Sebastian
“What?” I snapped.
My body was on full alert, ready to go to war. I didn’t want to be here. I’d wanted to never come back here, but she hadn’t given me a choice.
She folded her arms and glared at me. “Don’t start acting like an asshole just because you didn’t get your own way.”
“Fine, but I’m telling you now, if he starts his bullshit, I won’t be held responsible for what I do.”
She took a deep breath. “Let’s just go in, have dinner, and see what he wants. Maybe he wants to make up for lost time.”
I scoffed. Yeah, right.
She laced her fingers through mine, and that tension instantly released. Bringing her hand to my lips, I planted a delicate kiss on it.
“I’m sorry for snapping at you.”
“I understand it’s hard, but let’s not argue over it anymore.”
I wondered if she could ever really understand how being back here made me feel. This place was nothing more than shattered dreams and ghosts trying to find their way into the light. It was cold, full of dark, twisted memories, where the walls would bleed from the pain trapped inside.
The last time I was here was when I’d left Aria standing in the kitchen the night I left.
No sooner had I rang the doorbell than Cathrine appeared.
I was slightly surprised she was still here—she’d worked here since before my mum passed away.
Aria was never her biggest fan. Cathrine used to tell her mum everything she did.
However, she’d seen me in and out of Aria’s room at all hours and never once mentioned it.
Think she knew it was nothing more than me wanting to protect her in the house. She saw the things my dad did to me.
“Mr Knight. Miss Summers.” She smiled for a split second, then went back to her usual sternness. “Your father is waiting for you in the living room.”
I gave her a nod, and we made our way through the foyer. It looked the same—the old oil landscape paintings on the walls, the rare antiques like the Ming dynasty vase my dad had around the house, all carefully curated to show his wealth. Not much had changed, but then my dad hadn’t been here.
Dad looked up as we entered the living room. His eyes flicked to my hand holding Aria’s, then to my face, that famous look of disappointment written all over him.
“Sebastian, nice of you to arrive on time.” He placed his drink on the table and then rose from the sofa, pulling his suit jacket straight.
“I know how much you dislike tardiness.”
He looked me up and down. “Yes, well, it’s a shame you didn’t get the memo about dressing appropriately.”
My eyes drifted down to the tailored midnight blue suit I was wearing. There was nothing wrong with it, but to him, I could never do right.
“I’m so glad you could both join us,” he continued.
Us?
Aria never said anyone else would be here. I looked down, furrowing my brows at her. She looked as confused as I was.
“Aria, how is your mother doing?”
This man was being nice for some reason, and I wasn’t sure why.
“Oh, she’s great. Happily married and living in New York. In fact, we visited her at Christmas. It was wonderful.” A wide smile reached her face.
“Stephen?” a woman’s voice called.
Heels echoed on the floor, getting louder the closer they got to the living room. I narrowed my eyes at my dad, then I turned. The first thing I saw was the wavy, fiery red hair that bounced a few more times before stopping. She must have only been a few years older than me.
Her bright red lips curled into a smile. “There you are, darling.” She walked past, reaching my dad, and kissed his cheek.
I furrowed my brows. What the fuck was this?
“Sebastian, Aria. I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Monica.”
“Your what?”
Burning acid started to swirl in my stomach. This was not what I’d fucking expected.
“You must be Sebastian, Stephen’s son.” She smiled and held her hand out.
My eyes crept over her for a beat, unsure what was going on, but I took her hand and shook it.
“And who is this beautiful girl attached to you?” She beamed at Aria.
“I’m Aria, Sebastian’s partner.”
“It’s lovely to meet you both.” She rejoined my dad. I couldn’t quite grasp what the fuck was happening, and before I could speak another word, Cathrine appeared.
“Dinner is served, Mr Knight.”
“Perfect timing. Shall we?” Dad said as he made his way out with Monica.
Just as I turned to start walking, Aria pulled me back to face her, those moon-like eyes of hers meeting my soul, and she rested her hands on my cheeks.
“I’m here, ok?”
I smiled and kissed her forehead. She had no idea how those three simple words calmed everything inside me.
When we reached the dining room, I stood for a moment, looking over at the table filled with an array of roasted meats, crispy potatoes, and seasonal vegetables. Anyone would think this was a regular family affair, based on the way my father sat there at the head of the table.
I pulled the chair out for Aria, and she smiled before sitting down. I took the seat next to her and rested my hand on her thigh.
As I placed different bits of food on Aria’s plate for her that I knew she would like, I could feel my dad’s eyes on me.
“I’m sure she can do that herself,” he commented.
I didn’t even bother looking at him. “I’m sure she can. However, there’s nothing wrong with a man taking care of the woman he loves.” My eyes flicked up to meet his. “Then again, that’s not something you’d be accustomed to.”
Dad narrowed his eyes at me, the air thick with tension. It looked like he was trying not to explode. My lips twitched, holding back a smile. He had to be on his best behaviour with his new wife around.
“Monica,” Aria said, trying to defuse the ticking time bomb that was me and my dad. “How did you and Mr Knight meet?”
