Replaced by His First Love

Celeste’s POV

Five years together. Our wedding was just weeks away.

Then she came back—pregnant, claiming the baby was his.

Overnight, I went from fiancée to "the other woman."

He moved me out of our bedroom. He put the ring he designed for me on her finger. And when I was drowning, gasping for air, he carried her to safety and never looked back.

What he didn't know? I lost a child that day too.

His child.

The moment I boarded that plane, I swore I'd never return.

But the moment he realized I was gone, he lost his mind trying to find me.

The slap rang out—sharp, clean, humiliating.

I stumbled backward into the bar counter. Glass shattered across the floor.

"Celeste Rosewood." The woman's voice dripped with contempt. "You actually have the nerve to show your face here?"

Her name was Meredith, one of Juniper's little minions. She towered over me, her eyes filled with undisguised disgust.

"Juniper is pregnant. And you're still hanging around like some pathetic side piece?" She let out a cruel laugh. "If you had any shame at all, you would've disappeared by now."

The whispers started immediately.

"That's her? The one who broke up Kieran and Juniper?"

"Honestly, how shameless can you be? Juniper is the Whitmore heiress. Who does this nobody think she is?"

"They would've been married years ago if it weren't for her..."

I pressed my palm against my burning cheek. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

Pathetic, isn't it?

Five years. I'd been with Kieran for five years. I was there when he was nothing—the bastard son of the Wilde family, the one nobody wanted. I stood by him through every humiliation, every struggle, until he rose to become CEO of the entire empire.

Our wedding was supposed to be next month.

Then, three months ago, Juniper Whitmore waltzed back into our lives. The same woman who had dumped him a decade ago because she couldn't stand being associated with "an illegitimate nobody."

Except this time, she came back with a trump card.

A baby.

And just like that, everything changed.

"What's going on here?"

A low, familiar voice cut through the crowd.

Kieran.

He strode toward us, immaculate in his tailored suit, a slight furrow between his brows.

My heart clenched. He's here. He'll defend me. He has to.

But his gaze only flickered briefly over my swollen cheek before settling on Meredith.

Meredith's expression transformed instantly—wounded, innocent, misunderstood. "Kieran, I was just trying to help. I can't stand watching her cling to you like this. Juniper is pregnant and her health is so fragile, but she keeps showing up and making things difficult—"

"Enough." His voice was terrifyingly calm.

Finally, he looked at me.

"Celeste, you should go home."

That's it?

I stared at him, barely breathing.

No explanation. No defense. Not even a simple "Are you okay?"

"Kieran..."

"The driver's waiting outside." His tone was flat, emotionless. "Go get some rest. We'll talk later."

He turned and walked away.

Leaving me standing there alone, surrounded by pointing fingers and venomous whispers.

I bit down hard on my lip, fighting back the tears, and stumbled out of the bar.

The driver was already waiting at the entrance.

"Miss Rosewood, shall I take you back to the villa?"

I slumped into the backseat, my whole body trembling.

"No." My voice came out as a ragged whisper. "Take me to the visa center first."

"Which country would you like to apply for?"

"Norlan."

The clerk looked up with a knowing smile. "Oh, Norlan! Beautiful place. Very popular for honeymoons. Will it be for two—"

"Just one."

She blinked, startled, but had the good sense not to pry.

"The visa will take five days to process. You can pick it up then."

"Fine."

I took the receipt slip and whispered to myself, so quietly that no one else could hear:

"Five days. Then I'm gone."

Back at the villa, I headed straight for the guest room at the end of the second-floor hallway—my new quarters, ever since Juniper's delicate condition had apparently required that I be "relocated."

I had just opened my suitcase and started packing when I heard a commotion downstairs.

"Watch your step. Take it slow."

Kieran's voice, soft and tender in a way that made my chest ache.

"Kieran, you're too good to me..."

Juniper.

I set down the clothes in my hands and walked to the railing overlooking the living room.

Juniper was clinging to Kieran's arm. The moment she spotted me, her lips curved into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Oh, Celeste, still up?" She lifted her left hand with theatrical flourish. A massive diamond caught the light—brilliant, blinding, obscene. "Look what Kieran gave me today! Isn't it gorgeous?"

I knew that ring.

Rose-cut. Pink diamond. Platinum band engraved with delicate vines.

Three months ago, Kieran had shown me the sketches himself. I'd cried in his arms for ten minutes straight.

"I designed this for you," he'd said, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "One of a kind. When it's ready, I'm going to put it on your finger myself."

"Kieran..." My voice came out like sandpaper. "That ring..."

He didn't look at me.

"Juniper's been feeling down lately. She happened to like it." A pause. "If you want one, I'll buy you something else later."

Buy me something else.

Like it was just another piece of jewelry.

Like the hours he spent designing it, the promises he whispered, the future we were supposed to have—like none of it had ever existed.

Juniper gazed up at him, her voice honeyed and helpless. "Kieran, I'm so tired. Could you help me to the bedroom?"

His expression softened instantly.

"Of course. Let's take it slow."

Together, they walked toward the master bedroom.

The bedroom that was supposed to be ours.

I turned away, retreated into the guest room, closed the door, and slid down the wall until I was sitting on the cold floor.

The tears came silently.

Everything he'd promised me—all of it—already belonged to her.