“But Sebastian hands all his money over to me. So when you think about it, I didn't spend a single cent. I just got myself a free maid.”
Anne tore into me without restraint. Sebastian never said a word.
Sometimes silence is permission.
Whatever was left of my heart went cold.
That was when Vincent shoved me hard and screamed：“Get out of my house!”
I stumbled back and fell in the hallway.
The door slammed shut behind me.
I brushed myself off, got up slowly, and walked downstairs.
It felt like something had been carved out of my chest.
It hurt. But somehow, I also felt lighter.
That was when my phone buzzed.
A text from Sebastian. Just one line：Babe, you've got it wrong. It's not what you think. Wait for me. I'll come out and explain.
I stared at the message and frowned. I had it wrong? There was some explanation?
A flood of desperate, ridiculous thoughts raced through my head：Maybe Vincent belonged to one of Sebastian's relatives? Maybe everything I'd just seen was some sick prank?
Because I truly could not accept that the man I'd loved all these years was a lying, cheating piece of garbage.
So I sat down on the steps, quietly, and waited for him to come out and explain.
I waited all night.
The sun came up. Sebastian never appeared.
I laughed, hollow and tired：“Vivian, you're so stupid. He played you again.”
I dragged myself home, dizzy and lightheaded, wanting to pack my things and leave.
Every piece of furniture in the apartment was something I'd bought, most of it secondhand.
The apartment itself was a run-down rental in a crumbling old complex.
It was shabby, but I had never minded. It felt like home, because this was the life Sebastian and I had built together.
Now……with the truth stripped bare, every single thing in this place mocked me.
I thought it over, then packed only a few changes of clothes. The rest of the junk wasn't worth taking.
One small bag on my shoulder. That was everything I owned.
I'd given Sebastian every dollar I ever made. I didn't own a single piece of jewelry.
The thought broke me, and I started crying again.
That was when the door opened.
Sebastian walked in, his face full of concern：“Vivian, why didn't you wait for me? I looked for you all night.”
I looked at him, letting every ounce of contempt show：“Sebastian, I sat outside your door all night. Where exactly did you look for me? In Anne's bed?”
His face twisted with embarrassment, and he changed the subject：“I brought you something.”
Cake and flowers. The things I'd never gotten from him.
Except most of the cake had already been eaten, and the flowers were wilting.
These were clearly last night's gifts to Anne, repackaged.
Sebastian, I couldn't even get a gift from you that wasn't someone else's leftovers?
When I didn't respond, he set the stuff down and sighed：“What happened last night... I really do have an explanation.”
I sat down：“What explanation? That Anne isn't your mistress? That Vincent isn't your son?”
Sebastian was quiet for a moment, then said in a low voice：“She and I... it was one night. I was drunk. It was an accident. I wasn't in my right mind. It was never intentional.”
“She got pregnant from that one time. That's how Vincent was born.”
“The child is innocent. I had to give him a real family.”
I let the scorn drip from every word：“So your big explanation is that you can't keep it in your pants?”
Sebastian looked me in the eye, dead serious：“Vivian, believe me. You're the one I love most.”