She’d never called my dad by his first name. It was always Mr Knight to her.
“We met in Spain at a charity event.” She smiled. “It was love at first sight.”
My dad had never loved anyone. She was nothing more than a trophy wife to him, and I’m sure his bank balance helped her out. They’d be divorced soon, I’d bet money on it.
“That sounds nice. What kind of charity was it for?” Aria asked.
“It was to raise money to help fund some of the local schools. Stephen was our biggest donor.”
“Who knew you were so invested in charity work, Dad?” I mocked, taking a sip of my whisky.
“Well, son, there are a lot of things you don’t know about, as you haven’t taken the time to answer my calls.”
“Like the COO you decided to appoint at the office without my knowledge?”
A smirk pulled at his lips; it was only for a split second, and if you didn’t know my dad as I did, you wouldn’t have noticed. He knew what he was doing by bringing Caspian in. He knew it would get my back up.
“That was in the company’s best interest. What with you having time away—”
I cut him off. “Luxe Corp was fine in my absence.”
“Nonetheless, it needed someone in case you went AWOL again.”
I shifted in my seat, my body tense, and I felt Aria’s hand rest on my thigh. There was a reason I’d been away, and it was to take care of Aria after what she’d been through. She was the most important thing in my life. I would always protect her and keep her safe.
He had no idea why I was away, and he’d never find out, either.
“Without me, it would be in ruin.”
“So you keep telling everyone,” he said, brushing the words away as if they meant nothing.
I pushed the chair back and stood. “Well, if dinner is done, I need some air.”
I let out a heavy breath and made my way out of the room and through to the kitchen.
Cathrine was pottering about as usual. Giving her a half smile, I caught the red roses in a vase on the table, momentarily freezing me in my tracks.
Mum used to pick them from the garden and display them on the kitchen table.
They were her favourites. After she died, Cathrine had continued displaying them.
I think it was her way of letting me know Mum was still around.
Sighing, I continued through the door and into the garden.
Finally. I could breathe.
I sat down at the patio table, leaning back in the chair and rubbing my temples. Today was not what I’d expected. My dad was married again, and to a woman less than half his age. He’d even donated to charity. He was up to something, I could tell.
Aria ran her hand over my shoulders, and I looked up at her. I hadn’t realised she’d followed me.
“Are you ok?”
“I am now.” I grabbed her waist, pulling her onto my lap, and kissed her forehead.
“We should get back in,” she said.
Knots formed in my stomach at the thought of spending another minute with my dad sitting there as he pretended we had any kind of relationship in front of his wife.
No. I was done with this charade.
I ran my thumb over her bottom lip, and her breath hitched. “Nyx, let’s go home,” I whispered.
She brushed the loose bits of my hair back and gazed into my eyes, a silent agreement. I stood and placed her on her feet, and we walked back into the kitchen.
Dad stood there as Monica floated in through the door and made her way over to the table with the roses. She leaned over to sniff them and screwed her face up.
“What’s wrong, darling?” Dad asked Monica.
She made her way over to him, linking her arm through his and resting a hand on his chest. “Oh, it’s nothing. I’ve just never really liked the smell of roses.”
He looked up at Cathrine. “Please make sure Monica’s favourite, yellow carnations, are displayed instead from now on.”
She gave a nod and left the kitchen.
“But it’s always been red roses in the kitchen,” I told him. “Mum would pick them from the garden.”
The thought of my mum caused my chest to tighten.
I may have only been ten when she died, but she’d had so much love for me.
She was kind and made sure she was there for me.
We made little forts in the living room with blankets and pillows and sneaked sweets together before dinner was ready.
My life would have been so different if she were still around.
“You need to grow up, Sebastian. Not everything is about you.”
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.”
“Your mother isn’t here anymore. She hasn’t been for seventeen years. It’s time you let her go.”
“What the fuck did you just say?” I clenched my fists, and that burning rage festered in my stomach, ready to explode.
“Sebastian,” Aria called, taking my hand, but I shook her off.
“I thought after she was gone, you’d grow into the man you were meant to be, but look at you.” His eyes burned into me. “You’ve never been fit for the Knight name.”
A cloud of fog filled my mind, acid running through my body as I grabbed him by his shirt collar.
Monica took a step back, letting out a cry as her hands covered her mouth.
Every single thing he’d ever said to me ran through my mind, memories of trauma, violence, and psychological abuse raging together like an earthquake.
My left arm pulled back, ready to hit this man for everything he’d burned into my soul.
“Sebastian!” Aria shrieked, grabbing my arm to pull me off.
Her touch was warm, spreading her light into that violent darkness that raged over me. Her eyes met mine, and my grip loosened from my dad’s collar as the tension left my body.
“I think it’s time we went home,” Aria said, her fingers locking with mine.
Monica started to fuss over Dad, straightening out his suit. “I think that’s a good idea, son.”
Son? He’d never looked at me like a son.
I ran my hand through my hair. That was my dad. The real man showing his true colours. I knew he wouldn’t be able to keep them buried for long.
He wasn’t back because he wanted to see me.
He was back because he was planning something.