Chapter 8: No Talk of Divorce
“Hazel.”
Sebastian caught up with her and grabbed her hand. Seeing that she was still furious, he simply picked her up and shoved her into the back seat.
The door slammed shut, and he quickly locked it.
The outside world vanished behind tinted glass.
Even Lily and the security guard who had been sneakily peeking from the doorway could see nothing now.
“Don’t be mad over something so small, okay?” Sebastian coaxed in a low, soothing voice.
He pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on top of her head like he always did.
His voice turned soft and pitiful, begging for sympathy. “I rushed to see you right after surgery. The whole time I was operating, I kept thinking about you. You have no idea how much I miss you…. how much I love you.”
In the past, Hazel would’ve melted right away.
She loved him too much. She’d always feel sorry for him, trying to understand how exhausted he must’ve been. Any time they argued, all it took was him mentioning surgery fatigue, and she’d cave-sometimes even giving him a massage.
But now, all she felt was disgust.
Even the “surgery” sounded like a lie. He was probably just with Vivian moments ago.
She took a deep breath, unable to bear the hypocrisy. Her tone turned serious. “Sebastian, do you remember what I said on our wedding night?”
Sebastian paused, trying to recall. “You said you really, really loved me.”
“And?” Hazel prompted.
Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, his panic grew. Trying to act casual, he added, “You also said you’d stay with me for this life… and the next.”
Hazel smiled coldly. “I also said, if one day we stopped loving each other, we should get divorced instead of hurting each other.”
“You didn’t forget that part, did you?”
Sebastian’s face instantly tensed. His grip on her shoulders tightened as he pulled her to face him. His eyes, usually gentle, were now icy cold.
His voice remained soft, but the chill in it made her skin crawl.
“Divorce? Don’t even think about it.”
“We love each other, don’t we?”
“Hazel, don’t ever say that again. I don’t want to hear a single word of it.”
Before she could respond, he grabbed her chin and kissed her hard.
“Mmph!” Hazel gasped in pain and tried to slap him.
But he already anticipated it, pinning her wrist to the seat.
She quickly realized his breathing was getting heavier. The hand that held her down started moving across her waist, its touch becoming possessive and inappropriate.
They had been together for seven years-of course she knew what he wanted.
But not only could she not physically handle it, she didn’t want it.
“Don’t touch me!” she snapped, struggling in his arms.
The more she resisted, the more forceful he became.
When he finally pulled away, both were breathless. He panted against her face, his voice husky, “Babe, let’s try it here. Just once.”
He reached for the hem of her blouse.
“No!” Hazel raised her voice and shoved his head away.
Sebastian hit the car window with his temple. Pain jolted through him, breaking the tension in the car.
His gaze darkened, lips pressed into a tight line.
Hazel stared at him in silence, her body instinctively shrinking away as she clutched her clothes tightly.
She had always seen him as gentle and composed. Even when frustrated, he only furrowed his brows.
But tonight-this man wasn’t the Sebastian she knew. He felt dangerous. Dark.
He had always been respectful, never bringing up anything like “doing it in the car.”
That wasn’t him.
She couldn’t help but wonder-was this the real him?
Did he like the thrill? Is that why he cheated with Vivian?
Had they done it in this very car, in this very seat?
The thought made her stomach turn.
“Ugh-” Hazel doubled over, gagging.
Sebastian immediately panicked, gently patting her back. “Babe, are you okay?”
As he spoke, he instinctively took her pulse.
“You haven’t been eating much lately, have you? I bought your favorite-taro puffs.”
He opened the box on the passenger seat. The sweet scent of still-warm pastries wafted through the air.
Tears welled up in Hazel’s eyes as she gagged. She bit into the soft pastry, staring at his nervous, caring eyes.
For a moment, she wondered-did he still love her?
Her lashes quivered, and a tear rolled down her cheek.
She wished it were all just a bad dream. That Sebastian never cheated. That their happy life still existed.
“I’m sorry, babe. I was wrong. I won’t ever force you again,” he whispered, kissing her cheek and gently wiping her tears away with his fingertips.
Sebastian drove them to Drunken Cloud Pavilion.
