“What are you doing?!” Sebastian barked sharply. He immediately shoved the woman’s shoulders with great force, causing her to stagger backward until her waist hit the back of a chair. The loud thud made Thea wince, certain it must have hurt.
Yet Thea saw the woman smiling, while Sebastian looked furious. He roughly wiped his lips and even spat on the floor, making the woman burst into loud laughter.
“Damn it!” Sebastian cursed. He then turned and strode quickly out of the room, heading somewhere, leaving Thea frozen in place.
“Aren’t you going to check on him? Aren’t you afraid he might fall, hit his head, and get seriously hurt?” the woman mocked, making Thea panic and immediately run after Sebastian.
Thea found Sebastian’s bedroom door open. She entered and saw him in the bathroom, bent over, rubbing his lips with a fingertip coated in toothpaste.
“I will set you free, Thea. If being free from me is what you want, then that is what you shall have.”Thump. Thea’s eyes snapped open, only to find the bed beside her empty.What was that? Why did those words suddenly echo in her mind? Was it just a dream—or had Sebastian actually said them?Thea sat up, wrapping the blanket around her body, and made her way to the bathroom to wash up.It was only a dream. The words she had just heard were nothing more than fragments of sleep, while her lovemaking with Sebastian last night had been undeniably real. Still, why did those words continue to linger in her ears? Had Sebastian truly whispered them while she was unaware, or was it merely her imagination?She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, her fingers tracing over her skin, finding the red marks Sebastian had left behind. In the past, freedom from Sebastian was all she had ever wished for. But now, why did the thought of being fr
Sebastian wasn’t asleep. From the moment Thea had tried to wake him, his body had been fully aware, but he had no intention of opening his eyes—let alone returning to his own room. This time, even though he could have asked Thea to come with him, he chose not to. He preferred to stay right there, savoring the closeness of their bodies pressed together.To deceive Thea, Sebastian pretended to sleep. He was used to controlling his emotions and breathing, so even now he could keep his breath steady and calm the rapid beating of his heart that refused to slow.He thought that by pretending, Thea would soon drift back to sleep again. But she didn’t. Instead of falling into slumber like before, she remained restless. Even without moving, Sebastian could sense it. And if Thea leaned forward just a little more, she would surely realize just how awake he truly was.Sebastian held himself back when he felt the upper part of Thea’s body shift slightly away. He wan
Sebastian fell silent, reflecting on all of Maxine’s words in the darkness.Should he let Thea go? But what if Thea never came back to him?Those questions kept circling in his mind, tightening his chest with suffocating weight.He rose from his bed and stepped out of the room. Not long ago, he had searched for Thea’s whereabouts. The most heartbreaking moment was when he found the girl asleep, clutching her old phone in her hand. Her swollen face still bore the traces of tears.Though reluctant, Sebastian eventually opened all the messages Thea had received. As he read them—sent by the woman Thea called her mother—the first thought that crossed his mind was the urge to erase that woman’s existence from the world.Yes, he wanted to get rid of Thea’s mother. But clearly, he could not. Not because he lacked the ability, but because he feared that if he did, Thea would only grow to hate him.What more did that woman want? Hadn’t she already stolen everything that rightfully belonged to T
“Where’s Thea?” Sebastian asked, still not seeing Thea appear.“She’s in her room, Sir,” Helen replied, placing the food on the table.“In her room? Why?” Sebastian’s brow furrowed. Did Thea choose to sleep in her own room just because he hadn’t told her they would be sleeping together tonight?“She received a message, Sir. I think tonight you should let her be alone,” Helen suggested, making Sebastian raise an eyebrow and look at the trusted woman with disbelief.“It’s a message from Thea’s friend. It seems there’s an issue in Thea’s family right now. So in my opinion, it’s better to give her time to deal with her personal matters first,” Helen continued frankly.“What kind of issue?” Sebastian asked, curious. “Can’t you ask that person what’s happening in Thea&rs
“What are you all doing?” Sebastian’s voice rang out loudly. Thea, Maxine, and Shareeza simultaneously turned toward him, followed by Pierre.“Papa! Thea is learning to swim,” Shareeza exclaimed cheerfully, pointing at Thea, who was receiving instructions from Maxine.Sebastian forced himself not to glance at Thea. He knew that if he did, Maxine would surely tease him mercilessly, as her previous words had proven true.“Why learn to swim? Can’t she swim?” Sebastian asked, his tone cold but filled with curiosity.“If she could already, why bother learning? Unless she wants to become an athlete, of course, then she needs to practice often,” Maxine replied casually.“Then why must she learn? Her job here doesn’t require her to know how to swim,” Sebastian snapped.“What’s wrong with learning to swim? Besides,
Sebastian wanted to look away, but he couldn’t. The little girl was far too beautiful to ignore.The face that had existed only in dark shadows until now had become real before him. He was at a loss for words.Shareeza. His Shareeza. Finally, he could see his little girl. His eyes burned and nearly welled up, but he struggled to hold back his tears.“Papa!” the little girl cried, making Sebastian smile. He bent down and hugged her tighter than usual.“I missed you so much,” the child whimpered, her pout now clearly visible to Sebastian.“I missed you too,” Sebastian replied, his voice choked.“Papa! That woman said she’s my future mama. Is that true?” Shareeza asked, staring at her father in disbelief.Sebastian clicked his tongue softly and shook his head.“She’s not your future mama. She’s your