ding Vanessa’s gaze, but his heart was heavy with guilt towards Vivian. If she hadn’t left, if she were still by his side, he might have actually welcomed Vanessa’s offer to be together.
Vanessa noticed his evasive stare and felt a chill run through her. Her red lips trembled with anger. After a long pause, she suddenly burst into laughter, “Well, Sebastian, I guess I was blind to have feelings for a man like you.” She turned on her heel, storming out. At the hospital room’s door, she spun around one last time, “Sebastian, you’re a fool. You deserve to never be with the one you truly love!”
With that, she left, slamming the door behind her with a resounding thud.
Sebastian flinched, unsure if it was the door slam or her words that struck him. Now alone in the hospital room, he lay on the bed, restless and unable to calm his mind. After a while, he picked up his phone to call Waldon again.
“Investigate everything about her past, from birth to the present. I need to know it all.”
It didn’t take long. By the next morning, before Quinn and the others arrived, Waldon had delivered all the information.
As Sebastian flipped through the pages, his expression grew darker. The documents detailed Vivian’s past with a childhood sweetheart, Lucian, who was seen as the perfect partner by those around them. They had been together for thirteen years, nearly reaching the altar, when tragedy struck–a car accident four years ago. Lucian had died protecting her.
After his death, the Winslow family respected Lucian’s wishes and donated his heart. Coincidentally, Sebastian found a match and survived, and it was that year Vivian came into his life.
The truth was clear now, but Lucian wasn’t the one who donated the heart to him. Vivian must have made a mistake during her investigation, believing Lucian’s heart was his.
No wonder she had appeared so suddenly, pursuing him so fervently; no wonder she loved lying in his arms, listening to his heartbeat; no wonder, upon discovering the donor was a Harrington, she never got close to him again.
He remembered her arguing with Vanessa over a necklace, her outburst that it was a gift from someone she loved dearly, and when he offered to get her another, the surprise in her eyes.
He recalled the night they played truth or dare, and when asked if the person she loved most was present, she had answered without hesitation, “No.”
She hadn’t lied to him; he had just misunderstood.
Sebastian set the papers down, struggling to control his emotions, but his eyes still grew red.
“Mr. Balfour, are you… alright?” Waldon asked hesitantly, noticing Sebastian’s distress. Without responding, Sebastian waved him off, signaling him to leave.
As Waldon reached the door, Sebastian stopped him, “Check if the person who received Lucian’s heart is now in Cresthaven.”
“Yes, Mr. Balfour.”
The door closed quietly, leaving the room steeped in silence. The quietness unleashed his pent–up emotions. He buried his face in his hands, and the tears came, unbidden.
Sebastian had always thought he could walk away whenever he wanted, that poor Vivian loved him too much to leave. He had planned to keep her close, even if they divorced. But now, he realized it was just his own self–deception.
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παρει 10
Chapter 1
