Written in the Stars

Chapter Twenty Three

Izabela paused her pacing and stopped to look at Celeste. Celeste was curled up on the big armchair that was too big for one person and also too small for two and so was the perfect size to curl up with a good book and a hot drink. The only issue was that Celeste was in big shit and therefore was not able to have her current read with her - or a hot beverage of her choice (which was always mulled wine, but that was only acceptable for about a month and a half at most each year).

The look on Izabela's face said murder. Her top lip was curled up with disgust as if even looking at Celeste turned her stomach. Her bared teeth seemed to shine in the low light provided by the fire and candles that were the only light sources in the room. Perhaps even the whole house.

Izabela slowly paced towards her. Her eyes had the kind of clarity in them that Celeste had seen very rarely. They had a plan in the them and the plan was not going to be one she liked. The clarity was cruel. It showed Celeste all of her flaws and it did not hold back. Izabela's brown eyes turned almost black as her pupils were blown wide. The thin ring of brown was not the friend it usually was. It told her exactly how weak and pathetic she was. How she was unable to even complete the one thing Izabela had asked her to do. Had trusted her to do. She had broken the trust she hadn't deserved in the first place and now the punishment was going to be deserved. And it was going to hurt. It was just unclear whether the pain was going to be physical or emotional. Izabela knew her weak points though so it was definitely going to be painful and not something she would be coming back from any time soon. But Celeste knew she deserved it. She had fucked up after all. It was all her fault that Astrid was able to take back all of the stall holders that they had managed to convince to work with them. But now they were all gone and they were going to have to find another way to subsidise their income stream. All because she couldn't just commit and kill Jean. He was no one to her anyway, she didn't understand why it was so difficult for her and why she hadn't just gone through with it.

Whatever Izabela decided would be punishment for her actions or lack thereof, she knew she deserved and would therefore not complain about. She was going to get it over with and hope that she was allowed back in her own bed one night soon. Ideally before the end of the century, maybe even before the end of the decade. If she was lucky and didn't push her luck too much.

Izabela stopped so that Celeste had to strain her neck to look up at her. She smiled softly at her and Celeste hoped that meant she was on her way to forgiveness. Izabela reached down to caress Celeste's face and she leaned in contentedly, "Celeste dear, I think I've found a way for reparations to be made over the recent incident. And it should help us gain our income stream back along with those who have stopped selling at our little market. That house does not have cheap upkeep or council tax fees. You'll be happy to do whatever I require wont you love?" Izabela's grip on Celeste tightened painfully and her fingers pressed into the bone beneath her skin. If Celeste could bruise she knew she would have been left with some. But it was the least she deserved and so she let out a small noise of assent. She would always do her best to do whatever Izabela needed from her. Izabela's smile widened to the point where her fangs were on display, gleaming with venom. "Good. Now, you may not like this plan very much but I know you'll see the necessity of it." She smirked and gave a slow blink as if giving a dramatic pause or perhaps just looking to see if Celeste's heart rate raised. It did. "I need your sister to die." Celeste let out an imperceptible gasp and had to stop herself from recoiling out of Izabela's grip, which had loosened enough that she could without breaking her neck.

Celeste had no idea what to think. Her sister couldn't die. She was her sister. She had known Astrid the longest, longer than Izabela. She especially couldn't die because they had missed out on all of those years together when Celeste had no idea Astrid was still alive. When she had been trying to recover from her death. She most certainly could not grieve her a second time.

But this was what Izabela saw as the only option. As the only way forward. As the only way for them to reconcile and be happy again. Happy together. The only way for her to trust Celeste again.

It was as if Izabela could see this thought pattern in her head. As if she could see the internal battle Celeste was going through. And yet there was never a wavering in her eyes. She knew that she would win. She would always win. Izabela was so certain of this that she let the hand that had been forcing Celeste to look at her to drop. She knew that she would have the support she needed from Celeste, especially if Celeste felt it was the only way to win her love back. Izabela was almost disgusted by how easy Celeste was to manipulate. By how easy she was to string along and make her do exactly what she wanted. The only time Izabela had had to doubt this was with Jean. She was not so sure that Celeste would be happy to betray Jean and her suspicions had come true. She had known that Celeste was weak for him, but she had had no idea exactly how weak for him she was. And it was under-doing it to say Izabela was truly disgusted by how far Celeste was willing to go to betray Izabela for that man. For that boy. He was so young, Izabela had no idea what Celeste saw in him, but then again Izabela had no idea what anyone saw in men. They were good for so little beyond fucking and, maybe even nothing else. Perhaps not even for fucking if she was honest. They were good for so little and yet it seemed Celeste was ready to risk it all for him. She was so confused and she did not want to waste any time trying to understand it at all.

Izabela saw the moment the fight went out of Celeste's eyes. The moment that she would cherish for the rest of her life. It was a sign of her strength. And she knew that look would carry her through all the hardships life liked to throw at her. Like Celeste refusing to be obedient and do as she was asked.

The room felt as if it was at peace. As if all was finally right with the world with Celeste finally giving in and allowing Izabela all she wanted without a fight.

Celeste knew she had to get out. There was no way she was letting Izabela kill her sister. It was as if something in her brain clicked and she realised that she was truly unhappy. She had committed so many wrongs under Izabela's name. She had ruined her relationship with those she loved and cared about most. All for the woman who claimed to have her best interests at heart and yet had forced her to give up on her marriage and her sister and all that she had built. Just so that Izabela could have her.

Perhaps a part of her felt on a deep level that Izabela's approximation of her was correct but she still didn't deserve to have the life she had spent literally centuries building destroyed for the whims of a woman who had done the same thing all those years ago.

Celeste needed to get out. Nothing was more important. Nothing else would save her but speaking to those who were about to be impacted most. Those who were about to be killed for a stupid decision she had made all those months ago. In that moment she could see exactly how deeply she hated herself. And how long she had hated herself. It had been long enough to let this happen and now there were to be real consequences that you couldn't simply move country to escape. No.

Celeste knew what she had to do. And it first involved letting Izabela think she had won. That this final move had shocked Celeste into submission and now she would forever be hers and more than happy to do her bidding no matter what it may be. Up to and including, killing her own sister or at the very least doing nothing to try and stop it. She would become Izabela's docile toy that they could both pretend was an equal in the relationship. In reality Celeste was more likely to become nothing more than a trophy wife, which would start as soon as she had signed over all of her power in the syndicate, after of course her sister had been murdered. She didn't think she would survive having to do it herself and yet Izabela knew this and that was why it was the perfect next move.

"Celeste," She leant down to kiss the woman beneath her before continuing, "I think you should be the one to do it. It would be the perfect way to show me how much I mean to you, and it would let you close the book on that part of your life. It's a perfect solution." Her voice was smiling and Celeste wanted to scream. Instead she let herself be kissed and made no other movement.

A few moments passed and then she smiled lovingly up at Izabela and said, "Whatever it takes to make you happy."