Chapter 89
Sebastian had always lived a charmed life-praised, admired, untouchable. He had never truly stumbled, especially not when it came to love.
Well, maybe once. When a woman had blackmailed him… and then vanished into thin air. But now? He realized this was the second time.
He’d accused Valeria of getting too close to another man, of being careless with appearances. But the one who couldn’t let go was him. And she’d called him out on it.
She was right. He knew it. But he didn’t want to admit it.
Instead of arguing or letting go of her hand, he clamped down harder. His face darkened, his silence heavy.
He kept walking, dragging her along toward her apartment building. His grip didn’t waver. She’d hit a nerve.
The only proper response would have been to let go—or at least deny it. But Sebastian did neither. He just tightened his grip.
He moved fast, but even with one arm holding the child, his movements were steady and
precise.
Selena glanced at him, then back at Valeria, and softly called, “Mommy.”
But there was no fear in her voice. None at all.
Valeria nodded quickly in response.
A few neighbors passed by, giving them side-eyes. From the outside, they looked like a ridiculously good-looking couple in the middle of a cold war.
But an
who lived in this building knew Valeria. The entire neighborhood was full of Lucy’s me buddies and the entire senior dance troupe knew Valeria like the back of their They looked at Valeria, then glanced at Sebastian.
ust as Valeria and Sebastian reached the second floor of the stairwell, a door on the first floor
opened and two elderly ladies stepped out. They came face-to-face with Valeria. All three
froze for a moment.
Sebastian instinctively let go of Valeria’s hand. He didn’t really want to. But he also knew this building was full of her neighbors, and what he’d just done had clearly crossed a line.
Valeria was married. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
All the conflict, all the hesitation inside him was hidden behind a calm expression as he
walked past the two old ladies with the girl in his arms and kept heading upstairs.
One of the elderly women leaned over and whispered to her friend, “Isn’t that the lady who lives upstairs? Lucy’s daughter-in-law?”
“Who’s the man with her? Dressed like that… He looks loaded.”
“Valeria’s got some nerve, huh.”
“And what’s going on with her and Shane? I heard they-”
The white-haired lady didn’t even finish her sentence before Sebastian, already a few steps ahead, stopped in his tracks.
He turned around, his face sharp and cold, a flicker of warning flashing in his eyes as he stared straight at the two women.
They both jumped, exchanging a quick look.
Valeria quickly stepped in. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Tilman, Ms. Fisher.”
Then she nudged Sebastian hard in the back, pushing him up the stairs. She shot him an annoyed glare, lips pressed tight. She was completely exasperated.
He let her push him forward. To him, it wasn’t much force. It was barely anything. But from Valeria’s side, she was clearly using all her strength.
Instinctively, he leaned back a little. Her palm pressed firmly against the center of his back, right along his spine. Warm, steady, and soft at the fingertips.
He didn’t say a word. Just quietly walked ahead as Valeria followed behind.
She couldn’t see his expression. All she wanted was to get home and send this god of trouble
on his way.
It wasn’t even that she cared what the neighbors might say about her. What she hated was them talking about Selena behind her back, especially the women. They were the worst- gossipy, petty, and mean-spirited.
Once, an old lady in the complex had called Selena a “bastard”—right to Selena’s face. And she
had said Selena was born out of wedlock to some random man.
That was three years ago,
Valeria had just moved in. After Shane’s father passed away, she and Shane had agreed to divorce. Selena was barely three then. She was still mixing up her words when she spoke.
That day, Lucy had given Selena some money and told her to walk to the corner store to buy some chocolate on her own. It was close, and Lucy followed at a distance, just a few yards behind, trying to teach Selena some independence.
When Selena got home, she looked up and asked in her soft, milky voice, “Mommy, what’s a bastard? Mrs. Murphy called me a bastard.”
Valeria’s mind went completely blank in that moment, like a bomb had gone off in her head. Then she just pulled Selena into her arms and held Selena tight.
It was Lucy who stormed down to the store to confront the woman.
“Jacklyn Murray! If you don’t shut your filthy mouth, don’t blame me for what happens next.”
Jacklyn scoffed. “She had a kid before she married your son, so she shouldn’t be surprised that people are talking. What? Did you really think your son was just going to step in and play dad?
“No wonder he bailed right after they got married. You let him marry a woman with a kid, and yeah, she looks all sweet, but who knows what kind of stuff she’s been
up to.”
