Scatter Our Broken Love Among the Stars

It wasn't a big deal?

Celine let out a mocking laugh. "Right. She's virtuous, and I could never measure up. I'll never spend my life playing second fiddle to a man, wasting all my energy trying to keep him happy!"

The words had barely left her mouth when Steven's expression changed. She followed his gaze and spotted Quinn standing at the bottom of the front steps.

"I'm so sorry, Celine. This is all my fault. I've interfered with your life and caused you so much trouble. But I… I just…" Quinn looked at Steven with tears pooling in her eyes.

"You didn't do anything wrong. She's just being petty."

Steven finished comforting Quinn, then turned to Celine with a command. "Apologize to Quinn."

Celine was exhausted. She'd been woken up early that morning, bruised her leg playing that stupid game at noon, and spent the entire afternoon packing. All she wanted now was to find somewhere quiet and rest.

She had no interest in another pointless fight. But clearly, peace and quiet were too much to ask for in this house.

Celine turned, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door. Steven had just helped Quinn inside when he saw Celine walking out with her bag. Her temper seemed to be getting worse by the day, and anger surged through him.

"If you leave, don't bother coming back."

Perfect! Celine scoffed and kept walking.

Quinn stood just beside the doorway, blocking a small portion of the path. Celine deliberately angled her body to slip past. She'd just gotten one foot over the threshold when Quinn screamed and fell backward.

Celine's hand shot out instinctively to catch her, but she missed. She could only watch as Quinn tumbled down the steps and hit her head hard enough to draw blood.

"Celine! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Steven's furious voice exploded in her ear. He rushed over to check on Quinn. "Where are you hurt? I'm taking you to the hospital."

Quinn swayed on her feet as if she were about to faint. She stood up, one hand covering her injury, the other pushing Steven away.

"I'm fine, Steve. As long as Celine feels better, that's all that matters. You two should work things out. I'll go home and take care of this myself."

Quinn was firm in her refusal. She insisted on drawing a clear line between them and absolutely would not go to the hospital.

Steven looked frantic. When he saw Celine standing there completely unmoved, he strode over, grabbed her arm, and dragged her in front of Quinn. This time, his grip was even more brutal as he tried to force her down.

"Apologize to Quinn!"

"Steven, if your eyes don't work, go to the hospital and get them checked. You want me to apologize? Never."

Celine wrenched herself free with all her strength. She'd just regained her balance when a sudden force at her waist sent her toppling backward.

There were still two or three steps behind her. She hit the ground and rolled down before finally coming to a stop.

Pain exploded at the base of her spine. The pain was so intense that she broke out in a cold sweat immediately. Her vision swam, and Quinn's shrill voice echoed somewhere in the distance.

"Celine, are you okay?"

"She's fine. She's just putting on a show because she doesn't want to apologize!" Steven's voice dripped with contempt.

"But she looks like she can't get up…"

"It's two or three steps. What's there to get up from? You fell down nearly eight steps, and you're still standing. Quinn, listen to me. That head wound needs to be treated right away. I'm taking you to the hospital."

"I…"

Celine couldn't hear the rest. Steven must have dragged Quinn away.

…

When Celine opened her eyes again, she found herself lying in a hospital bed. It took her a moment to piece together what had happened. She hadn't just stopped hearing them. She'd passed out.

Lydia was the one who'd brought her in. The moment she saw Celine awake, she started fussing.

"You scared me half to death! I was walking past your place on my way back from the market, and there you were, lying on the ground. You wouldn't respond no matter how much I called out to you. I thought…"

The implication was too grim to voice, so Lydia trailed off and switched gears.

"Now that you're awake, you should call your family and have them come stay with you. The doctor said you took a pretty bad fall and needed to be hospitalized for a few days. I have to get home now."

Celine thanked her softly.