Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Sebastian
I know I shouldn't feel guilty, and I know I shouldn't feel responsible for Willow's feelings, but as I see the tears running down her face, I can't help but feel sorrow. I can't help but feel that this is just one giant mistake.
I don't know if I've taken this too far.
In all likelihood, I have. In fact, the truth was probably somewhere in between Sergio's story and Willow’s.
The fact of the matter is, if she would just give back the money, or even admit that she took it, I would forget everything.
I would give her the divorce, and I would move on with my life.
Because frankly, I don't know if this was the right decision. I don't know if I'm playing with fire.
"I need you to get dressed and pack your bags. We're going to go."
"What do you mean, we're going to go?" She rubs her eyes. "I don't understand. Where are we going?"
"We're going to leave now."
"Leave?"
"We're going to New York."
"What do you mean, we're going to New York?"
"We're going back home. You're coming with me to Manhattan."
"I can't come with you to Manhattan. I have to get back to Whispering Haven."
"Tell Katherine and Brielle that you have to take a little break."
"I can't just tell them I have to take a little break. They can't just cover for me the entire time. I can't afford to—"
"It always comes down to money, doesn't it?"
"I can't talk to you.”
“Have a shower, get yourself presentable, and meet me down in the lobby in an hour."
"Fine," she says. "Whatever."
I watch as she heads to the bathroom, and I grab my phone and call Louisa. I'm still slightly pissed off about the naked photo that she'd sent me the previous evening, but it had worked to serve its purpose. I didn’t know what she had been thinking, though.
"Hey, big boy," she says, answering the phone.
"I wasn’t sure of the reason for you sending me that photo yesterday?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you were naked."
"And you didn’t like it? You don’t think I’m hot?"
"Louisa, I’m your boss."
"I know, but we were friends first."
"We were friends first, and we’re still friends, but it’s not appropriate for us to cross those lines. I didn’t realize we had to have this conversation again."
"We don’t. It’s fine.”
“Good. I am calling to find out if you have any more information."
"On what?"
"On Willow."
"Not really, but I did want you to know that journalists have been calling the press department for the last couple of days."
"What are you talking about?"
"Someone notified the media that Sergio resigned from the board of directors and sold his shares, and people are nervous that the company is about to crash. People think that he knows something that the public doesn’t.
It’s not a good look. Journalists are calling, asking if you have a press release that you want to put out. "
"Fuck. This is the last thing I need right now. We have the merger coming up with Cryon. I know they’re not going to want to—" I pause. "Okay. Do we know who leaked the information?"
"I have no idea, but I mean, I wouldn’t be shocked if it was Sergio’s friend, Willow." She laughs bitterly. "You know how he loves to talk during sex? He’ll release all the family secrets."
"What are you talking about?"
"What do you mean?"
"You said that Sergio loves to talk during sex. Where is this information coming from?"
"Oh, I was just saying he’s so open, and it’s not like he’s one for espionage. He can’t keep a secret, I suppose."
"This is not good, Louisa. You know this, right?"
"I know. What do you want me to do?"
"Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it."
I hang up the phone and head back into the hotel room. I’m pissed. I can hear Willow sobbing in the bathroom. I genuinely feel like shit. Obviously, some part of her feelings were real.
I bang on the bathroom door. "Hey."
"Yes?"
"It’s Sebastian."
"What do you want?" she cries out.
"Is everything okay?"
"What the hell do you think, jackass?"
I take a deep breath and open the door. She’s sitting on the toilet, her eyes blotchy, her hair a mess. My heart feels for her.
"I’m sorry that this is taking you by surprise, but—"
"Oh, shut up. You are not sorry. I’m sure you don’t even care."
"Contrary to what you believe, I do have a heart."
"Yeah, okay. You have such a big heart that you married me even though you didn’t love me.
You seduced me. You made me feel like I was special.
You made me feel like all my dreams were coming true, and yet this is just another nightmare in my life.
Why did I expect anything different? Nothing good ever happens to me. I just can’t win."
Something in her words—something in her tone—makes me pause. There’s genuine heartache there. There’s genuine fear and loneliness.
"I guess you didn’t expect that you would get caught," I say.
"Yeah, sure, whatever."
She jumps up and steps into the shower. I see her take a couple of breaths and shake her head.
"You know what? I don’t give a fuck. Fuck you, Sebastian Laurence. Fuck you, and fuck Sergio, and fuck whatever games you all are playing."
I’m surprised by her shift in attitude. I’m surprised by the glint in her eyes.
"What? You want me to get in there and fuck you senseless? Is that what you’re trying to say?"
"You wish. You’re never going to touch me again, jackass."
"You’re my wife."
"And you’re my husband. So what? It means nothing."
"You don’t want me?” I stare at her, and she laughs bitterly.
"What I want and what you can have are two different things. I may want your body physically, but I don’t want you.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I’ll play along with your game because I love Katherine and Brielle. But us? This? It’s done. You’re not going to break me, Sebastian Laurence. You could never break me.”
I press my lips together at her words. “You sure sounds like…”
"I sure sound like what?" she cuts me off. "Did you think I was just going to sit here and cry forever and beg you to give me another chance? Did you think I was going to ask you to love me? Ask you to make love to me? See if we can make this all right?"
Her eyes narrow.
"One thing that I’ve learned in my life is that you’ve got to roll with the punches.
There are always going to be people there to take you down, but if you don’t let them, they can’t.
And you, Sebastian Laurence—you’re just another fucking roadblock on my path. But you know what I do to roadblocks?"
"What?" I ask.
"I swerve to the right or the left, and I leave them in their path. You may think you’re getting your revenge on me for your fucking little wimp of a brother, but you can’t break me. You will never break me."
She shakes her head.
"I was a fool. A fool in love. Yeah, I thought this was real. You got me. You really got me. But now that I know that it’s not, I will never tell you I love you again.
I will never look at you the same way. And when you find out the truth—that your little punk of a brother was nothing to me, that our relationship was literally nothing—I hope you choke on the fucking ridiculousness that you’ve put me through. "
"I guess I’ll choke on it when you choke on those ten million dollars," I say and head out of the bathroom.
I slam the door behind me, but I’m confused. I’m confused by the absolute bitterness. I’m confused by the confidence in herself—that she’s right. I’m confused by it all. How could she still not take accountability for the money?
And for a moment, there’s a niggle of doubt in my mind. There’s a niggle of doubt that something isn’t right. But I’d seen the photographs. I’d seen the files. Sergio had even confirmed that Willow was her name.
I don’t know what game she is playing, but I’m not going to allow myself to be sucked in. She is getting what she deserves.