Temporary Luna, Permanent Heartbreak - Chapter 80: Chapter 80

Sterling smiled again. Naturally, he couldn't tell others about his experiences with Celeste over the years.
The healer was a kind-hearted person who couldn't bear to see them suffer. She tried to remind him, "That she-wolf has some connections with my family, and I know her well. She's a good she-wolf; don't miss out on her."
Dr. Cooper couldn't help but sigh, "Speaking of that she-wolf, there's nothing I can say to you. She was always pampering and doting on you. Once, a nurse accidentally bumped into you, and she was so heartbroken that her eyes turned red."
"That silly she-wolf came to me many times later, asking if I could treat your eyes. I told her that it's dangerous to extract corneas from living donors, and it could lead to blindness or even death. But she said it didn't matter. She knew our hospital couldn't do the tests and asked me where else she could go. Can you believe how naive she is?"
"Later, I found out that she did all that because she was afraid your pack would abandon you because of your blindness. She wanted to help you regain your sight so you could go back home."
After speaking for a while and seeing Sterling's lack of response, Dr. Cooper sensed that something was off and didn't say anything more. She walked away.
Behind him, Sterling stood still like a wooden sculpture.
Zara's POV
I left the hospital and since I didn't have anything else to do, I decided to head back and clean it up.
Even though I didn't really plan on living there anymore, the memories tied to that place were just too precious for me to let it fall into disrepair and go to waste.
When I got there, I saw that Aunt Violet and the others clearly hadn't taken good care of it at all. There were several places that were moldy, and the walls were peeling in spots. It really made me feel bad to see it like that. I thought to myself that maybe in a few days, I should hire a construction team to come and renovate it.
I spent some time cleaning everything up inside, and before I knew it, an hour had passed.
I walked out with the garbage in my hands.
I'd only taken a few steps when a long shadow fell across my vision.
I couldn't help but look up, and there was a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
My eyebrows furrowed just a bit.
The last she-wolf I wanted to see, and yet here we were, running into each other three times in just one day. What kind of strange fate was this?
It was Celeste standing not too far away, glancing over at me.
I'd just finished cleaning and working hard, so of course I couldn't compare to her appearance at the moment.
Celeste didn't seem too pleased and quickly looked away. Then she stretched out her swan-like neck, like she was trying to make herself look taller than me.
I didn't want to see her, didn't feel like exchanging any greetings with her, so I just walked right past her.
But then Celeste turned slightly and said, "Zara, how about leaving Lyra to us to raise?"
My steps froze for a second, and I turned to look at her. "You must be out of your mind, Celeste. How could you even think of raising my pup?"
To my surprise, Celeste didn't get angry at my rather confrontational words. Instead, she covered her mouth and laughed.
"Sterling and I are getting mated soon, and his pup will become my pup. Besides, it seems that you're not with the owner of Starlight Media anymore, and raising a pup might be a bit difficult for you."
"As a mother, you always want to give the best to your pup, right? Sending Lyra back to the Ashford pack would be the best for her, wouldn't it?"
"By sending Lyra back to the Ashford pack, Zara, you can also seek your own happiness. That Jagger from earlier could be a great mate for you, especially with his solid financial situation."
"Dear, instead of being all tangled up with your ex-mate and constantly staying in touch, why not find a good mate and get mated? At least then you can experience what happiness feels like."
I listened to her long string of sarcastic words, and then it finally dawned on me what was going on.
"So, you suspect that I insisted on taking Lyra away just to keep a connection with Sterling?"
"Isn't it?" Celeste smiled charmingly.
Her smile was bright, but the provocation in her eyes was so obvious.
"Zara, back then, you intervened and ruined the relationship between Sterling and me, causing us to be separated and live apart for four years. I'm not holding a grudge about that. Instead, I'm willing to give you a chance for happiness. Isn't that kind of me?"
Celeste's shameless words finally got under my skin.
There were a lot of things I didn't want to bring up, but now it seemed like there was no point in hiding them anymore!
I chuckled softly. "Celeste, you make it seem like you're so wronged. To anyone who doesn't know the truth, they might actually think you're the victim here. Are you sure I meddled in your relationship?"
"Did I say something wrong?" Celeste clearly didn't think I was any match for her. "To be honest, Sterling and I never really had a proper relationship. It's as simple as that. I had to painfully let go of Sterling and give him to you because your interference made everything so awkward between us."
"I considered your feelings and explained everything to Sterling a year later." Celeste added with a rather dark look in her eyes and a hint of a meaningful smile on her lips.
"A year later?" My face suddenly changed. I was already feeling pretty down, and this just made it worse.
I pinched my fingers tightly inside my sleeves.
During those four years, Sterling was so distant at first and didn't really pay much attention to me.
After we were mated and Lyra was born, he even started coming to visit me once in a while. Then one day, he messaged me saying he had to go on a business trip and that he'd think about our mate bond when he got back. Thinking about the little bits of warmth he'd shown me and how my feelings for him had been growing, I actually believed that he'd finally decided to accept me.
I was so happy and just waited patiently.
But when he came back, he was colder than ever before and even showed such obvious hostility towards me!
From that moment on, he let his friends and pack members bully me.
So, it turns out that he met Celeste during that business trip, and she told him all those things?
I couldn't help but let out an exclamation, trying to breathe out the anger that was building up inside me, but I just couldn't hide it.
Celeste did all this just for one reason: she didn't want me to be happy!
After four years of trying to put those lingering thoughts aside, I was done being polite in the face of her lack of gratitude.
"Celeste, you seem to have a really bad memory. Back then, when the reporters asked you if you were cheating, you were silent for a full five minutes. Weren't those five minutes long enough for you to explain yourself? Even if the reporters didn't believe your words, Sterling was right there; he would've been willing to listen, right?"
"..." Celeste's eyes narrowed all of a sudden.
In her mind, I was just some she-wolf who could be bully by anyone.
But now, I was speaking so clearly, like I could anticipate every single argument she might have, and it left her completely speechless.
I slowly walked around Celeste, saying, "Celeste, if it weren't for me stepping in, your cheating would've been confirmed, and you would've been completely discredited four years ago. What makes you think you can come here and act like a victim, trying to fool me?"
"I might even be your benefactor. I don't expect you to repay me, but please don't stand in front of me and say such hypocritical things!"
"..." Celeste just froze there again, and her face turned purple.
All that charm and radiance she had before was long gone!
She was pinching her palm so hard that her nails were breaking one by one, but she didn't even seem to feel the pain!
Suddenly, she, who thought she was the victim, had become the one who benefited?
And I, the she-wolf she thought had caused her to lose Sterling, had become her benefactor?
How could she bear such a huge blow?
"By the way, you said you and that male were just friends. Do you think there's something wrong with my eyes? So, you were both naked under the covers and having a chat? Do you believe in something like that?" I continued, my gaze landing on another figure not too far away.