Chapter 1
The first thing Celine heard was the sound of rain.
Not the sound of rain falling against a warm glass penthouse window; cold, merciless rain that seemed to have been pounding on the roof all night.
Then came another sound.
Regular. Even.
Beep... beep... beep...
Celine tried to open her eyes.
She couldn't.
Her eyelids were heavy; so heavy that she felt as if she hadn't slept in months. The strong smell of disinfectant hung in the air, and a white light filtered through her closed eyelids.
She tried again.
This time her eyes opened slightly.
Everything was blurry.
The white ceiling.
The lamp.
A shadow passing in front of her face.
Celine blinked several times.
She didn't know where she was.
She didn't know how many hours had passed.
She didn’t even know if the last thing she remembered had really happened or if it was just part of a disturbed dream.
She tried to move her hand.
A vague pain shot up her arm.
Her gaze dropped.
My head.
Her hand lay on the white sheet. Her nails, once always perfect, now had cracked polish.
She let out a slow breath.
Something wasn’t right.
So many things weren’t right.
The door opened.
A woman in white entered the room. When she realized Celine was awake, she paused for a moment, then smiled softly.
“Mrs. Laurent?”
Celine tried to answer.
Her throat burned.
Only a muffled sound escaped her lips.
The nurse came quickly to her.
“Easy. Don’t rush.”
She picked up the glass of water and carefully held the straw to her lips.
Celine took a sip.
The cold water soothed her dry, aching throat a little.
But a question still lingered in her mind.
What happened?
Her hand came up.
Her fingers stopped a few inches from her face.
Bandage.
A thick, white cloth covered a large part of her face.
Her heart suddenly raced.
“My face…”
The nurse paused.
“We’ll talk about it later.”
“What happened?”
Her voice was so faint that even she could barely hear.
The nurse adjusted the sheets.
“The important thing now is to rest. Dr. Morel will be here in a few minutes.”
Morel.
A simple name.
But something inside Celine stirred at the sound.
Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Morel...
Footsteps came from behind the door.
Quiet.
Orderly.
The footsteps were getting closer and closer.
The door opened.
A man in a white coat entered the room.
He had a file in his hand. His black hair was neat and his face looked calm but tired.
The nurse said,
"Doctor, the patient is awake."
The man glanced at the file.
"Vital signs?"
"Stable. A little restless."
The man nodded.
His voice was low and measured.
Celine remained motionless.
There was something in that voice.
Something familiar.
Something she hadn't heard in years.
The man took a step forward.
The cold light of the room fell on his face.
Celine stared at him.
It took a few seconds for the past to pass through her mind like a blurred image.
An old classroom.
A thin boy with black hair.
The eyes that always followed Celine when she entered the room.
And then...
His own voice.
Cold and cruel.
"You're not my equal."
Celine caught her breath.
Her dry lips parted slightly.
"Noah...?"
The man snapped.
For the first time since he'd entered the room, his gaze landed squarely on Celine's face.
Neither of them said anything.
And for a few seconds, the sound of rain against the window and the steady beeping of the pacemaker were the only sounds in the room.
Noah closed the file.
His face showed no emotion.
But his hand tightened a littlThe first thing Celine heard was the sound of rain.
Not the sound of rain falling against a warm glass penthouse window; cold, merciless rain that seemed to have been pounding on the roof all night.
Then came another sound.
Regular. Even.
Beep... beep... beep...
Celine tried to open her eyes.
She couldn't.
Her eyelids were heavy; so heavy that she felt as if she hadn't slept in months. The strong smell of disinfectant hung in the air, and a white light filtered through her closed eyelids.
She tried again.
This time her eyes opened slightly.
Everything was blurry.
The white ceiling.
The lamp.
A shadow passing in front of her face.
Celine blinked several times.
She didn't know where she was.
She didn't know how many hours had passed.
She didn’t even know if the last thing she remembered had really happened or if it was just part of a disturbed dream.
She tried to move her hand.
A vague pain shot up her arm.
Her gaze dropped.
My head.
Her hand lay on the white sheet. Her nails, once always perfect, now had cracked polish.
She let out a slow breath.
Something wasn’t right.
So many things weren’t right.
The door opened.
A woman in white entered the room. When she realized Celine was awake, she paused for a moment, then smiled softly.
“Mrs. Laurent?”
Celine tried to answer.
Her throat burned.
Only a muffled sound escaped her lips.
The nurse came quickly to her.
“Easy. Don’t rush.”
She picked up the glass of water and carefully held the straw to her lips.
Celine took a sip.
The cold water soothed her dry, aching throat a little.
But a question still lingered in her mind.
What happened?
Her hand came up.
Her fingers stopped a few inches from her face.
Bandage.
A thick, white cloth covered a large part of her face.
Her heart suddenly raced.
“My face…”
The nurse paused.
“We’ll talk about it later.”
“What happened?”
Her voice was so faint that even she could barely hear.
The nurse adjusted the sheets.
“The important thing now is to rest. Dr. Morel will be here in a few minutes.”
Morel.
A simple name.
But something inside Celine stirred at the sound.
Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Morel...
Footsteps came from behind the door.
Quiet.
Orderly.
The footsteps were getting closer and closer.
The door opened.
A man in a white coat entered the room.
He had a file in his hand. His black hair was neat and his face looked calm but tired.
The nurse said,
"Doctor, the patient is awake."
The man glanced at the file.
"Vital signs?"
"Stable. A little restless."
The man nodded.
His voice was low and measured.
Celine remained motionless.
There was something in that voice.
Something familiar.
Something she hadn't heard in years.
The man took a step forward.
The cold light of the room fell on his face.
Celine stared at him.
It took a few seconds for the past to pass through her mind like a blurred image.
An old classroom.
A thin boy with black hair.
The eyes that always followed Celine when she entered the room.
And then...
His own voice.
Cold and cruel.
"You're not my equal."
Celine caught her breath.
Her dry lips parted slightly.
"Noah...?"
The man snapped.
For the first time since he'd entered the room, his gaze landed squarely on Celine's face.
Neither of them said anything.
And for a few seconds, the sound of rain against the window and the steady beeping of the pacemaker were the only sounds in the room.
Noah closed the file.
His face showed no emotion.
But his hand tightened a little around the file.
Three months ago...
And the story went back to when Celine was still queen.e around the file.
Three months ago...
And the story went back to when Celine was still queen.
