Sabrina screamed, clutching her face, staggering backward in terror.
"Sebastian! Sebastian!"
She had barely shouted the second time when footsteps echoed at the top of the stairs.
Sebastian came charging down. When he saw the two of us facing off, his eyes darkened, stormy enough to be terrifying. "Lorelei! What are you doing?!"
Sabrina's eyes reddened. She tried to play innocent, her voice trembling with fake despair. "Sebastian... she hit me... I just said one little thing, and she suddenly went crazy—"
I cut her off coldly. "Sebastian, she destroyed Jacob's Lego. It was his favorite toy."
Sebastian's brow furrowed, irritation dripping from his words. "That dead child again? Lorelei, people can't live in the past!"
He strode over to the scattered pieces on the floor and glared down with clear disgust. "Let the past stay in the past!"
He lifted his foot, and with a sickening crack, he stomped down hard.
My mind went blank.
Sebastian's face grew colder. "Enough, Lorelei. Apologize to Sabrina. Right now."
I lifted my head, voice raw and strained. "Impossible."
He laughed, almost in disbelief. "What did you just say?"
"I said I won't apologize!" I glared at him, eyes burning.
For the first time, I had spoken to him like this—and his face darkened instantly, rage flaring.
"Looks like I gave you too much leeway. You've forgotten you're just a placeholder, a substitute for your sister!"
"You and your sister came from the orphanage. No matter how many years you've lived beyond her, you'll never escape the lowliness in your bones!"
Slap!
My body froze, my mind snapping—but for the first time, I found the courage to strike this man hard across the face.
At that moment, I saw him for who he really was.
He was no longer the high school student council president—the one who showed kindness to stray cats and outcast orphans.
It had been my love that filtered him, polished him, made him shine.
I had been timid, enduring, naive—never taught how to love or be loved. I foolishly believed that if I gave him everything, loved him endlessly, he would love me in return.
But I didn't want to live like that anymore.
I want my love for myself.
No one can look down on me, belittle me, or humiliate me!
Sebastian clutched the side of his face I had struck, anger stacking in layers, disbelief painted across his eyes—how dare I hit him?
Sabrina grabbed his hand. "Sebastian, are you okay... Don't blame her... She just got jealous seeing us together..."
Sebastian didn't respond. He picked Sabrina up and carried her, ignoring me entirely, walking toward Jacob's room.
Before closing the door, his voice cut through like a whip.
"Lorelei, who do you think you are? Everything you have now is because of me, but you are not irreplaceable to me!"
The door slammed shut violently. I gasped sharply, tears streaming without my control.
Soon, from inside Jacob's room, the bed creaked, low moans filled the air, and muffled, desperate sounds of pleasure followed.
Sebastian was doing it on purpose. He wanted me to hear it—wanted to punish me.
I ignored the disgusting sounds. Slowly, I crouched and began picking up the Lego pieces, one by one.
My fingertips tore on the jagged edges, blood mixing with the fragments.
I didn't even notice.
Then, my phone vibrated.
There was a message from my assistant.[Madam, the divorce papers are finalized.]
I stood up, clutching the bag of shattered Lego, leaving this home that no longer deserved even a single memory.
I immediately booked a flight home and boarded that very night.
One day later, at the fragrance ceremony... I would give Sebastian a "gift" he would never forget.
