Chrystabliss

Chapter 55 - FIFTY-FIVE: No One Is Going To Take My Position

Chapter 55: Chapter FIFTY-FIVE: No One Is Going To Take My Position


Sameen’s POV


The scream was still echoing when my world shattered.


My eyes followed Celeste’s body tumbling down the staircase in horror, every thud of her body against the marble stairs ripping through the silence like thunderclaps.


Her cries, sharp and desperate, clawed at the air until the final slam cut her voice into a choked silence.


For a moment, my mind refused to process what had just happened. My nails dug into the wooden frame of the study door and my lungs froze.


My heart was hammering so loud it drowned out everything else.


I didn’t push her on purpose, it was an accident!


I yelled in my head while staring at her, then I saw a line of red flowing from beneath her.


Blood.


I saw it bloom across her dress like spilled ink.


Her shaking hands clutched her stomach, and when she screamed "No... no...please!"


Something inside me twisted violently.


Raymond rushed past me, his voice cracking with a desperation I had never heard before.


He dropped to his knees beside her, his hands trembling as he gathered her broken body into his arms with a scared expression .


"Celeste!" he shouted, in panic while staring at her blood stained dress.


My throat dried up and my legs seemed to be rooted to the spot I was standing.


No.... No, this wasn’t supposed to happen.


"Hold on, I won’t let anything happen to you or our child," he cried, cradling her like she was made of glass and would break if he didn’t hold her.


Our... child.


The words cut straight through me like knives, ripping through every illusion I had fought to build over the years.


He hadn’t even looked at me or he hadn’t even thought of me.


He had chosen her.


My knees weakened, and I had to grip the doorframe tighter to stop myself from crumbling to the floor. My chest heaved, ragged breaths tearing out of me, but no sound followed.


And then, as if the world wanted to drive the dagger deeper, I saw Raina’s face.


My daughter stood frozen halfway to the front door, her wide eyes darting from Celeste’s blood-soaked body to Raymond’s frantic expression, then up to me.


She was scared and genuinely worried for her best friend until she heard her father’s words.


She was so shocked and when she finally snapped out of it, she ran up the stairs to where I was standing.


Her lips parted and her voice was barely audible and shaking.


"Mother... what’s going on?" she asked me with a confused expression.


Clearly not wanting to believe what she heard.


I looked at Raymond’s back as he barked orders to the servants, his shirt already stained with Celeste’s blood as he rushed out, carrying her away.


And just like that, the house was filled with chaos, as the servants footsteps, gasps and frantic shouts for help were heard. While I stood rooted in the doorway, watching everything slip through my fingers.


Raina also turned to me then, her face pale, her chest rising and falling like she couldn’t breathe.


"Tell me the truth," she demanded, her voice trembling, but there was a sharpness in it that made my blood run cold.


"Raina..." I tried, my voice cracking.


Her hands curled into fists.


"Is it true? Is Celeste carrying Father’s child?" she asked with a trembling voice.


My lips trembled, and for a moment, I considered lying and building another wall of deception like I always had.


But when I looked at my daughter, the fire in her eyes, the betrayal written all over her young face, I knew the truth had already carved itself into her heart.


Tears burned my eyes as the words slipped out, shattering everything.


"Yes." I whispered in despair.


The silence that followed was worse than any scream.


Raina stumbled back a step, her hand covering her mouth.


"No... no, you can’t... you can’t be serious." she said while shaking her head in denial.


"Raina, please..." I tried to touch her but she avoided my hand.


Her head snapped up, fury blazing now.


"She’s my best friend, Mother! My best friend! And all this time you let her sleep under our roof knowing she was carrying my father’s child?" she questioned me angrily.


Her voice cracked, pain breaking through the anger, but she didn’t wait for me to respond. She just shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks.


"You’re disgusting," she spat. "You, her and father. All of you!" she yelled at me angrily.


The words hit me harder than a slap.


"Raina, I wasn’t aware of it, I just found out and got so angry. I control myself and that’s why she ended up in her current state" I explained quickly.


