamiliar terror , slowly spread from Dominic's very bones . [ ] He opened his phone . His last message to Celeste read : " Waiting for you to come home . " [] Dominic stared at those words , his spine stiffening inch by inch . He typed a reply . [ ] "I'm home " ] " Celeste , I'm home No response . The phone remained silent . No one answered [ ] The rain poured down relentlessly . His assistant rushed over with an umbrella . " Mr. Ashford- " ] The rest died in his throat He watched Dominic standing silently in the rain , water soaking through his hair , his eyes , leaving tracks down his face . [ ] London's downpour seemed endless { } Chapter 11 er . ] Three years later . Washington D.C. , Fourth Aerospace Research Institute ] Celeste packed up her things . The moment the project ended , her first call went to Iris . [] Iris scolded playfully , " Three years before you call me ? I thought you'd forgotten about me ! " " How could I ? " Celeste placed all her awards and certificates into her suitcase . The project had been a complete success . Though she wasn't the lead , during this time she'd published several papers and won various awards , large and small . She'd gained so much . The first person she wanted to share it with was her only friend , Iris . " When are you coming back to the States ? Let's catch up properly . " [ ] Iris said . I'm still in England working on my master's thesis . Just come to England to see me ." e . " ] Celeste's hand paused on the suitcase . " I probably won't go to England ." [ ] After all , that's where someone she shouldn't see again was . [] Iris understood her concern . " If you really don't want to see him , England is exactly where you should come . " [ ] " After all , he went back to the States three years ago . " ] །