It was Hazel’s favorite restaurant-hard to book, always full. To make sure she’d always have a table, Sebastian had bought shares in the place.
Now, he was carefully removing bones from her fish. He smiled as he said, “Remember the first time we had dinner together? You got a fish bone stuck in your throat.”
Of course she remembered.
Growing up, Vivian’s food was always meticulously prepared by their parents. Because of her leukemia, everything had to be extra cautious-no bones, no cuts, no risks.
No one did that for Hazel.
So she lied. Said she didn’t like fish, just to protect her pride.
On their first date, Sebastian had ordered fish. Hazel didn’t want him to think she was picky, so she forced herself to eat it.
And choked.
Instead of mocking her, Sebastian had gently calmed her, asking her to open her mouth while he carefully removed the bone with clean tweezers.
He had even rubbed her head and said, “Silly girl. I’ll debone it for you next time.”
And he had kept that promise ever since.
Peeling shrimp, deboning fish-he never let her lift a finger. Always thoughtful.
If he could be that loving in the little things, how could his body betray her?
Could someone truly love two people at once?
Hazel stared at her food, appetite completely gone.
Sebastian kept talking. “Once I finish my current workload, let’s go to the Maldives, okay?”
Hazel didn’t bother reminding him how many times he had made that promise, only to back out with excuses-hospital emergencies, solo trips, you
name it.
“How about next week?” he added seriously. “Didn’t you say you wanted to take beach wedding photos?”
Hazel looked at him. So he hadn’t forgotten. He always knew.
She opened her mouth to say something-
His phone lit up.
It was an unmarked number.
Sebastian casually picked it up and got up from the table, walking to the far end of the room.
Hazel’s heart sank.
Unmarked numbers were usually ignored as spam. But he clearly knew who it was-why else would he step away?
She stared at him on the call, then silently rose and walked out.
If he had secrets he didn’t want her to hear, then let him have them. She was done.
On the other end of the line, Vivian was being clingy. Sebastian’s tone dropped low. “Vivian, I’m having dinner with Hazel.”
“Don’t forget what I told you. You’ll never be more important than Hazel.”
“… Yeah, I’ll visit when I have time.”
He hung up, glanced at his reflection in the glass, adjusted his expression, and smoothed his tie.
“Babe-” he turned.
But the seat across the table was empty.
Hazel was gone.
Sebastian frowned, grabbed his coat, and rushed out.
Hazel knew her condition. She didn’t want to overexert herself, so she caught a cab back to Hawking Pharmaceuticals.
The institute was quiet. Most staff had gone home.
Everything was still.
She looked up at the night sky. The moon hung high, cold and distant-just like the emptiness inside her.
She knew going home meant another sleepless night. Ever since she learned of the affair, she hadn’t had a single restful sleep.
Letting go was the hardest part of love.
No matter how many times she told herself not to cry over a man like that, she couldn’t stop the ache.
Her eyes welled up. Tears slid down her cheeks.
She sat on the steps and cried silently.
Suddenly, a calm voice interrupted.
“Didn’t Dr. Grant tell you not to catch a cold?”
Hazel jumped at the sound. She hurriedly wiped her tears, flustered.
A large coat suddenly landed on her head, covering her entire face.
As if he saw right through her shame-and gave her the dignity to hide it.
The coat smelled faintly of his cool, clean scent. The chill in the fabric cleared her mind.
She took a deep breath, wiped her tears beneath the coat, and only then draped it over her shoulders.
“Thank you.” Her voice was muffled, barely above a whisper.
“I got it dirty. I’ll wash it and return it,” she added, clutching the coat against the cold night air.
Elias merely gave a soft “mm.”
He stood silently nearby, like a shadow.
Hazel had just been feeling painfully alone. Now with someone quietly keeping her company-even without speaking-her heart felt steadier.
“Can I ask… your name?”
She still didn’t know what to call him. When she asked Lily, she had no idea either.
The man looked down at her, and even in the dim light, she could see her reflection in his dark eyes-wet with tears, red at the corners, drawing people in.
“Elias Sterling,” he said softly.
Yet the name landed with weight.
Hazel murmured it under her breath.
