My Sister Stole My Mate And I Let Her (Seraphina) novel Chapter 185

Chapter 185: Chapter 185 CELESTE DRAMA

KIERAN’S POV

Margaret’s voice still rang in my ears long after the call ended—ragged, breathless, the sound of a mother who’d just had the floor ripped out from under her.

‘She’s gone, Kieran.’

For a moment, I just stood there with the phone pressed to my ear, heartbeat thudding in my chest like it was trying to claw its way through my bruised ribcage.

Gone. Rationally, I told myself Celeste was being dramatic. Impulsive.

This could’ve been another act, another ploy for attention, her way to punish us for not revolving around her grief.

That didn’t stop me from bolting out of my office and driving through the streets of LA like a madman.

Ethan and Margaret were in the hotel lobby when I arrived.

Jaw locked, shoulders tense, he stood with an arm around her like he was trying to physically keep her from falling apart while she clutched Celeste’s purse like a lifeline.

The manager kept glancing between us nervously as he repeated the information for what sounded like the tenth time.

“Yes, Miss Lockwood checked in a week ago. Yes, there are logs of her entering and leaving the building. No, we haven’t seen her in...a while. We were under the impression she didn’t want to be disturbed...”

I went to see her room for myself.

It was just like Margaret had described it. Barely disturbed sheets. No bags, clothes, or cosmetics.

Records said she’s been in and out of the hotel.

My transaction alerts said she’d been in and out of department stores and spas.

But her room told a different story.

The inconsistency reeked.

I gripped the dresser so hard my knuckles went white. A coldness seeped into me, slow and biting.

This wasn’t just a tantrum.

Something was wrong.

When we returned to the lobby, Ethan sat Margaret down on the sofa. He placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, but his expression was tight.

“This is my fault,” Margaret said suddenly, wrapping her arms around herself.

“That day—I slapped her. I screamed at her. I told her she was selfish and ungrateful. I—I have never hit my child before. I was just so... angry...”

Her voice cracked and dissolved into a breathless sob.

Ethan crouched down and untangled her arms, taking her shaking hands in his. “No, Mom. This is on me. I’m her older brother; I should’ve done more. I should’ve seen how bad she was slipping. I should’ve protected her.”

I stood apart, watching them unravel. Their voices blurred into background noise. The guilt swarming between them felt contagious, thickening the air.

The truth sat heavy in my chest.

Margaret might have struck her. Ethan might have neglected her. But the straw that broke the camel’s back was me.

The breakup—that was the catalyst for this reaction. I had detonated Celeste’s illusion of control, shattered her dreams of becoming my Luna, and most likely driven her over a cliff.

But...

I couldn’t bring myself to regret my decision.

Not even in light of her disappearance.

Still, I couldn’t deny she wouldn’t have spiraled this far—this fast—if I hadn’t ended things. So I had to take responsibility.

“I’m already mobilizing a search,” I said finally, tone firm as I typed out instructions to Gavin. “Nightfang trackers are being briefed. We’ll scan city perimeters and neighboring territories. I’ll deploy every resource I have to find her.”

Ethan snapped his head toward me. “No.”

Margaret looked up, and we both shared the same startled expression.

Ethan stood, shoulders squared. His expression hardened into something sharp. “You don’t get to do this now, Kieran. You don’t get to play hero—not when you’re part of the reason we’re here.”

I held his stare. In this moment, he wasn’t my best friend. He was Celeste’s brother.

“Regardless of how you feel about me,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “Celeste is missing. She could be in danger.”

“And you think I’ll trust you to lead a search for my sister after you broke her like that?” Ethan’s tone was cold steel.

“Ethan—”

“I warned you,” he seethed. “I told you from the very beginning that the path you were on would hurt my sisters.”

“You can’t possibly put this all on—”

“This is a Lockwood matter.” His tone turned cold even though his eyes burned. “We’ll handle it. You should leave. You’ve done enough.”

Margaret flinched but didn’t contradict him.

My throat tightened. Not with defensiveness, just a heavy, dull ache. Guilt was there, yes. Regret—for the fallout, not for the decision—was there, too.

“I’m not trying to absolve myself,” I said quietly. “I just want to find her.”

“And I’m telling you—leave,” Ethan repeated. “And from now on, stay out of our affairs.”

I sighed. “Ethan—”

“I mean it, Kieran,” he cut in. “We might be best friends, but my family comes first, and I won’t let it fall apart because of you.”

I opened my mouth. Maybe to further defend myself, maybe to insist on staying and deploying my resources to find Celeste, I didn’t know.

Because at that moment, the lobby doors slid open, and every thought blasted out of my head when Sera walked in.

SERAPHINA’S POV

As I stepped into the hotel lobby, tension cinched like a hangman’s noose around my neck.

Everyone froze at the sight of me, and I forced a small, casual smile, careful not to betray the unease churning inside me.

“Hey,” I said lightly, though my voice sounded strange even to my own ears.

“Sera!” My mother gasped, relief and surprise mixing in her gaze as she trembled on the sofa. “You came.”

“Um...” I turned to Maya, who flanked me like a quiet sentinel, gaze sweeping the scene.

“Maya said she was meeting Ethan for a date,” I explained, attempting a casual shrug. “She insisted I come along.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened, catching my lie instantly. After all, he’d been the one to send the text to reschedule their date.

He arched a brow at Maya, and she mimicked my shrug, not leaving my side.

“So,” I said, forcing nonchalance, “What’s the deal with Celeste?”

I knew I shouldn’t be voluntarily entangling myself in what reeked of Celeste drama, but after that dream, I just couldn’t rest.

It hadn’t felt like a dream. Something in that vision—the way Celeste had looked at me, distant and haunted—lodged in my chest. I couldn’t ignore it.

I just needed to see her with my own eyes, maybe exchange a few catty insults. Then I could move on and keep pretending I didn’t have a younger sister.

As Ethan filled me in with a clipped tone, my worry dug deeper, like a thorn aimed at my heart.

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