The Scent of 13

Chapter 13

It was Teagan’s voice.

Celeste turned toward the source and saw both Teagan and Trevor.

She stopped in her tracks.

Trevor was smoking in silence.

The distance between them was too far, and with Trevor standing against the light, Celeste couldn’t make out his expression.

Teagan said, “Honestly, I understand. I’ve met Wynn a few times. She’s only 25 and already has a PhD from one of the top universities in the world. I hear she’s also handling her family’s business quite well.

“She’s beautiful, wild, and untamed. Her brilliance and allure are rare. I get why she’d attract you. But her background is… less than respectable. Trevor, have you really thought this through? You

Trevor cut her off. “I know what kind of woman I want.”

Teagan frowned. While she didn’t think highly of Celeste, she wasn’t impressed by Wynn either.

“But-“she began, but the displeasure in Trevor’s eyes stopped her short.

She scoffed. “Fine, fine. You’re so protective; I can’t even say a word. I’ll shut up, okay?”

Celeste stood there, clutching her hands, the night wind stinging her cheeks. She let out a bitter chuckle and lost all interest in eavesdropping further.

Quietly, she turned to leave.

As Celeste walked away, Teagan seemed to recall something. “Oh, by the way, Celeste mentioned she’s submitted her resignation and plans to leave the company?”

Trevor replied, “Jacob told me she made a mistake two days ago, and he was pretty upset. I told him to follow company protocol and terminate her.”

Teagan snorted and said, “That explains it. When she mentioned it earlier, she made it sound like she was resigning voluntarily. I knew there was no way she’d willingly quit. Turns out she got fired. Ha!”

Trevor didn’t respond, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

Upstairs, Celeste was heading to her room when she almost collided with Tucker, who was coming down. Both of them were startled.

Once they regained their composure, Tucker apologized first and asked worriedly. “Are you okay?”

Aside from Martha, Tucker was the only member of the Fleming family who treated her kindly.

Celeste shook her head and smiled. “I’m fine.”

When Celeste and Trevor got married, Tucker was just a kid and didn’t understand much of what had happened. Over the years, he’d always thought Celeste was beautiful and kind. After their marriage, she had never started arguments with Trevor and was always tolerant of him.

If his future wife were like Celeste, Tucker thought, he’d treat her with nothing but care. Thus, even after he grew up and learned the full story, he was still fond of Celeste.

Noticing that she seemed slightly upset, he figured it had to do with Trevor.

+25 BONUS

Tucker scratched his head and said sincerely, “Celeste, you’re a wonderful person. Trevor will see that one day. Don’t let it get to you.”

Celeste paused. She didn’t want to explain that she and Trevor were on the brink of divorce, so she smiled and said, “Thank you, Tucker.”

“I’m heading downstairs to grab a drink. It’s late. You should get some rest.”

“Okay. Goodnight,” Celeste replied with a smile.

the di

Once back in her room, Celeste turned off the main light, left only the dim bedside lamp on, and lay down. Not long after, she heard Trevor’s footsteps as he entered the bedroom.

Celeste opened her eyes and met Trevor’s gaze.

She stared at him.

In the past, she would’ve gotten up to hang his jacket, cheerfully found his pajamas, and prepared a bath for him. But now, she stayed in bed and slowly closed her eyes.

Though indifferent to her usual care and attention, Trevor noticed the stark difference in her behavior. He seemed surprised but dismissed it, assuming she was just throwing a tantrum.

He didn’t care enough to figure out why and stated coolly, “Jo’s enrollment paperwork is finalized. Take her to school tomorrow morning.”

“Got it.”

Trevor said nothing more and turned toward the closet to grab his clothes for a shower.

That was how he treated her.

Watching his back, Celeste thought of their divorce. She wanted to ask when they could finalize it, but Trevor was busy. And knowing his personality, he’d handle everything himself without needing her to remind him.

After all, he wanted the divorce more than she did. That was why, for the past two weeks, she had silently waited for him to bring it up and never urged him.

Just then, Trevor’s phone rang.

Celeste saw him answer it. His tone was noticeably softer compared to when he spoke to her on the phone. She immediately guessed it was Wynn calling.

As she had suspected, whatever Wynn said on the other end made Trevor say, “I’ll come over now.”

Then, he immediately hurried out of the room.

Celeste didn’t call out to him. Moments later, she heard the sound of a car driving off.

Trevor had left Fleming Manor.

Celeste closed her eyes, calmly turned off the light, and went to sleep.

Celeste woke up at around six the next morning since she needed to take Jordyn to school. Trevor hadn’t returned after leaving the previous night, but Celeste no longer cared

Her expression remained calm as she glanced at the time. Realizing Jordyn wasn’t up yet, she walked over to her room to wake her.

Jordyn’s door was locked, and Celeste had to knock

+25 BONUS

After a while, Jordyn finally opened it with her lips pursed in annoyance, “Mom, why did you have to knock so loudly? My head’s pounding now.”

Last night, Jordyn had told Wynn about the situation. Although Wynn reassured her that it was only natural for Celeste, as her mother, to take her to school, she could tell Wynn had sounded disappointed.

Jordyn had felt guilty about it all night, so much so that she had several nightmares. Being woken up by Celeste now only soured her mood further.

Celeste looked at Jordyn’s pouty face but didn’t get angry. She replied nicely, “The school’s far. If you don’t get up soon, we won’t make it in time.”

Jordyn huffed but said nothing.

As much as she disliked the arrangement, she knew better than to throw a tantrum over going to school. She flopped back onto the bed, grumbling, “Fine. I know.”

After a while, she peeked at Celeste. “Mom, can you squeeze toothpaste on my brush for me?”

“Alright

After Celeste entered the bathroom, Jordyn picked up her phone and sent Wynn a good morning text before going to brush her teeth.

By the time she finished brushing, Celeste had wrung out a hot towel for her and handed it over.

“Which outfit do you want to wear?” Celeste asked while glancing through the closet.

Jordyn gave the options a quick glance and said, “Mom, I can change on my own. You can go now.”

Celeste closed the closet. “Alright.”

Once Celeste left, Jordyn dug out an outfit she had brought from home the day before–a flashy camouflage shirt Wynn had chosen for her.

She couldn’t wait to wear it to show her support for Wynn!

+25 BONUS

Chapter 14