Chapter 117

SEBASTIAN

What hurt me the most wasn’t even what she said, but how she said it.

Her tone was defensive, confused—like she’d built a wall just to keep me out, and I’d shown up anyway.

I could’ve said a hundred things at that point.

Starting with shamelessly apologizing. Tell her that I was sorry. That I hadn’t eaten or slept properly since the night she walked out. That I’d just found out there was nothing stopping me from loving her.

But all I managed was a quiet, “You sent me a message.”

Her lips parted slightly, a flicker of realization crossing her face before she masked it with indifference. “That was a mistake,” she said, her voice trembling just a bit.

That broke me even more.

It would have been better if she sent the message on purpose just to spite me. That would have given me hope that she still had me in mind and only wanted to punish me for my sins.

“I figured,” I said, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach my eye