Chapter 23
BLAIRE
I didn’t sleep a winkst night. I was holding back my urge not to put a pillow on top of Sebastian’s
head while he was sleeping. How could he sleep so soundly after the betrayal hemittedst night?
It was six in the morning when I decided to get up and prepare myself. I’m not really sure how I will be
able to look him in the eye without yelling at him. I soaked myself in a warm bath for at least half an
hour while thinking of ways to avoid him. I’m also nning to check a few vacant spacester for the
business that I’m nning to put up.
I was thinking that if I have to settle back here, I can’t just stay at home and wait for my husband. I
wanted to start doing something for myself. I already did it in Hawaii. So, I was nning to do it here in
New York as well.
After I’m done taking a shower, I wrap myself in the bathrobe beforeing out of the bathroom. It was
past seven in the morning when I finished taking a bath. When I came out of the bathroom, I
immediately saw Sebastian sitting on the bed with aptop on hisp. He lifted his head the moment he
heard the door open. A smile broke from her lips as he greeted me.
“Good morning. You’re up early. Want to have breakfast with me?” He has been busy these past few
days, and this is the first time that I have woken up before him. Entirely because I didn’t get much sleep
last night. “I figure we haven’t had much chance to have breakfast together because of my work. How
about we take a stroll and find a good restaurant? What do you think?” he asked excitedly.
My face remained straight as I watched him speak. Is this guilt? Is he feeling guilty because of what
happenedst night? That’s why he was trying to make it up for me.
“I have ns,” I answered coldly before going straight to the closet. I felt him follow me inside the
closet, but I made myself busy choosing what clothes to wear.
“Are you alright?” I heard him ask.
But I didn’t bother looking at him before I answered. “I’m good,” I replied as I continued to go through
with my clothes.
“Are we okay?” he revised his question.
“Do we have any reason not to?” I asked him. I wanted to see if he’s going to lie about it or if he’s going
toe clean.
“I couldn’t think of any. Is there something that I should be worried about?” he asked innocently.
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I shrugged my shoulders as I looked at him. “I don’t know. Is k*ssing my stepsister in the middle of the
night something that I should not be worried about?” I asked him.
directly.
“H-How did—
“How did I know? Really? That’s all you have to say. “I couldn’t hold back my anger anymore. G od
knows how long I have been trying to calm myself down sincest night. But now, watching him try to
act as if nothing happened infuriates me.
He took a sharp breath. “I can exin, he started.
“Oh, yeah. Come on, exin to me how you wrapped your arms around her waist so you could k*ss
her properly,” I said sarcastically.
“ire, that’s not what happened,” he denied.
Of course, no criminal will admit his crime.
“Oh, please. Spare me
nothing you can say with your lies, Sebastian. I saw it with my own eyes. There’s
nothing you can say that will make me believe that it was nothing. This is different from what happened
a year ago. Which makes me reconsider that maybe you’re lying as well when you told me that nothing
happened between the two of you in the hotel.”
“Okay, that’s unfair.”
“No! You’re the one who’s unfair! How can you manage to sleep soundly beside me after
you
k*ssed my sister?” I screamed in anger.
“Will you please hear me out?” he said in frustration. “Yes, I did k*ss herst night.”
“Stop right there.” I cut him off. “That’s all I need to hear. I don’t want to hear the rest. Now, if you’ll
excuse me, Please leave; I need to get dressed,” I said coldly. I turned. around and went back to
choosing my clothes. I can still feel his presence behind me, but I choose to ignore him. I heard him
blow a sharp breath before he decided to leave.
I let out a sigh of relief once he was finally gone. I went back to preparing myself. I decided to wear
denim jeans and a white shirt. I paired it with white sneakers so I would befortable as I walked
along the streets of New York. I scheduled a few viewings today, so I wanted to be in my most
comfortable clothes.
I tie my
hair up in a loose bun and put on a little bit of makeup. Once I’m done, I look at myself in the mirror one
last time before getting out of the closet.
