Page 104 of The Broken Vows

“Silas, where is my wife? I need you to find her for me right now.”

I can hear him type as I get into my car, only for him to sigh in obvious irritation. “That’s the second time you’ve called me to track Celeste when she’s literally on the Windsor Estate. What is it with you Windsor brothers and your weird requests related to your wives?”

I pause, confused. “Where exactly is she?”

Celeste told me she was going to Archer’s house for a few days, so how come she’s here? And if she did come back, why didn’t she come home? Unease begins to settle in my stomach, and I tighten my grip on my steering wheel as I wait for Silas’s answer.

“She appears to be at your grandmother’s house.”

I raise a brow and thank Silas before ending the call, worry gnawing at me as I drive over to Grandma’s. Celeste’s defeated voice keeps ringing through my head, and my heart begins to hurt. I should’ve held her close, and I never should’ve let her go.

I’m restless as I walk into my grandmother’s house, only to freeze in surprise when I see Celeste’s grandfather sitting on the sofa next to my grandmother, Celeste in front of them with her back turned toward me. She hasn’t noticed me yet — how could she, over the force of her sobs?

“I’m sorry,” she tells both of our grandparents. “I know you two had high hopes for us, and though I don’t understand why, you both clearly hoped we could make it work. I wish I could tell you your efforts weren’t in vain, but they were.” My wife runs a hand through her hair, tangling it into her curls. “I’ll forfeit my inheritance if you’ll just let him go.”

Shock courses through me, and Celeste turns her head toward her grandfather, who looks equally surprised. “I know you’ve always been disappointed in me, Grandpa, so this won’t come as a surprise to you. Archer told me he’s willing to step in and do what he must to make this happen. While he still can’t give up on his company for you, he’s willing to work twice as hard to take over my workload and become the successor you’ve always dreamed of.”

What? What the fuck?

Celeste sniffs, and it takes all of me to keep standing here. “You need to set Zane free, Grandma Anne. We’ve been married for over a year, and it’s clear I can’t make him happy. He can’t look at me without thinking of the past, and he deserves to be free of it. Zane deserves the kind of happiness that’s completely untainted. He deserves joy and laughter, and the kind of fun we used to have, the kind that just doesn’t exist between us anymore.”

Celeste straightens in her seat, and I take a step closer, my heart aching. My grandmother freezes for a split second when I move into her line of vision, but she doesn’t look at me. “This marriage did what you thought it would, Grandma Anne. It gave him the closure he needed, and after this, he’ll probably need a little bit of time to heal. Please give him that by setting him free now, instead of making him suffer through the next two years with me. If you do, he’ll be that much closer to real happiness, the kind I wish I could give him. That’s what you want for him, isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry, Celeste,” Grandma says, her tone unwavering. “But I can’t do that. You both signed a contract for three years, and you’ll have to see those years through. You cannot simply forfeit your inheritance without Zane having to forfeit his too.”

My wife rises to her feet and does what I once did for her. She kneels in front of my grandmother and grabs her hands. “I know you want him to be happy,” she says, her voice breaking. “Please allow him to divorce me. Can’t you see how much it hurts him to have to look at me? I swear to you we’ve tried all we could, and for a little while, I thought we could be happy, but it never lasts. Zane deserves more than brief moments of joy. He should have what we used to have — the kind of love that fills you with unwavering confidence in each other, the kind where you’re a team, and it’s you against the world. He deserves the kind of marriage his parents had, and I… I can’t be the one to give him that, no matter how badly I wish I could.”

“Is that true?” Grandma asks, looking up at me. “I’ll give you one chance, Zane. Right here, right now. Tell me you’re not sure Celeste can make you happy, and I’ll grant you two a divorce without repercussions.”

I walk up to my wife and shake my head. “No,” I say, my voice firm, not a doubt in my mind. Her shoulders sink, and her eyes fall closed in resignation, pure heartbreak crossing her face as she clearly misunderstands my answer. “That isn’t true.”

Celeste’s eyes flutter open as I reach for her, and she gasps when I bend down and lift her into my arms, the way I always used to. “Don’t give up on us yet, Celestial,” I tell her as I turn and carry her out of the room, my mind made up.

ChapterNinety-Two

Zane

“Where are you taking me?” my wife asks when I park my car in front of our private jet, where Lex is already waiting for us. I reach for Celeste and take her in my arms, unable to let her go. She gasps and wraps her arm around my neck as I carry her onto the plane, her startled expression earning her a chuckle from Lex when we pass him. “Zane?”

“You’ll see,” I tell her, every inch of my body reluctant as I place her down in her own seat, when all I want to do is hold her close.

Celeste studies me as Lex enters the cockpit, her gaze roaming over my face with the same kind of longing I’m feeling. “You’re only delaying the inevitable,” she tells me eventually, moments before the plane takes off. “You should have taken your grandmother’s offer. We both know it was a one-time deal.”

“Celeste Windsor. I will never let you go. Fuck, Celestial, I couldn’t even stand the thought of not being on your mind in the years we were apart — that’s why I attacked Harrison Developments the way I did, why I never let it go so far that you couldn’t recover.”

My wife studies me quietly, cautious hope flickering in her eyes. “We tried,” she says, her voice breaking. “For months now, we’ve done nothing but try to make this work.”

“No. We didn’t. We hid behind our wounds and threw blame around the moment things got tough. We didn’t try, Celeste — I didn’t, not the way you deserve.”

She falls silent, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment. “This won’t change anything, Zane. We’ll just end up with more regrets.”

I stare at her as she looks out the window, and for the first time since we got married, I’m filled with unwavering confidence. “I’d regret it a whole lot more if I didn’t do this, if we didn’t give this a real shot — not the way we have before, without giving you my all.”

She falls silent and stares at me throughout the flight, her expression cautious. It’s like she wants to believe in us but just doesn’t know how to.

“Where are we?” she asks, breaking the silence between us as the plane begins to descend.

I smile at her. “My private island.” Celeste’s eyes widen, and I grin at her as we land, stopping right outside the mansion I had built here.

---