Chapter 9
Celia didn’t struggle at all, letting the river water swallow her completely.
again, she
As scenes from her past flashed before her eyes, she thought that if she could do it all over again, she would never want them in her life.
She smiled and closed her eyes, never to wake again.
Meanwhile, at her birthday party.
Staring at the disconnected call, Aurelian and Silas felt unease creeping in.
They looked at each other, and Aurelian spoke first. “You don’t think something happened to Celia, do you?”
Silas clutched his phone, unsure if he was trying to convince himself or Aurelian. “What could happen to her? She values us too much–she’s probably just trying to get us to come find her.”
Raya walked over with an innocent expression. “Isn’t Celia coming? Is it because she hates me?”
Conrad and Millicent looked furious. “We decided to forgive her, and she still has the nerve to throw a tantrum. After all these years, she’s still got that stubborn streak”
Millicent looked at the dejected Raya and pulled her into a gentle embrace. “It’s okay, sweetie. Mom and Dad will always be on your side. If she can’t accept you, then she doesn’t deserve our love.”
With that reassurance, Raya allowed herself a smug smile when they weren’t looking.
You’ll never win against me, Celia.
“Since Celia won’t come, let’s turn this birthday party into Raya’s official adoption ceremony. From now on, she’s not Raya Quinn anymore–she’s Mireya Fairborne, the Fairborne family’s eldest daughter and our favorite child.”
“But…” Aurelian started to protest, but Raya stopped him.
“Celia’s probably just trying to get your and Silas’s attention. You can tell her about today’s plan tomorrow–I’m sure she won’t blame you guys.”
She took Silas’s hand. “Come cut the cake with me! Mom specially picked my favorite flavor and design.”
Hearing this, Aurelian and Silas had no choice but to put their phones aside and celebrate Raya’s birthday.
The party didn’t end until after midnight. Aurelian had been drinking and was slightly tipsy.
Suddenly, a sharp ringtone cut through the air, sobering him up instantly.
“Hello, is this a relative of Miss Celia Fairborne?”
Hearing Celia’s name, Aurelian quickly answered, “Yes, what’s going on?”
For some reason, before the caller could respond, Aurelian’s heart started racing like it was trying to jump out of his throat.
Silas heard the phone and held his breath, waiting for the answer.
“I’m very sorry to inform you that Miss Celia Fairborne jumped from the river bridge at 8 PM tonight and took her own life. We did everything we could to save her, but we couldn’t bring her back. She left some personal items at the scene. When would you be able to come collect them?”
The worker’s voice continued, but Aurelian could barely hear it anymore.
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Killed Me for Your Precious Angel? Now Pray She Can Save You from Hell
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Chapter 9
His mind was buzzing, his thoughts completely frozen.
Suicide?
How could Celia choose suicide?
Something had to be wrong.
She was probably just mad and got people to lie for her.
That’s what Aurelian told himself, but his hands wouldn’t stop shaking as he held the phone.
“Hello, Mr. Graves? Are you still there?”
“It’s fake, isn’t it? Did Celia put you up to this lie?!”
Aurelian’s voice was raw as he demanded an answer that would put his mind at ease.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Graves. We’re deeply sorry for Miss Fairborne’s passing, but she did choose to jump from the bridge.”
Hearing those words, Aurelian felt like all the blood in his body was freezing. Sharp ringing exploded in his ears as everything around him grew distant.
Silas stood frozen too, unable to believe the news.
“Did Celia get you to lie to us?”
Faced with Silas’s doubt, the voice replied, “I’m sorry, I know this might be hard for the family to accept, but we truly are sorry. We hope you can come as soon as possible to… to claim Miss Fairborne’s body.”
Raya walked over, seeing both men in shock. “Aurelian? Silas? What’s wrong?”
Aurelian pushed her hand away roughly and strode toward the exit.
Silas had no patience to explain either and followed Aurelian out.
Looking at the red marks on her hand from being pushed away, Raya felt annoyed and slightly uneasy.
But that unease quickly faded.
What could possibly be wrong?
Her biggest obstacle was Celia, but whether in the Fairborne family’s hearts or in Aurelian’s, Celia wasn’t worth even a strand of her hair.
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