The day still had one more shock waiting for me.
He stood right outside my apartment building.
Sebastian.
Propped against the wall like some tragic romantic hero. The moment our eyes met, he moved toward me. One of Damian’s enormous guards instantly blocked his path.
He seemed genuinely insulted. “These are for me?”
I gestured with open arms, my expression clear: Obviously.
“Did Damian send them?” he repeated, then sighed. “Tell them to step aside. We need to talk.”
His tone was quieter now, but the patronizing edge remained. As if speaking to me was some generous concession he was making.
“We have nothing to discuss,” I stated flatly. “I’ve said all I needed to say. The day I walked out was the end of us. I’m not avoiding you. I’m not playing games. I’m building a new life. My only wish is that you stay out of it.”
“I don’t know why you’re here, and frankly, I don’t care. But let me repeat this one last time – I am never returning to you.”
My directness clearly angered him. But instead of his usual explosive reaction, he kept his voice controlled.
“Because you’re still angry?” he murmured.
He didn’t wait for my reply, continuing with his own assumptions.
“You must be angry because I got Chloe pregnant. Because I caused your miscarriage. Because I blocked your brother’s ambulance that night.”
I didn’t contradict him. Because he was right. At one time, yes, I was enraged. But it was more than anger. It was profound disappointment. After he failed me repeatedly, I finally reached my limit. I gave up.
He gazed at me like a man who had made the most difficult choice of his life. “I admit it all. I was wrong. I will make it right. Just tell me how long until you forgive me?”
I shook my head slowly. “I’m not angry anymore.”
For a fleeting moment, hope sparked in his eyes.
Then I delivered the final blow. “You’re not worth my anger.”
The words struck him like a physical blow. His face contorted as if he’d swallowed shards of glass.
“You say you’ll make amends.” My voice turned razor-sharp. “So tell me – what compensation brings back my dead child? Or my brother?”
He had no response.
I exhaled, offering one last chance. “Go home, Sebastian. The best ending for us is to become complete strangers.”
But Sebastian wasn’t ready to leave.
Instead of going away, he planted himself outside my office like a persistent stalker. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner arrived with punctual regularity. The bodyguards held him back while he screamed profanities at anyone nearby.
One afternoon, as I entered the office, I heard him shouting again. “You think Damian will truly stand by you? All he’s done is hire these oversized security guards! The internet is destroying you – your reputation is ruined! And where is he? Sitting on his damn throne, doing nothing.”
I halted, turned, and faced him calmly. “And what exactly have you done, Sebastian?”
“If you come back with me,” he said urgently, “I’ll make all of this vanish. Your name will be cleared overnight.”
That was the moment everything finally made sense.
“So you knew Chloe was behind this?” I asked.
His silence was confirmation enough.
I released a bitter laugh. The scandal broke weeks ago. He could have stopped it faster than anyone. Yet he let it spread. He stood by while the world shredded my reputation, waiting for me to become desperate. Using it as leverage to drag me back. And if he succeeded, he’d likely use it to control me.
For the first time, I saw him clearly: small. Manipulative. Pathetic.
“You’re disgusting, Sebastian.” My voice shook, not from fear or sorrow – but from pure revulsion.