“I'm not hiding. I'm being realistic.” Celeste's hands were shaking. “I have people who—”
“Who what? Who might not accept you?” Ruby's voice was hard now. “So you're just going to keep hiding and continue being miserable? Never let yourself love anyone?”
“I'm not miserable!”
“You're not happy either.” Ruby climbed out of the tub. “And you know what? That's on you. That's your choice. But don't pretend it's about protecting your kids or your family. It's about protecting yourself.”
“That's not fair.”
“It isn’t? You're so scared of losing your family's approval that you won't even try.”
“Because I can't risk it! I can't risk losing them. My grandmother built a life here so her children and grandchildren could have opportunities. And I became successful, just as she wanted. I can't throw that away.”
“You're not throwing it away by being yourself.”
“You don't understand.“
“I may not, but let me ask you this: Are you brave? Or are you just going to keep playing it safe until you wake up one day and realize you've wasted your entire life?”
“That's rich coming from you.” The words emerged before Celeste could halt their exit. “You're calling me a coward? If I’m a coward, then what are you?”
Chapter Eighteen
Ruby
Ruby stood frozen in the doorway, Celeste's words still ringing in her ears.
“What did you just say to me?”
Celeste's jaw was tight, her eyes blazing with something Ruby had never seen before—anger mixed with desperation. “You heard me. You're just as much of a coward as I am. You hide your best work because you're terrified of failing again. You keep yourself small and safe because you can't handle the possibility of rejection.”
“That's not—”
“It is exactly that. And you know what? I shared some of your art pieces with Jonas Ford, the collector your agent's been trying to connect you with.”
Ruby felt the blood drain from her face. “You what?”
“I went into your phone a few days ago and forwarded the pictures of your work to me. And when I met him on the grounds of the festival, while you were away to get us some snacks, I sent it all to him.“
The room tilted and Ruby grabbed the doorframe to steady herself. “You had no right.”
“I have every right,” Celeste interrupted, her voice rising to match Ruby's shock. “Because it hurts me to see a brilliantwoman like you sabotage herself. You're so incredibly talented, and you're wasting it because you're too scared to try again.”
“That wasn't your call to make. It was mine. My work, my choice, my risk to take or not take.”
“I wanted to help—”
“You violated my trust! You decided to expose my personal work without asking me. I showed you those pieces because I trusted you, and you betrayed that.”
“Ruby, listen to me. I thought—and still do—I was doing the best thing for you.”
“You thought wrong.” Ruby wrapped her arms around herself, feeling exposed and raw. “You should have asked me. You should have talked to me about it. But instead, you went behind my back and made a decision about my life.”
“You're right. It wasn't my decision.” Celeste laughed, but it came out bitter and broken. “I guess we're both just two self-sabotaging women, aren't we? Me hiding who I am, you hiding what you can do. We're perfect for each other in the worst possible way.”
The words hung between them, heavy and unbearable, but true.
“I had the best time with you,” Celeste continued, her voice softer now which somehow made it worse. “Truly. This week has been everything. But this has to come to an end, Ruby. It was always going to end.”