I found Sebastian in the room the moment I stepped out. He was drying his hair with a white towel,
wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. If we were in different circumstances, I’d
definitely jump on him and pin him to the bed. But I’m too.
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Chapter 23
angry to even fantasize about that. I roll my eyes at him, disregarding his threat about that specific
action.
I headed straight to the door, but I was surprised when he suddenly blocked his n*ked chest in front of
me. I had no idea how he managed to go there so fast.
“Get out of my way,” I told him, ring.
“You’re going somewhere?” he asked.
“None of your godd amn business,” I responded with a dead look in my eyes.
“You’re my wife, so it’s my business to know where you’re going,” he insisted.
“I don’t think you’ve got a say on this after what you didst night,” I said.
He growled in frustration. I frowned as I watched him, as if he were losing patience. He doesn’t get to
do that. If there’s someone here who should be frustrated, it’s me.
“Look, I know it doesn’t sound right. But I’m begging you: please listen to what I have to say. After that,
you can decide whether you still want to get mad at me,” he pleaded.
I squinted my eyes, weighing the situation. I don’t want to make the same mistakes that I did before. So
this time, I’m going to hear what he has to say. Then, I’ll decide right after.
“Fine, I’m all cars.”
“I went to my officest night to work. I don’t want to wake you up, so I figure it’s better for me to go out
and work at my office. Even though I’d rather spend my night sleeping than working, I have an
important email I need to attend to. And while I’m working, I receive a text from Catherine. She
threatened to hurt herself if I didn’te and meet her.”
“I heard a lot of boo-h oos, but nothing about the k*ss,” I said upon hearing his exnation.
He took a sharp breath before exining again. “She tried to k*ss me to prove that I still have feelings
for her.”
“And you end up k*ssing her instead. Great! I heard everything that I needed to hear, I said
sarcastically as I tried to leave by shoving him to the side, but he was quick to hold both of my
shoulders to stop me from moving.
“Yes, I did k*ss her back because I wanted to know if my feelings for her were all gone as well. I quickly
realized that it was. I have no feelings for her anymore. My heart fully belongs to you now,” he said
excitedly.
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“So you’re telling me that untilst night, you still had doubts about your feelings for me?” I asked,
arching my eyebrow. He tried to open his mouth, but he remained silent. I can see the confusion in his
eyes. He probably hasn’t thought about it until now. I sneered, “I thought so. “I pushed him to the side
so he would not block the door anymore. This time, he didn’t resist.
I went straight downstairs only to find my father, Stacy, and Catherine were all waiting in the living
room. I looked at Catherine, and she was looking at me, smiling. As if she were bluntly gloating about
what happenedst night. My eyes twitched while I was biting my lower lip, hardly just to calm myself
down. I shouldn’t let her off the h vook easily the first time she tried to ruin my marriage.
“Oh, you’re here. Where’s Sebastian? Let’s have breakfast together,” my father said as he slowly
folded the newspaper that he was reading before I came.
“Sebastian is still getting ready. You can go ahead without me. I have no ns on having breakfast
here,” I responded coldly. I hate where I-am now. My father is so sick that he can’t handle any stress.
That means I also couldn’t let him be aware of the conflict surrounding the three of us. Despite my
eagerness to rip that smile off Catherine’s face right now, I need to calm down..
“That’s nonsense, ire. It’s been a while since thest time we shared a meal at the table. Come on,
Stacy and Catherine have been busy preparing this meal for us,” my father insisted.
“Dad—”
“Come on, let’s go.” He didn’t give me a chance to decline. My father immediately grabbed my hand
and led me to the dining area.
The table was set the moment we stepped inside the dining area. I couldn’t help but arch my eyebrow
upon seeing how much food was on the table.
“Are we having ourst meal? This looks like a meal enough for a month,” Imented.
“ire…” my dad called my name with a warning tone.
“I’m just stating a fact, dad,” I said, shrugging my shoulders as I took a seat on the passenger side of
the power seat.
