Chapter 44 Abigail Tanner
Emilia’s POV
Sebastian stared at me.
"You have lived for thirty years," I continued, "but you’ve never been slapped in the face. That slap was to remind you that all humans are equal. Just because you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth doesn’t mean you’re pure. In my opinion, people who have no respect for others are worse than male prostitutes in nightclubs."
I turned and strode toward my room.
His hand clamped around my wrist, yanking me back.
"What did you say?" His voice was low. "Male prostitutes? Nightclubs?"
I wrenched my arm free and spun to face him. "You’re just pretending you don’t understand. Sebastian, I’m really curious—since you don’t love me, why do you care about who I hang out with?"
Something flickered across his face. Pain, maybe. Or rage.
"Have you been betrayed by a woman?" The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
His face went white.
"Don’t think that I won’t hit you just because you’re a woman." His teeth were gritted. "I’m warning you one last time—don’t cross the line."
But I was past caring. Past fear.
"Was I right?" I stepped closer, reckless. "If I was right that you’d been betrayed by a woman, you deserved it!"
His fist flew.
I flinched, throwing my arms up.
BANG.
The wall behind me exploded. Plaster cracked. His knuckles split open, blood blooming.
I stood frozen, staring at the hole in the wall inches from my head.
I reached for his hand without thinking. "You’re hurt—"
He shoved me away so hard I stumbled backward.
"Get lost. Before I hurt you. Now."
I’d never seen Sebastian like this before.
His green eyes blazed with murder. Veins bulged at his temples. His fists clenched until his knuckles went white.
I stumbled back into my room and slammed the door shut, my heart pounding.
This man who seemed so terrifying was actually more broken than anyone I’d ever known.
I leaned against the door, trying to steady my breathing. Then I heard it—a low, agonized groan from the hallway.
I pressed my ear to the wood. It came again. Not my imagination.
My hand was on the doorknob before I could think twice.
I threw open the door and froze.
Sebastian was curled in the corner of the hallway, his eyes vacant and unfocused. His face had gone pale. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his hands clawed at his own shoulders. His white shirt was stained dark with blood where his nails had torn through fabric and skin.
"Sebastian, what’s wrong with you?"
I dropped to my knees in front of him, my hands shaking as I reached for him. The moment my fingers touched his skin, ice shot through my veins.
A living person shouldn’t be this cold.
"Don’t come near me." His voice was barely a rasp.
He shoved me away. "Go inside! Go inside right now!"
"I’m not leaving you like this. I’ll get help—"
I tried to stand, but his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. "It’s none of your business," he snarled. "Get lost right away!"
Something in me snapped.
"Don’t order me to disappear just because you feel like it." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "I’ll leave when I should. When I shouldn’t, I won’t—even if you threaten to kill me."
I wrenched free and ran down the hallway, pounding on Mila and Titus’s bedroom door. "Mila! Titus! Please, wake up!"
Mila appeared in seconds, throwing on a robe. "What’s wrong?"
"It’s Sebastian. Something’s wrong with him. Please—"
A loud crash echoed from down the hall.
Mila’s face went white. She and Titus rushed past me toward Sebastian’s room. I followed, my stomach twisting.
The scene inside made my breath catch. Sebastian had smashed an antique vase. Shards of porcelain littered the floor like fallen stars, and he was reaching for another piece of pottery on the shelf.
"Get his medicine," Mila commanded.
"Medicine? What medicine?" My mind went blank.
"Middle drawer. Hurry!"
Titus helped Mila wrestle Sebastian onto the bed. Their son fought them, thrashing like a trapped animal. I yanked open the drawer, grabbed the pill bottle, and thrust it at Mila.
She shook two pills into her palm and forced them between Sebastian’s lips.
Slowly, his movements calmed. The wildness faded from his eyes. His breathing evened. Within minutes, he’d fallen into exhausted sleep.
I stood frozen, staring at the man on the bed.
This powerful Alpha, this untouchable CEO, looked so fragile in that moment. Broken.
Emotions crashed through me—confusion, fear, and something else I couldn’t name. I wanted to demand answers from Mila, but when I turned to her, tears were streaming down her face. Titus stood beside her, his expression carved from grief.
Whatever questions I had died on my tongue.
"Mom, don’t be sad." I approached carefully. "He should be fine now."
Mila cried for what felt like hours. Finally, she wiped her eyes and stood. Her voice came out hoarse. "Follow me."
We walked to the guest room next door. She closed the door behind us and took both my hands in hers. Her fingers were cold.
"I’m sorry," she whispered. "I hid something from you before you married my son."
My stomach dropped. "What is it?"
"Give me a moment."
She left me alone in the room. I paced, my mind racing. My instincts told me whatever she was about to reveal had everything to do with Sebastian’s hatred of women. With his cruelty. With the darkness that lived behind those green eyes.
The door opened. Mila returned holding a photograph.
"Look."
I took it.
A beautiful woman smiled up at me from the photo. She looked nothing like me—cute and bright, with a smile like sunshine breaking through clouds.
"Who is she?"
"Her name is Abigail Tanner." Mila’s voice cracked. "The woman my son once loved. They were supposed to get married three years ago. But on their wedding day, she left him. She ran away with another man. Since then, there’s been no word from her."
The photo trembled in my hands. "She left him? On their wedding day?"
"Yes. That day was a disgrace to the Simons family. And it was the beginning of my son’s nightmare."
"Why would she do that? Didn’t she love him?"
"My poor boy wants to know the reason more than anyone." Fresh tears spilled down Mila’s cheeks. "But it gets worse, Emilia. The man who took Abigail away was Damien — Sebastian’s younger cousin."
The air left my lungs.
"Before that day, Sebastian and Damien were inseparable. Sebastian treated him like a brother. A true brother." Mila’s hands clenched. "And then, on what should have been the happiest day of Sebastian’s life, everything beautiful was destroyed. His closest brother stole the woman he loved most. Can you imagine? Two of the people he trusted most in this world betrayed him at the same time."