[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603134E5B19-27":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},27,9,"Chapter 9: The Final Wait","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The pain was unbearable.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The mind, a master of self-preservation, naturally chooses to forget, doesn't it?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She turned and left, flagging down a cab to the cemetery.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">At the silent grounds, she laid white lilies before Dante’s parents’ graves.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She’d heard white lilies symbolized purity and devotion.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It felt like the perfect sentiment for them.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Mr. and Mrs. Williams, I’m almost ready to fulfill my promise to you.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Please, rest easy. Dante… he’s doing great now. He’s running the Williams Corporation like a boss. His grandfather might nag him, but deep down, he’s super proud of what Dante can do. You don’t have to worry anymore.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“No matter what happens, thank you for changing my life.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her voice cracked, thick with emotion.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She knelt, her hands tracing the sign of the cross with earnest devotion.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Three days vanished in a blink.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The final day of the ten-year countdown arrived.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Coincidentally, it was also Dante’s 25th birthday.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Celine rose with the sun, meticulously cleaning and decorating their home.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She lit his favorite scented candles, hung his beloved paintings, and arranged his favorite flowers.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She even baked a birthday cake herself and whipped up a feast: roast beef, mashed potatoes, and glazed carrots.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">This was her grand finale, her perfect send-off to the past decade.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">By six in the evening, everything was set.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But as she sat at the dining table, waiting, the man who should have been home hours ago was nowhere to be seen.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She couldn't help but dial Dante.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“When will you get off work? Today… it’s your birthday. I wanted to celebrate with you.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A knot of anxiety tightened in her stomach. She feared he'd refuse again. This was the last day, and Celine desperately wanted a proper goodbye.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Thankfully, after a beat of silence, Dante’s voice came through, “Give me two more hours.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A wave of relief washed over her. “I’ll wait.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He didn’t say another word, just hung up.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But two hours later, he still hadn’t returned.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Celine called again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">This time, Dante’s response was the same, “Wait another two hours.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">And so it went. Two hours turned into another two.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Each promise of his return was a lie, and each call ended with the same refrain: wait another two hours.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She waited until all twenty-five candles on the cake had burned down to mere nubs.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She waited until every dish on the table was stone cold.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She waited through the night, and into the breaking dawn.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">By the time the sun climbed high the next day, Dante's birthday was long over.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Celine sat at the deserted dining table, her phone in hand, dialing him one last time.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">This time, as the call connected, the background buzzed with laughter and chatter.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Damn, she actually waited all night.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The realization hit her: Dante wasn’t at the office.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Where are you?”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dante made no attempt to hide it. “The Oak Room.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Even the most naive person would have understood: he’d been toying with her all night.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She ended the call, grabbed her coat, and left.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Arriving at The Oak Room, she found the private lounge door slightly ajar. Peeking inside, she saw Dante surrounded by his friends.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Isabella was there, too.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The table was a disaster zone of half-eaten cake and scattered, empty liquor bottles.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">They’d been partying all night.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">So, Dante hadn't been pulling an all-nighter at the office. He'd been celebrating his birthday with his buddies.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Just then, someone asked Dante, a smirk playing on his lips.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Dante, messing with your wife like that. Won’t she flip out and threaten divorce?”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dante’s lip curled in a nonchalant sneer.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Would she dare?”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A collective, knowing chuckle rippled through the room.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Everyone knew Celine was head-over-heels for Dante. Divorce? Unthinkable. She probably wouldn't even dare to argue with him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then, he glanced at Isabella, a pointed glint in his eyes. “Besides, birthdays are only fun when you’re with someone you actually like.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The implication hung heavy in the air, and the room filled with suggestive glances between Dante and Isabella.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">From the doorway, Celine calmly pushed the door open.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her entrance was like hitting a mute button; the boisterous room fell instantly silent.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Celine showed no trace of embarrassment. True to form, she walked directly to Dante.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Let’s go home.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Seeing her, so thoroughly mocked, yet not a flicker of anger, just meekly asking Dante to come home like always, the onlookers couldn't help but feel a grudging respect for Celine.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272932140]