Updated Feb 23, 2026 • ~6 min read
POV: Celeste
Nina drives me to the lawyer’s office.
I’ve been staying with her for a week now.
Since I moved out of Dominic’s house.
Since I realized I was fighting for a man who didn’t want to be fought for.
“Are you sure about this?” Nina asks for the hundredth time.
“Yes.”
“You could still—”
“No. I couldn’t. This is the right thing to do.”
She doesn’t argue.
She knows I’m right.
Even if she doesn’t want to admit it.
The lawyer’s name is Sarah Kim.
“Ms. Ashford,” she greets me. “Or should I say Mrs. Ashford?”
“Celeste is fine.”
“Alright, Celeste. You said on the phone you want to file for divorce from Dominic Ashford.”
“Yes.”
“Can I ask why? Last I heard, you were fighting to preserve your marriage.”
I take a breath.
“Because I realized I was fighting for something that doesn’t exist anymore. Dominic and I… we’re not the same people we were five years ago. He’s moved on. Built a life. Fallen in love. And I’ve been trying to drag him back to a past he’s outgrown.”
“You’re sure about this?”
“I’m sure that staying married to someone who loves someone else is torture. For both of us.”
Rebecca nods.
Pulls out paperwork.
“I’ll file today. Given the circumstances—the coma, the second marriage—this should move quickly. Irreconcilable differences. No contest.”
“How long?”
“In Washington? Six months minimum. But with your unique situation, possibly sooner.”
Six months.
Half a year until I’m officially not Dominic’s wife anymore.
It should hurt more.
But mostly, it’s just… relief.
I sign the papers.
All of them.
My hand shakes a little on the last signature.
But I do it.
Rebecca witnesses. Files everything.
“I’ll send copies to Dominic’s attorney,” she says. “And I’ll notify the court handling the annulment case. This should resolve everything.”
“Thank you.”
“Celeste?” She pauses. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing the right thing. Brave thing.”
Brave.
I don’t feel brave.
I feel tired.
And sad.
And strangely free.
Nina takes me to lunch after.
Some café near her apartment.
We order. Eat. Don’t talk much.
Finally: “Do you hate her?” Nina asks.
“Who? Rory?”
“Yeah.”
“I wanted to. God, I tried to. But… no. I don’t hate her.”
“Even after everything?”
“She didn’t do anything wrong. She fell in love with a man she thought was available. She married him in good faith. She built a life with him. And then I woke up and destroyed it all.”
“YOU didn’t destroy anything—”
“I did, though. By existing. By waking up. By fighting for something that wasn’t mine anymore.”
“He WAS yours—”
“Was. Past tense. He’s not anymore. And that’s okay. It has to be.”
Nina reaches across the table. Takes my hand.
“I’m proud of you,” she says quietly.
“For what? Giving up?”
“For letting go. There’s a difference.”
That night, Dominic calls.
I almost don’t answer.
But I do.
“Celeste.”
“Dom.”
Silence. Heavy.
“I got the papers,” he says.
“I thought you might.”
“You’re really doing this?”
“I am.”
“Why?”
“Because you love her. Not me. And I deserve someone who chooses me first. So does she.”
More silence.
“I’m sorry,” he finally says. “For all of it. For not being who you needed. For moving on. For—”
“Don’t. Don’t apologize for falling in love. Or for grieving. Or for moving forward. You did what you had to do.”
“I still feel like I failed you.”
“You didn’t. Life failed both of us. The accident. The coma. The misdiagnosis. None of that was your fault.”
“Celeste—”
“I need to ask you something. And I need you to be honest.”
“Okay.”
“Did you love me? Before the accident. Really love me?”
He doesn’t hesitate.
“Yes. Completely.”
“And now?”
This time, he does hesitate.
“I love the memory of you. The person you were. The life we had. But… I’m not IN love with you anymore. I’m sorry.”
It hurts.
But it’s also what I needed to hear.
“Thank you for being honest.”
“Are you okay?”
“I will be. Eventually. So will you. And so will Rory.”
“I don’t know if Rory will forgive me.”
“Then fight for her. The way you should have from the beginning.”
“I will.”
“Good. She deserves that.”
We sit on the phone in silence for a moment.
“I’m sorry about the baby,” Celeste says quietly. “I heard. From Nina. It’s… I’m so sorry.”
Dominic’s voice breaks.
“Me too.”
“Go to her. Tell her you’re sorry. Tell her you choose her. Tell her every day until she believes you.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be okay. I’m starting physical therapy in earnest. Looking for a job. Maybe teaching dance again. To kids. Adaptive classes for people with disabilities.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“It does, doesn’t it?”
Another pause.
“Goodbye, Dominic.”
“Goodbye, Celeste.”
I hang up.
And for the first time since waking up, I don’t feel like I’m drowning.
I feel like I’m learning to swim again.
In a life that’s mine.
Not his.
Not ours.
Just mine.
Nina finds me crying on the couch.
“What happened?” she asks, alarmed.
“I said goodbye.”
“To Dominic?”
“To the life I thought I’d have. To the marriage. To the future we planned.”
“Oh, honey—”
“It’s okay. I’m okay. These are… good tears. Healing tears.”
She sits next to me. Holds me.
“What now?” she asks.
“Now I figure out who Celeste Ashford is. Without being Dominic’s wife. Without dance defining me. Just… me.”
“I think you’re going to be amazing.”
“I think so too.”
And for the first time in five years—maybe longer—I believe it.
Later that night, I text Dominic one more time.
Me: “One more thing. Tell Rory I’m sorry. For the manipulation. For the fighting. For all of it. She deserves better. And so do you. Be better. For her.”
Dominic: “I will. Thank you. For everything. For letting go.”
Me: “Thank you for loving me when you did. It was real. And it mattered.”
Dominic: “It was. And it did.”
I delete his number after that.
Not out of anger.
Out of necessity.
Because I can’t move forward while holding on to the past.
And I’m ready to move forward now.
Finally.
END OF CHAPTER 22
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