" What?! I took her as my best friend but she was busy fucking my father behind my back? That bitch has crossed the line and I will make her regret it! " she screamed, her voice breaking as she turned and stormed down the stairs.


I staggered forward, reaching out as if I could stop her.


"Raina, wait!"I called out but she didn’t turn back.


She slammed the front door behind her, leaving me standing at the top of the stairs with the echoes of her hatred burning in my ears.


I was scared of her doing something to Celeste in anger.


My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor. The marble was cold against my knees, my hands shaking as I pressed them to my face.


Everything... all my years of sacrifice, of wearing the perfect mask, of holding this family together despite all the whispers and secrets, it had all been for nothing.


I had lost to a girl of my daughter’s age and my husband’s loyalty.


A sob tore from my throat, raw and ugly. I couldn’t stop crying, my chest heaving, my tears soaking into my palms.


But then, as the tears fell, something inside me hardened.


No.


I couldn’t fall apart, not now.


I dragged myself to my room, shutting the door behind me with shaking hands. The silence inside pressed against my skull, heavy and suffocating.


My reflection in the mirror looked like a stranger, mascara streaked, hair wild, eyes red and hollow.


I stared at that woman, that broken, shattered woman... and I hated her.


"No," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I won’t lose and I won’t lose everything I built."


Snatching up my phone, I dialed a number with trembling fingers. It rang once before a low, male voice answered.


"Hello?"


"It’s me," I whispered, my voice harsh from crying. "I need your help in dealing with Celeste Martinez, do you understand me? Make sure Celeste is erased from my life forever. I don’t care how you do it. Just... make her disappear." I instructed angrily.


The other person was mute for a few seconds, making me anxious.


Then a chuckle. "Consider it done."


I ended the call, my chest heaving. My tears hadn’t stopped, but a fire now burned beneath them, scorching and unrelenting.


I would not lose my position as Mrs Black.


Not to Celeste and definitely not to anyone.


But before I could wipe my face, the door to my room burst open.


Slow, deliberate clapping echoed through the room.


I whipped my head around, my eyes widening as Lauretta, Kendrick’s mother, walked in with that smug smile plastered across her face.


"Well, well, well," she drawled, her heels clicking against the marble.


"How does it feel, Sameen? How does it feel to finally have your precious husband snatched away from you?" she asked me with a smug smile.


Her words sliced through me like poisoned blades.


I staggered back, rage flooding me.


"Shut up!" I shouted, my voice hoarse.


She arched a brow, her smile widening.


"Oh, don’t get defensive now. We both know what you are, Sameen. A pitiful woman clinging to a man who never truly belonged to you. Look at you now, broken, crying and desperate." She mocked me.


"Don’t you dare!" I screamed, the sound ripping from deep inside me.


Her laughter was cruel, echoing around the room.


"You act like you’re some saint, but let’s not forget that two years after everyone thought I was dead, you swooped in and married Raymond. How convenient." she said with a sarcastic smile.


I froze, my nails digging into my palms.


She tilted her head, eyes gleaming.


"Tell me, Sameen... if you never had an affair with Raymond while I was still alive, then how did you explain Curtis? Hm? A child just one year younger than Kendrick? Do you really expect anyone to believe that was a coincidence?" she asked me.


Her words hit me like hammer blows, my chest tightening, my breath catching.


She knew.


Her smugness deepened as she stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Everyone thinks you’re the perfect wife but I know the truth and now, the whole world will too."


For a moment, I thought I might collapse again. But then something inside me snapped.


I straightened, my tears still glistening, but my eyes blazing now.


"You think you’ve won, Lauretta?" I hissed, my voice trembling with fury. "You think you’ve cornered me? You don’t know half of it."


Her brows arched, curiosity flickering across her smug face.


I took a step closer, my voice low and venomous.


"Because I know about your deal with Raymond."


The words hung in the air like a thunderclap.


Her smile faltered.


For the first time tonight, it was her turn to freeze.


And just like that, the power shifted.