The Divorce Prescription

Adam reached out, and I opened the wardrobe door. There she was—Celine, curled up in the corner of the wardrobe, her small body huddled tightly. Her long, silky black hair cascaded around her. When the door swung open, her sleepy, doe-like eyes, still heavy from a post-nap slumber, shot up to meet his, startled like a frightened fawn caught in the moment. In that instant, she looked so pitiful, so vulnerable.

She resembled a secret mistress someone might keep hidden away, forced to flee the bed and hide in a closet, even from the wife barely mentioned.

Adam frowned. "Why are you hiding in the wardrobe?"

Celine blinked, her thoughts still scattered from sleep. She had woken suddenly, having been sleeping on his bed in the lounge of Carly's apartment. As her surroundings registered, she realized she couldn’t even remember how she got there. The last thing she recalled was dozing off at the desk. That was when Carly stormed in, clearly on the warpath. Celine had panicked and instinctively hidden in the wardrobe.

Looking up at Adam now, she asked, "Is Carly gone?" Celine tilted her head slightly, a faint, playful smile curving her lips. "When I saw Carly coming in, I hid on my own. Mr. Alvarez, wasn't I good this time?"

but his thoughts flickered darkly. Good? When it matters, you’re never

completely numb. The moment she stepped out, her legs buckled, and she wobbled forward, about to collapse onto the carpet. Adam’s hand

Mr.

on her. She reached up, brushing a lock of hair behind her snow-white ear, the delicate curve of her profile catching the light. His lips pressed into a thin line before he finally spoke, his voice low and measured. "Next time something like this happens, if the

Carly was the mistress here, not her. And yet, crouching in that wardrobe, feeling pathetic and

afraid Carly would

laugh. "You think you can’t beat her?" The memory of Celine pinning Elijah to the ground and beating him senseless was still vivid in his mind. The idea that she couldn’t handle Carly? That was hard to fathom. Celine's gaze met his as she replied, "I can beat Carly, but I'm afraid you’ll

was afraid of Carly. She was afraid of him siding with Carly. Celine's steady gaze stayed on his

silence was as good as an answer; he would side with Carly, his favorite, the one he had given so much power and confidence that she could walk around like she