Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 323

Chapter 323

It took me by surprise. Despite everything, I had not expected her to slap me. But my body reacted before my brain could catch up, my hand intercepting hers, my fingers closing around her wrist and pushing her arm away with enough force to make her stumble backward.

She was weak from blood loss and grief and the hollow emptiness of a body that had just lost its occupant, and the push was not hard, but it was enough. Her bare feet slipped against the floor, and she went down, landing on her side with a soft cry.

The officers turned. Officer Rivera stopped mid-Miranda, while one of the male officers, broad-shouldered and quick, hurried over and lifted Sierra to her feet with careful gentleness.

“You okay, ma’am?”

Sierra did not answer him. She did not look at him. She was looking at me, her eyes burning with a hatred so pure it seemed to generate its own heat, and when she spoke, her voice was steady.

“Officers.” She pointed at me, her finger trembling but her voice unwavering. “That man you are arresting is innocent. He is my fiancé. He is the father of my child who just died. He did not harm my baby.” She took a breath, deep and ragged. “The person who killed my baby is her. Celeste Fisher. She pushed me to the ground in her lobby because she was angry at Felix. She is the reason I lost my child. You have to give me justice.”

My eyes widened. My mouth opened. No words came out. For the first time in longer than I could remember, I was completely, catastrophically speechless. She was standing there in her hospital gown, still bleeding from the miscarriage Felix had caused, and she was lying to police officers to protect the man who had killed her baby. 1

Officer Rivera turned to look at me, her expression shifting from professional neutrality to something harder. The male officer released Sierra’s arm and stepped toward me, his hand moving to the handcuffs on his belt.

“Mrs. Celeste Fisher. You are under arrest for aggravated assault and battery. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.”

The handcuffs clicked around my wrists. Cold metal. Colder than I had imagined. The weight of the steel against my skin made my arms feel like they belonged to someone else. Everything felt so unreal.

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