Chapter 116 The Crab Dinner
Emilia’s POV
Sebastian drove us to a seafood restaurant by the water. The moment we pulled up, I saw the sign: Captain’s Catch – Fresh Seafood Daily.
"See?" he said, pointing. "I didn’t forget."
"Forget what?"
"That you love crabs."
My chest tightened. He remembered.
We sat at a table overlooking the ocean. Sebastian ordered without even looking at the menu. "Steamed crabs, braised crabs, roasted crabs, fried crabs, sautéed crabs... bring all of them."
I stared at him. "Are you insane? How are we supposed to eat all that?"
"We’ll take the leftovers home."
"Sebastian, what the hell is wrong with you?"
He leaned back in his chair, his green eyes serious. "I just want you to feel better. Pretend each crab is someone who pissed you off. Eat them. Don’t even leave the shells."
The waiter brought plate after plate of crabs... steamed, braised, roasted, fried, sautéed. Within fifteen minutes, the table was covered.
I picked up a steamed crab and bit into it, shell and all.
"You’re imagining it’s me, aren’t you?" Sebastian asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
I didn’t answer. Instead, I asked quietly, "Are you still waiting for someone to heal your wounds?"
The amusement vanished from his face.
"Raelene told me something today," I continued, my voice steady even though my heart was breaking. "She said I’m a fool if I think I can replace someone you’ve been mourning for three years. She said I don’t know my place. And one day, I’m going to cry my eyes out."
"Don’t listen to her," Sebastian said, his jaw tight.
"But she’s not wrong, is she? You won’t accept my feelings because you can’t forget Abigail."
"Emilia..."
"I’m not asking you to love me," I interrupted, my throat tight. "I’m just asking you to be honest. Are you still in love with her?"
Sebastian rubbed his face, exhausted. "Can we not do this right now?"
That was answer enough.
I picked up another crab and chewed it slowly, imagining it was his face.
"Fine," I said. "We won’t talk about it. But let me give you some advice... stop living in the past. Because the person you’re remembering? She’s probably not thinking about you at all."
Sebastian didn’t respond.
I ate crab after crab, each one tasting like bitterness and regret.
When I got home that night, my phone rang. Linda.
"Have you thought about it?" she demanded. "When are you leaving?"
I closed my eyes. "You still have three days. Stop calling me."
"So you ARE planning to leave?"
"Whether I leave or not doesn’t benefit you, so don’t get your hopes up. The higher your expectations, the harder you’ll fall."
"That’s my problem, not yours. As long as I get rid of you, I can do whatever I want."
I hung up before she could say anything else.
I was already upset that Sebastian wouldn’t feel the same way about me. I didn’t have the energy to deal with Linda, and I couldn’t get rid of Richie. But those two kept haunting me like ghosts.
The second Linda hung up, my phone rang again. Richie.
"When are you coming to Lakewood City? Do you need me to pick you up, or are you driving yourself?"
"I told you, I need time..."
"You’ve had time. I want a date, Emilia. When?"
I hung up before I could say something I’d regret.
On Saturday night, I had a nightmare.
I was back in that dark storage room. The walls were closing in, the air getting thinner. I could hear my stepmother’s voice through the door, mocking me. Then Linda’s laughter joined in. Then Richie’s cold demands. Then Raelene’s vicious threats.
And Sebastian’s voice, distant and flat. "I can never love you."
I woke up gasping, soaked in cold sweat.
The clock on my nightstand read 2:00 AM.
I sat there for a while, trying to calm my racing heart, but sleep wouldn’t come back. My room felt suffocating. The walls felt too close. The darkness felt too heavy.
I needed air. Space. Something.
Without really thinking, I got out of bed and walked to the window. The half-moon hung in the sky, pale and distant. I stared at it until my eyes blurred with unshed tears.
Three months. I’d been married to Sebastian for three months. And what had changed between us?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
No. That wasn’t true. Things had changed. I’d fallen in love with him. And that love was slowly destroying me.
I found myself walking toward his room before I could talk myself out of it.
The door was unlocked. I pushed it open quietly and stepped inside.
Sebastian was asleep, his face relaxed in a way it never was during the day. The moonlight streaming through his window lit up his features. The sharp line of his jaw. The curve of his lips. Those long dark lashes resting against his cheeks.
He looked peaceful.
I moved closer. My hand reached out instinctively to touch his face...
"Why are you up at this hour? Are you sleepwalking?"
I jerked my hand back so fast I nearly fell over. Sebastian’s green eyes were open now, watching me with a mix of confusion and concern.
"I... I was just walking around," I said weakly.
He sat up, reaching over to turn on his bedside lamp. The sudden light made me squint.
"You’re walking around at two in the morning?" He raised an eyebrow, his voice still rough with sleep.
"I had a nightmare. I couldn’t fall back asleep. I just wanted to see if you were... if you were sleeping."
Sebastian studied me for a long moment, and I braced myself for him to tell me to go back to my own room.
Instead, he glanced at the clock on the wall. "It’s only two. Aren’t you going back to sleep? "
I opened my mouth, then closed it. The words stuck in my throat.
Finally, I forced myself to say it. "Can I sleep here? Just for a little while? "