Submitting to my Ex Uncle-Chapter 201

Amara froze. The blanket she’d been clutching slid halfway off her lap, pooling on the floor unnoticed. Her gaze searched Celeste’s face as if she’d misheard.

"Elias?" she whispered, tasting the name like it was poison. "You’re telling me he’s... involved?"

Celeste’s jaw tightened. She didn’t look away. "Not just involved, Mara. He’s rooted. He’s tied so deep into this mess that sending him away for a few days won’t sever anything. It’s who he is now." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Amara shook her head. Strands of her hair fell into her eyes. "No. No, I don’t—" Her voice faltered. "He’s always been reckless, yes, but—"

"But you never imagined he’d carry a gun into your house," Celeste cut in gently, her tone steady but unyielding.

The truth sat heavy between them.

Amara’s lips parted, but no words came. Her hands trembled against her knees, with her nails digging into her skin as though grounding herself.

Celeste reached for her again, covering Amara’s hand with her own. "Listen to me. I’m telling you this not to scare you, but because I need you to know what you’re standing next to. You asked why I didn’t tell you sooner?" Her voice softened. "It’s because once you know, there’s no undoing it. You’ll carry it forever."

Amara’s throat bobbed as she swallowed. Her voice was hoarse when she finally spoke. "And you’ve been carrying this alone all this time?"

Celeste shook her head faintly. "Not alone. Dominic... he’s there. But Amara," her voice dropped, fragile now "—you’re the one person I can fall apart with. And right now... I need that."

Amara’s eyes brimmed with fresh tears. "This is crazy. This is so crazy, and complicated." Her voice cracked, and she pressed the heel of her palm against her forehead like she could rub the truth away. "Why are you even in the middle of this, Cel? Why didn’t you just—why didn’t you run?"

Celeste’s lips parted in disbelief. "Run?"

"Yes!" Amara’s voice rose, high and desperate. "Run, hide, get as far away from all of this as you can! Instead, you’re telling me you’ve learned how to shoot, you’re standing beside him, and you’re letting all this filth swallow you whole. What are you thinking? You are my everything, and this shit is stupid."

Celeste’s jaw clenched. Her hands curled into fists against her lap. "You think it’s that simple? That I can just walk out and pretend none of this exists?"

"Yes!" Amara snapped, though her voice trembled. "Yes, because your life matters, Cel! And I swear to God, the thought of you being tangled up in this—" She broke off, choking on her words.

Celeste’s chest burned. Her throat ached with words she didn’t want to say but had no choice but to spill. "You don’t get it, Mara. I’m already in it. I was in it the moment Dominic stepped into my life. I was in it the moment I fell for him, the moment I kissed him, and the moment I survived that coma. I can’t untangle myself from him, or from what surrounds him just because I can. I love him."

Amara flinched, like the words struck her. "You’re saying you’re okay with this? With being dragged into a war that’s not yours?"

Celeste’s eyes stung. She leaned forward. Her breath trembled, and her voice broke. "I’m saying I don’t have a choice. And if I do, then I choose him. Even if it’s insane. Even if it’s complicated."

Amara shook her head violently, tears slipping down her cheeks. "You’re out of your mind. You’re talking like one day you won’t get killed because of him. You went into a coma, and lost a baby. You..."

Celeste’s eyes shimmered, hot with unshed tears. "And you’re talking like my heart isn’t already tied to him." Her voice rose, sharper than before. "Don’t you think I’m scared? Don’t you think I know the risk? But, God, Amara, I love him. And I’m already standing in the middle of his war whether I want to or not."

For a moment, the room was filled only with the harshness of their uneven breathing. The TV played on, with laugh tracks echoing cruelly in the background.

Celeste’s tears finally broke free. She reached forward, suddenly gripping both of Amara’s arms with trembling hands, forcing her to meet her gaze.

Her voice tore out of her, raw and desperate. "I need you. I need you right now, Amara. I need you to know what’s happening around you. I need you." Her body shook with sobs, her nails digging into Amara’s sleeves. For her, letting go would mean drowning.

Amara’s breath hitched. Her eyes blurred with fresh tears. She reached forward without hesitation, pulling Celeste into her arms, clutching her as tightly as she could.

"Shhh..." she whispered, though her voice trembled too. "I’ve got you. I’ve always got you."

Celeste tears broke her.

"I’m here for you, Celeste," she whispered into Celeste hair. "I’m here, and I’m sorry that I yelled."

Her arms cinched tighter, as though sheer force could mend the crack that had splintered into both their chests.

Celeste clung back. Her fingers fisted in the fabric of Amara’s shirt, like a child terrified of being left behind.

Her sobs were no longer silent. They now came in waves, shaking her whole body, and echoing against Amara’s collarbone.

"I didn’t know how to tell you," Celeste choked, her words muffled. "Every day, I carried it around, waiting for the right moment... but there is no right moment for this kind of truth. And I thought—" Her breath faltered. "I thought if I gave it time, maybe it would change, maybe it would get better, maybe I wouldn’t have to put it in your hands too."

Amara’s throat burned, hot and sharp. She shut her eyes, pressing her cheek against Celeste’s crown, and breathed in the familiar scent of her shampoo and faint traces of ink and lavender lotion. Her best friend was once too fragile to even be involved in this.

"You don’t have to carry it alone anymore," Amara whispered fiercely. "Do you hear me? I don’t care if it’s messy or dangerous or if it tears my world apart. I’ll fight through every nightmare with you if I have to."

Celeste’s breath stuttered. She pulled back just enough to see Amara’s face, her tears shimmering in the dim light of the living room. "You mean that? You don’t mind me being with him?"

Amara nodded, her own tears slipping free now. "With everything in me, I mean it. I’m mad at you, yes. I hate that you thought you had to hide from me. But I love you more than my anger. I always will."

Celeste’s lip trembled. That was all it took to unravel her completely. Her forehead fell against Amara’s shoulder.

Her body sagged like all her strength had been wrung dry. And still, she whispered through broken sobs, as if repeating the words was the only way to survive them.

"I need you, Amara. I need you so badly."

Amara held her tighter, her hands rubbing circles against Celeste’s back, grounding her. "You’ve got me," she vowed again, steady this time, as though making a promise to the universe itself. "For as long as I breathe, you’ve got me."