Chapter 10
Another Harvest Moon Festival came, and I sat in the yard with Ethan and Lillian, sharing dinner and watching the moon.
The sky was clear, and the moon shone bright and full.
Every year, I
I used to visit Grandma Lucille’s Homestead for the holiday. She would slice an enormous harvest pie for the family.
The piece with the most egg yolk was always mine.
Now, I followed her tradition, giving the best slices to my children.
Ethan and Lillian bounced over, offering me the biggest piece.
“Mom, you go first”
I smiled, ruffling their hair.
Across the fence, Weston sat alone, a bottle in hand, the silhouette of his figure tinged with loneliness.
He stared at the moon, taking deep, bitter swigs, his eyes occasionally glancing toward us
The same moon watched over us all, yet each heart felt it differently.
Suddenly, Weston spoke, eyes fixed on me.
“Celeste, will you tell me your story?”
There
was little left to say about it.
Once, I was the adored socialite, only to become a ruined shadow of myself.
The suffering pooled into a river, nearly drowning me.
In my darkest moments, I was pursued by creditors, surviving like a rat in the gutter, drinking dirty water when thirsty, scavenging from trash when hungry.
Despite my care, they caught me.
Ruthless as wolves, they wanted me to sell my body to pay off my debts.
I’d resigned myself to it.
With the Monroes gone, I had nothing left to lose.
But then Weston appeared, like some guardian angel, throwing money at them and warning them never to come near me again.
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To him, it was probably just charity for a beggar.
But to me, it was salvation, making my withered life bloom for a moment.
I later learned that bloom was never mine to keep; I only passed through it.
An aunt from abroad reached out, wanting to adopt me. She had married well and thrived overseas.
With the paperwork complete, I was set to leave.
On the day of my flight, I happened upon Belle and her friends having coffee.
Her eyes gleamed as she bragged, “Weston’s money isn’t much, and his foundation’s shaky. I met some serious investors overseas who want me on board.”
“Once I get what I need from Weston, I’m dumping him and taking a hefty ‘Investment fee.