Chapter 13
As the words lingered in the air, a flood of buried memories surged forth.
Two months ago, Vivian had indeed called him, saying she needed to discuss something important. At the time, he was by Vanessa’s side, who had just been in a car accident. He had no time to return to see Vivian, so he told her to make the decision on her own and go ahead with whatever she had in mind.
Recalling this, his expression darkened, yet he stubbornly asked, “When was the agreement signed?”
“Two months ago,” Waldon’s reply shattered his last hope. Sebastian’s emotions were in turmoil, unsure whether to be angry at Vivian for scheming against him or at her for planning a divorce all the way back then. Thinking back carefully, it seemed that she did start behaving oddly around that time.
But why? What had changed?
Vanessa had just returned then, and Vivian had only been asked to donate blood once. Was that truly the reason for her wanting a divorce? And even more puzzling, she seemed so resolute, not once showing regret in the past month.
Sebastian felt as though he was missing something crucial. His breathing was uneven, and his anxiety was palpable. Vanessa noticed his agitation, recalling Waldon’s words from earlier. She assumed he was upset about getting played and tried to console him, “Sebastian, if she can’t appreciate you, that’s her problem. You need to take care of yourself. Your heart condition can’t handle too much stress.”
Her words, intended as comfort, suddenly seemed to clear the fog in his mind.
Sebastian remembered that day when Vivian asked him a peculiar question.
“I just have one question: four years ago, you had a heart transplant. What was the donor’s name?”
“I only know his last name was Harrington.”
“Understood, thank you.”
“Why are you asking this?”
*Just wanted to confirm something.”
The memory of that conversation resurfaced in his mind. It was after that day that Vivian, who once needed to listen to his heartbeat to fall asleep, suddenly stopped. She, who used to go along with his every suggestion, began rejecting them all. Even her sudden demand for a divorce occurred around that time.
“Sebastian, are you okay?” Quinn’s cautious voice interrupted his thoughts, seeing Sebastian fall into a brooding silence, his face growing paler.
He dared not delve deeper into what Vivian meant by “confirming something.” He could only reassure himself that it couldn’t be anything serious. She loved him too much for it to be otherwise.
“Get out,” he ordered, though his internal turmoil didn’t ease. Sensing his foul mood, Quinn and the others quickly left the room, leaving only Vanessa and Sebastian behind.
Turning to see Vanessa’s eyes reddening from his words, he paused, concealing his impatience.
Vivian never reacted like this. She’d never cry over a few harsh words, always knowing her boundaries. Except for the one time with the necklace, she’d never bring petty emotions to him.
Of course, the jealousy that followed didn’t count.
But she was someone he had longed for many years, and he couldn’t bring himself to be too harsh. He sighed, “You should go home. I’m tired and need some rest.”
“As for… everything else, don’t bring it up again. I have no intention of divorcing Vivian.”
He turned away, unwilling to look at Vanessa, who widened her eyes in disbelief at his words. “Sebastian what
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do you mean? If you don’t plan to divorce her, then what have we been doing all this time?”
He remained silent, eyes closed, responding quietly, “I only see you as a friend.”
“A friend?” Vanessa scoffed, the chair scraping loudly as she stood. Her gaze bore into his back. “You call us friends, yet tell me, Mr. Balfour, do you treat all your friends this well?”
“Would you drag your anemic wife to donate blood for a friend and then care for that friend for a whole week, ignoring your wife afterward?”
“Would you leave your wife alone on a mountaintop to attend a friend’s party?”
“Would you stay behind at a party because a friend wanted to have fun, despite your wife being humiliated?” “Would you give a family heirloom to a friend instead of your wife, or defend a friend to the point your wife nearly drowned, insisting no one rescue her?”
“Would you risk your life to save a friend in front of your wife?”
Sebastian’s face grew paler with each accusation from Vanessa. It was only at this moment he realized how cruel his actions had been to Vivian.
What was he thinking back then?
He thought Vivian loved him so much she would never leave, which justified his reckless behavior. Even when he noticed her growing distant, he tried to appease her.
But he had liked Vanessa for so long, her presence had become an obsession, always choosing her subconsciously. Yet, with Vivian’s departure, he finally understood that it was she whom he couldn’t live without.
“If I’ve done anything to make you misunderstand, I apologize.”
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