Poisoned Devotion

Ruby's POV

"Fine? You're telling me fine?"

Sebastian Walker looked utterly stunned that I'd actually said the word.

"I cheated on you! Ruby! I have another child now, and even the vasectomy was fake, just a lie to keep you calm. How could you possibly say fine?"

He dropped to his knees in front of my wheelchair, staring at me with wide, disbelieving eyes shot through with red.

He grabbed my hand and held it tight, his voice choked, every word trembling.

"Ruby, hit me. Or scream, throw things, fight with me. Just don't go quiet on me, Ruby."

The second he finished, I let out a mocking laugh and gave him exactly what he wanted.

"Then let's get a divorce."

But Sebastian smiled. Something like excitement flickered in his eyes, mixed with a stubborn refusal to believe me, and he leaned in closer.

"See, Ruby? You still care about me. Otherwise, you wouldn't be threatening me with a divorce.

"Honey, you can yell at me, throw things at me, anything you want, but divorce is off the table. Pick something else. I'm never letting you leave me..."

Looking into Sebastian's earnest eyes, something in my chest ached, but all I felt behind it was scorn.

A second later, I lifted my head and looked him straight in the eye.

"Fine, I'll pick something else. Get rid of her baby."

"No!" Sebastian's grip on my wrist tightened, the refusal instinctive.

"This won't do, that won't do. So what exactly do you want from me, Sebastian? What am I even supposed to fight for?"

I wrenched my hand out of his grip and screamed at him, my eyes burning, and only then did I notice the metallic taste already filling my mouth.

My fury seemed to throw Sebastian off balance, and he looked like he was in real pain.

"Ruby, I've told you clearly. The second she has the baby, I'll send her away. I want you to yell at me because I know you still care, and I don't want you bottling it up. It hurts to watch."

It hurt him? Did he have any idea that my heart had already been stabbed open, bleeding out from a wound only he could have caused?

A tear slid from the corner of my eye. I was too exhausted to keep talking.

Then, from behind me, Tessa Adams's voice cut in, soft and placating.

"Please, this is all my fault. Please don't fight because of me. Let me take you back to your room to rest, Mrs. Walker..."

Without waiting for an answer, she reached out and grabbed the handles of my wheelchair.

I didn't want her hands anywhere near me. I tried to shove her off, but she wouldn't budge.

In the middle of our struggle, a screw came loose on the wheelchair Sebastian had built for me with his own hands, and the wheel came apart.

"Mr. Walker! My stomach..."

Tessa's face drained of color as she dropped to the floor, and in the same instant, I was thrown out of the chair.

"Tessa!"

Sebastian's face changed in an instant, and the hand that had refused to let go of mine let go without a second thought.

He caught Tessa in his arms while I tumbled to the floor, sprawling across it.

The skin on my elbow tore open, and I hissed through my teeth at the sting.

But the wound hurt less than what came next: the second Sebastian had Tessa steady in his arms, he rounded on me and shouted.

"Ruby, why did you push her? Tessa's pregnant!"

Once he noticed I'd fallen and gotten hurt too, Sebastian's tone softened.

"Honey, you can't even walk. How do you think you're going to leave me?"

He lifted me gently onto the couch and dabbed the blood from my wound with obvious tenderness.

But in that moment, the itching, searing pain where my legs used to be made everything horribly clear.

These missing legs were exactly why Sebastian was so certain I could never leave him.

"Mr. Walker, my stomach hurts..."

The moment Tessa cried out, Sebastian left me behind and rushed her to the hospital.

One of the household staff, unable to just watch, brought me a new wheelchair and helped me into it. I treated my own elbow, then called a lawyer.

By the time the divorce papers were drafted and I was heading downstairs, the two of them were already back.

Sebastian had his ear pressed to Tessa's pregnant belly, reading her a bedtime story for the baby, his voice absurdly gentle.

"And then the little prince met a fox..."

Tessa's stomach growled, and he laughed softly, glancing up at her.

"I want a slice of lemon cake from Winslow Bakery," she said, covering her face, playing shy.

Sebastian didn't hesitate for even a second. He grabbed his car keys and headed for the door. "I'll go get it right now. Wait for me."

Something in my chest twisted.

Once he'd left, I finally went downstairs. The moment Tessa saw me, the color drained from her face.

"Mrs. Walker, I swear I didn't mean to make you fall. I never meant to come between you two. Please... don't hurt my baby!"

Her eyes reddened and her shoulders trembled, the performance so convincing she looked ready to faint.

I wasn't in the mood to watch her act. I held out the papers.

"Get Sebastian to sign this, and the position of Mrs. Walker is yours."

The moment Tessa saw the word "divorce" on the page, her tears froze on her face.

"You saw it yourself. Sebastian will never divorce me. The only reason he spoils you is the baby, so..."

As she listened, Tessa's eyes stayed locked on the papers, torn between conflict and naked want.

"Tessa, fortune favors the ones willing to take the risk," I said quietly.

She snatched the papers from my hand without another second of hesitation and looked at me through gritted teeth.

"Thank you for letting our family of three have our happy ending."

My chest clenched hard, and exhaustion settled into every part of me.

"Don't mention it. He'll make a good father."