It Tasted Bitter And Sweet At The Same Time

SELENE

Even though my heart was pounding wildly, I turned slowly to face him. He stood so close that I could feel his warmth, and what unsettled me most wasn't just the distance between us, it was the way he was looking at me.

Softly. Tenderly.

So different from the cold, indifferent stares he used to give me.

This wasn't the Sebastian I knew.

This man, standing inches away, smiling like my presence actually mattered, calling me his wife as if the word carried weight felt like a stranger wearing my husband's face. And somehow, that hurt more than his cruelty ever did.

A quiet sigh escaped my lips as I looked away.

I didn't dare wish he would stay like this. Hope had already betrayed me once.

"Excuse me." I whispered and tried to step past him.

But he moved, blocking my path with his broad frame.

My eyes dropped before I could stop them to his bare chest, firm and defined, my gaze trailing down to his abs. Heat rushed to my cheeks and I quickly looked away, cursing myself.

I tried to move again.

And again, he blocked me.

Trapping me there.

He took another step toward me, and instinctively I moved back until the edge of the bed pressed against me, leaving me with nowhere else to retreat.

"You're my wife, right?" He asked softly, his voice dropping as though we were sharing a secret meant for only the two of us.

My eyes widened, my lips parted, but no words came out. I just stared at him, frozen between disbelief and fear.

He seemed to take my silence as permission. "Then..." he continued gently, "I should be able to hold you... to talk to you."

There was a brief hesitation, like he was afraid I'd disappear if he moved too fast. Slowly, carefully, he lifted his hand and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. My body betrayed me and I almost flinched at his touch. The contact felt too unfamiliar, yet too intimate.

"But you keep trying to escape me." He murmured, a small, almost playful smile tugging at his lips. "Am I really that scary?"

I shook my head quickly, my gaze dropping to the floor. "No."

He reached out and gently lifted my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. "Then stay." He said, his tone suddenly serious. "I like it when you're close."

Something inside me cracked.

I didn't know what made my eyes sting. Maybe it was the way he said it so sincerely, or maybe it was because those same lips had once told me to keep my distance. To stay away. To not mistake obligation for affection. And now, they were saying the opposite, like the past never existed.

His smile slowly faded as he studied my face. "Why do you look like you're about to cry?" He asked softly. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No... no." I hurried to say, wiping at my eyes before the tears could betray me. "I'm just..." My voice wavered. "I'm just happy you're back. Alive." I lied.

Sebastian watched me quietly for a moment, then sighed. "I'm sorry." He said suddenly.

I blinked. "For what?"

"For making you worry." He added, his voice softer. "They told me you've been here since last night. You must have been scared." His brows pulled together. "I don't like the thought of you crying because of me."

My heart stumbled at his words. This was the same man who once ignored my tears like they meant nothing.

"It's... it's fine." I whispered. "What matters is that you're okay."

He nodded, then closed the small distance between us. My breath hitched as he leaned down, his face only inches from mine. My heart slammed against my ribs. Is he about to—

I closed my eyes without meaning to, bracing myself.

But instead of his lips, I felt only air.

Confused, I opened my eyes to see him reaching past me, grabbing the shirt he'd left on the bed. My face burned as I turned away. How could I have thought he wanted to kiss me? I prayed he hadn't noticed me closing my eyes.

"Can you help me?" He asked instead. "My head still feels heavy."

"Oh." I hesitated, then stepped forward, helping him slide his arm into the sleeve. The closeness made my breathing uneven, my heart racing for reasons I couldn't explain.

I needed to get away from him, before I completely lost my senses.

He smiled like it was normal for us to be this close. "You always help me dress, don't you?" He said casually.

"Huh?" I blinked, quickly looking away. I never did. Not once. "Sebastian..."

"I remember," he continued, his voice thoughtful, almost dreamy. "You looked so beautiful in your wedding dress. And I was holding a ring box... smiling like I was genuinely happy."

A ring box?

Happy?

That memory didn't belong to us. Not to the truth I knew.

"We must have been so in love, right, Selene?" He asked softly.

I looked up at him, caught by the hope in his eyes. He was searching my face, waiting for me to confirm it, like he needed me to tell him he wasn't crazy, that what he felt wasn't just a broken memory playing tricks on him.

But he was wrong.

We were never a loving couple.

I should tell him.

I should be honest.

I should stop this before it goes any further—

Yet... my heart betrayed me.

After everything, after all the pain, a small part of me still clung to him. Maybe fate was giving me another chance. A chance I had prayed for in silence. A chance to finally be loved by him.

So I held onto it like a lifeline.

"Yes." I whispered, meeting his gaze. "We were so in love... and we still are."

The lie tasted bitter and sweet at the same time.