Chapter 0858
On the way, just like Peter had said, he stopped by a bakery and bought a cheesecake with berries. Then, he picked up some strawberries and other berries–something to help Celeste get through the trip. As for himself, he only had coffee, but strangely, even though it was the same coffee he always drank, it didn’t taste as good this time.
“Peter, don’t you think you should rest a little? You just go out of the hospital yesterday, and now we’re already on the road to who–knows–where. You’re driving like nothing happened,” Celeste said, worrie
“Celeste, I know the man you knew–or the version of me you met–is different. But if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that no matter how hard I try, as long as I can walk and move freely, I won’t stay still. I spent over a month in that awful place. It’s time to take my life back.”
“Alright… So where are we going?”
“The city is called Galea. That’s where my house is. I’m supposed to meet my lawyer there, so we’ve got about an hour and a half to get there. I think we’re making good time. Oh! Look! That’s my friend’s restaurant! Let’s stop for pizza. Do you feel like having some?”
“Well… I…”
“I know, I know! I’ve already bought you a ton of food. But honestly, I have no idea how much pregnant women eat, and now you’re carrying two babies! I can’t take that lightly,” Peter said as he parked in front of Calum’s
restaurant.
When they arrived, everything looked the same as always except for one thing that caught Peter’s attention. Calum wasn’t there. There was a different chef. But what really stood out was a photo of Dolly Brooks, Calum’s wife.
“Hello, good afternoon! I’m Isabella, and I’ll be taking care of you today. Will your order be for here or to go?”
“To go,” Peter said, scanning the place for Calum.
“Excuse me, Isabella, where’s Calum?”
“Oh! The chef? He’s out of town. He went to his wife Dolly’s homeland. It’s been almost fifteen years since she passed, so he traveled to Hesperia for the anniversary.”
“Oh… I see…” Peter murmured to himself.
“Alright… Can I get a pizza with… Wait! Celeste, what kind of pizza do you want?”
“Pepperoni!”
“Pepperoni it is.”
“Great! I’ll be right back with your order.”
“Thanks!”
Peter felt a slight pang in his chest. He knew how much Calum had loved his wife. If he had to think of an ideal marriage, he would want his to be like theirs. But it was clear he hadn’t achieved that. Fifteen years had passed. Dølly had been gone for fifteen years. He regretted not being there for Calum back then.
“Is something wrong?” Celeste asked, intrigued by Peter’s surprised expression.
“Huh? Oh… No, nothing. A good friend of mine owns this place. Years ago, his wife was battling cancer. From what I knew, she was getting better… but she passed away fifteen years ago. My friend went to Hesperia for the anniversary of her passing.”
Chapter 0858
+25 BONUS
“Oh… I’m so sorry to hear that,” Celeste said, noticing how much the news affected Peter.
“Don’t worry. It’s been so long… Knowing Calum, I’m sure he’s doing better by now.”
A few minutes later, the pizza was ready, and they continued their journey. The sun was slowly setting, and it seemed like they would arrive in Galea just in time for the sunset.
“We’re almost there. We’ll still have daylight when we arrive, but look at the beach, the oce over everything… I really love this place,” Peter said, satisfied. “Have you ever been to Galea?”
he golden glow
“Yeah, many, many years ago. But after I left, I never got the chance to return. I had a good friend here named Aurora. She was a great girl, like an older sister to me.”
“What happened? Why did you leave Galea?”
“I was sixteen. I worked at a bar…”
Peter immediately turned to look at her, surprised.
work there?”
“Your parents let you ink! I worked as a dishwasher. And my parents died when I was six, so I was pretty much
“Hey! It’s not what you
on my own from then on. I had to learn to take care of myself while living in Willowcombe. Some neighbors
looked after me, but, you know… ‘Guests and fish stink after three days.‘ Eventually, they wanted to turn me over to social services, so I just ran away.”
“How old were you when that happened?” Peter asked, feeling a lump in his throat.
“Eight,” Celeste said like it was nothing.
“Why didn’t you go to social services?”
“Do you know what it’s like there? Do you know how they treat you? Given the choice between suffering there or on the streets, I chose the streets. It wasn’t easy, but look at me–I survived. I did what I had to do. When I was almost sixteen, I met Aurora. She worked at the bar, and they were looking for a dishwasher. I applied, but because of my age, they couldn’t hire me. I think Aurora saw something in me because she helped me get the job.”
“After a while, I decided to go back to Willowcombe, and well, the rest is history…”
“What history?”
“Well, I got married young, became a widow young. After some time alone, I met you, and now here we are, talking about my past like it’s no big deal.
“I know you’ll tell me everything someday. Remember, if you told me before, I don’t remember now, so it’s good to get to know the mother of my children, don’t you think?
“I don’t really like talking about it…”
“That’s fine… I won’t pressure you. But can you at least tell me one thing? How did you and I meet?”
“Well… It was at the kindergarten where Ethan goes. I had invited Ethan to an exhibition of my paintings. I already knew Theodore, so I invited them both. To my surprise, you decided to come along that night. Theodore bought several of my paintings, and that helped me a lot.”
“So, you’re a painter?”
“Yeah, I love painting. I still do it, but I try to limit it as much as possible, mostly because of the chemicals and my pregnancy.”
