Chapter 49
“If things are really fine, then why did you call me? Do you even realize that the driver was about to get out and follow you into the neighborhood? You, your mother-in-law, and your daughter are all vulnerable women,” Sebastian blurted out.
“Greenwood Industrial Zone is so remote. Why would you go somewhere like that at night? Did you even think about your safety?” He looked at her sternly, his expression tinged with a trace of coldness. “What if I hadn’t come tonight?”
Valeria was stunned into silence. After a moment, she said softly, “It was just a fluke tonight. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“Your husband is a high-paid tech engineer at Amaran in Strico Valley, making over a million a year. And yet his wife is out here working late into the night. His mom is ill, his daughter needs treatment, and still, he doesn’t come home.”
Sebastian looked at Valeria. Her face was pale and composed, but he couldn’t forget the panic and helplessness he saw in her eyes just an hour ago when she had thrown herself into his
arms.
Every time Lucy was hospitalized or Selena had a follow-up at the hospital, it was always Valeria handling it alone.
While Sebastian was on duty, he often heard the nurses in the ward talking about how outstanding Lucy’s son was, working as a tech engineer in Strico Valley and making over a million a year.
Sebastian took a step forward, lowered his head slightly, and asked, “Valeria, are you his wife or just his unpaid nanny?”
Gavin had told him over the phone that the driver was a repeat offender and had even served
time before for sexual assault.
The night wind swept softly over Valeria’s face. She looked up at Sebastian, who stood just inches away. His tall frame was close enough to almost envelop her.
Valeria curled her hand into a fist and spoke firmly. “Mr. Grant, this is my personal matter. I have a job I care about, and I take it seriously. Working late and taking a ride home tonight was unexpected.
“I panicked and overreacted. I shouldn’t have bothered you. Still, thank you for helping me.”
Her words came out measured and cold, drawing a line between them.
Sebastian’s hand dropped to his side. The cigarette had burned to the tip, and he crushed it out
with a twist of his hand.
“Valeria,” he uttered, “you’re a disturbance to me.”
Valeria looked
up at Sebastian. His eyes were dark and unreadable.
She forced herself to steady her racing heart and took a step back. Taking a deep breath, she said, “It won’t happen again.”
Valeria got home and opened the door quietly.
At that hour, Selena was already asleep in her room.
She went into the bathroom and saw Selena’s toothbrush and cup neatly placed after use. Selena had even squeezed the toothpaste for her and filled the rinsing cup with water, setting it there thoughtfully.
Valeria’s expression softened. She sat quietly by Selena’s bed, gently stroking the child’s cheek.
Earlier that night, Sebastian had told her that she was a disturbance to him.
Valeria also realized that her unexpected encounter really had bothered him. In fact, she was just a stranger bound to him by nothing more than a fleeting doctor-patient tie.
That had never been her intention. All she ever meant to do was glance at him from afar once in a while and remain just a passerby, as if nothing had ever happened.
In the quiet of the night, Valeria felt a sudden urge to leave Slate City behind, to take Selena and begin a new life somewhere else.
Once she received her year-end bonus, she would have enough for Selena’s surgery. She also had some savings. After the surgery, she planned to take Selena and move to a different city.
Because in Slate City, every time she ran into Sebastian, the scabbed-over wound in her heart began to itch again. It was like an injury left in the rain all night, festering and inflamed.
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