The drive back to her apartment was silent and satisfying. Celeste kept the windows up, and the soft hum of the car was the only sound accompanying the pulse of her thoughts.
Her conversation with Nana echoed in her mind, rephrasing itself in different ways. The approval, the subtle warning, and the reminder of choice.
She had made hers. She had ended things. She couldn't wait to tell Dominic about it. Sweet Lord!
The last of Landon, the last of that version of her life.
Celeste got out of the car when she got to her apartment.
She liked this place for its silence. No children, no neighbors who knocked without reason. Just a clean, orderly life. She slid her key into the lock of her apartment door—
It didn't resist.
Her hand stilled.
The door had always required a firm twist, a slight lift. Now it simply... gave.
Her heart slammed in her chest. She stood still, listening.
There was no sound.
No footsteps. No murmurs.
She pushed the door slowly open.