“Good morning, everyone.” Sebastian was greeted upon entering the dining hall.
I didn’t bother lifting my head to greet him. I keep myself busy by starting to put food on my te. So, I
waspletely taken by surprise when he suddenly k*ssed me on the lips in front of everyone. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.
“Good morning, love,” he said while his face remained inches away from mine.
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I squinted my eyes at him as a warning, but he just smiled and nted another k*ss on my lips before
taking his seat.
“Let’s eat everyone,” Sebastian announced.
We were just starting to eat when Catherine quickly picked up the coffee pot and poured some into
Sebastian’s cup.
“You don’t have to do that,” Sebastian whispered to Catherine, but it was loud enough for me to hear.
He looked at me nervously, as if he were hoping that I wouldn’t make this a big deal.
Instead of making a scene, I smirked before lifting up my cup and handing it to Catherine, gesturing to
her to pour coffee on my cup as well. Catherine nced at the other people around the table who had
no idea what was happening between us. She then posed a fake smile before pouring it into my cup.
I’m not sure if she’s doing it on purpose, but she deliberately filled my cup too much, causing it to
overflow. “Oh, my! I’m sorry,” she said as the excess coffee from my cup. continued to flow. I was about
to put it down when she suddenly hit my arm, resulting in the hot coffee spilling on her hand.
She shouted in pain as she immediately clutched her arm to her chest. “Why did you do that, ire?”
she said.
I frowned in confusion. “What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything.” I responded in surprise. I was
shocked by her usation.
Sebastian was switching his gaze between us. It was as if he was weighing who’s lying.
In the midst of intense scrutiny, I stood my ground, firmly dering, “I swear I didn’t do anything!” The
weight of judgment pressed upon me, but I refused to yield.
Stacy, the ever-concerned mother, sought to understand the situation. “Catherine, what happened?”
she inquired, hoping to unravel the events.
Catherine exined, her voice tinged with victimhood, “I was just trying to be nice, pouring some coffee
for Sebastian. It seems ire got jealous and poured hot coffee on my hand.”
“I did not!” I interjected, my frustration and disbelief driving my words. I needed to set the record
straight.
Seeking an impartial ount, my father turned to Sebastian and asked, “Did what happened?”
you see
Sebastian’s gaze met mine-a mix of difort and reluctance. With an audible sigh,
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he admitted, “I did not,” lowering his head as if burdened by the weight of the situation.
“But that doesn’t mean I did what she used me of!” I retorted, my frustration. intensifying.
Catherine, attempting to diffuse the tension, interjected, “It’s okay. It wasn’t a big deal, guys. I forgive
her. I know she didn’t mean it. Maybe she’s just mad. I understand.”
My incredulous response hung in the air, a blend of astonishment and disbelief. Catherine’s
forgiveness felt like an unexpected twist in a narrative I couldn’t fullyprehend. The room brimmed
with unresolved tension, leaving me grappling with the aftermath of an usation that lingered around
the dining hall.
Let’s all take a deep breath. I’m sure it was just an ident,” Sebastian suggested, trying to control the
situation.
“Of course, it wasn’t an ident! She did it to herself to make me look bad!” I exim.
“Are you saying that I deliberately poured hot coffee on my hand? Why would I do that?” Catherine
denied it as she clutched her hand..
“Let me see that,” Sebastian said before grabbing Catherine’s hand.
“It’s fine, Sebastian,” she said while trying to hide her arm behind her back. “I don’t want to get ire in
trouble. It’s really fine,” she added, acting as if she were saving my ass. But she can fool everyone but
me.
When Sebastian pulled her arm, we all saw how red her skin was because of the burn. He looked at
me, and his eyes were dark. “If you’re mad, ce your anger on me,” he said coldly. “Let’s put some
cream on your burn,” he said before pulling Catherine out of the dining hall.
I found myself wrestling with a mix of emotions-frustration, confusion, and a lingering sense of injustice.
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