As the fire crackled and roared to life, I felt a newfound determination settle over me. The warmth from the flames chased away the cold that had seeped into my bones. I was in control. The past belonged in the ashes, and that’s where I intended to leave it.
Chapter 28
JUST AS I WAS BEGINNING to feel more centered, the bathroom door creaked open, and Sebastian emerged, now dressed in the clothes I’d given him. The shirt was tight across his broad chest, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and his damp hair was tousled, giving him a rugged, almost boyish look. The soft light from the fire cast sharp shadows on his face, highlighting the intensity in his eyes.
“Thanks for the clothes,” he said with a casual grin, but there was something unsettling about the way he looked at me—something that set off alarm bells in my head.
I stood my ground. “Sebastian, you need to leave. I’ll call a taxi for you.”
He ignored my words, taking a step closer, his grin widening as if he hadn’t heard me at all. “You know, V, seeing you tonight . . . it’s brought back so many memories. I couldn’t stop thinking about you after today. And being here, in this cozy little cottage with you . . .”
His voice was smooth, and dripping with the charm that used to draw me in so easily. He let his gaze trail over me, a predatory glint in his emerald eyes. “You look incredible, by the way. Even better than I remember.” His tone darkened as he took another step closer, his eyes locking onto mine. “I’ve missed seeing you like this, V. The way you move, the way you look at me . . . it always drove me crazy. And I know it still does something to you, too.”
The way his words wrapped around me, laced with that old, familiar temptation, made my skin crawl. He was leaning in now, his voice a low murmur. “Come on, V. You can’t tell me you don’t feel it—the tension between us, the way your body reacts when I’m this close. I’ve been dreaming about this. About you. And I can see in your eyes that you’ve been thinking about me, too.”
I shifted uncomfortably, a wave of nausea rolling through me. I was suddenly grateful I hadn’t changed out of my work clothes when I got home—thankful for the extra layers between us, the fabric a small barrier against the way his presence made my skin prickle. His gaze felt like it was burning through me, and the air around us grew heavy with an uncomfortable tension that I wanted nothing more than to escape from.
I crossed my arms over my chest, putting up a barrier between us. “You need to leave. Whatever you’re trying to do here, it’s not going to work.”
He chuckled, the sound low and dismissive. “Come on, V. We were good together. You can’t tell me you’ve forgotten that. And this . . . art gallerything, it’s nice, but you and I both know it’s not going to sustain you. Not in the long run.”
Sebastian’s words hit me like a slap, stinging more than I expected, and my hands clenched into fists at my sides, the anger bubbling up inside me. “That’s not true,” I shot back, my voice rising with fury. “I’ve worked hard for everything I have here. This isn’t just someart gallery thing, Sebastian.It’s mydream. And I don’t need you—or anyone else—telling me what I can or can’t do!”
As I watched him take that final step closer, his eyes darkened, brimming with a desperate, predatory intensity that made my skin prickle with unease.
“You need me, Vinnie,” he said, his voice a low, insistent murmur that grated against my nerves. “You always have. This small-town life, this hobby of yours? It’s notyou. You’re meant for something bigger, something more. And you know it.”
His words should have stung, but instead, they only ignited a fiery resolve within me. I looked at him then,reallylooked at him, and saw the man who had once been the center of my world. A man who had always been so sure of himself, and so sure that I’d always be there, hanging onto his every word. But now, standing in the dim light of the cottage, with the storm raging outside, he seemed smaller somehow—diminished by the weight of his own arrogance.
“You really don’t get it, do you?” I said, my voice steady and filled with a calm fury. “You never saw me for who I was. You were too busy trying to fit me into your perfect little life. This gallery, this town—it’smine.It’s everything I’ve worked for, everything I’ve wanted. And it’s enough for me, even if it isn’t for you.”
As his hand reached up to touch my face, I slapped it away, the sharp sound of the impact echoing through the room. The movement was instinctive, a reflex born from the anger and frustration that had been building inside me for far too long. Sebastian stared at me, eyes wide with surprise, as if he couldn’t believe I’d actually dared to push him away.
I stood my ground, my gaze locked on his, refusing to back down. “You don’t get to touch me, Sebastian. Not anymore."
For a brief moment, his expression flickered, revealing a crack in his carefully constructed mask of confidence. Then, with a swift and deliberate movement, he stepped forward, backing me against the wall, his presence and weight overwhelming. The space between us disappeared, and I the cold, hard surface of the wall pressed against my back as he leaned in, trapping me.
His smirk deepened, as if my resistance was nothing more than an amusing challenge to him. “You’re making a mistake, Vinnie,” he murmured, his voice dripping with disdain. “You really think this little fantasy you’ve built is going to last? Playing house in some backwater town with that small-time guy? He’s not even in your league, V. You deserve better, and deep down, you know it.”
He leaned in even closer, his presence suffocating. “What’s he ever going to give you? A dull, predictable,ordinarylife? You need excitement, and passion—someone who actually knows how to keep you on your toes. He’s just a placeholder, Vinnie. He’ll never be enough for someone like you.”
My heart pounded with anger and disgust as his words sliced through me. The way he dismissed Ethan, the way he dismissed everything we’d built together, as if it were meaningless, made my skin crawl. Sebastian’s arrogance was suffocating, and his belief that he was the only one who could offer me anything of value was infuriating.
I forced myself to stay calm, refusing to let him see how his words affected me. “You don’t know anything about me, Sebastian. Not anymore. And you sure as hell don’t know what I need.”
He leaned in closer, his breath hot against my ear. “You need someone strong, someone who can take care of you. That guy? He’s nothing. You can do so much better, V. You needsomeone like me.”
His breath was hot and heavy against my ear and, before I could react, his hand slid up my arm, his fingers grazing the sensitive skin of my neck. The smell of whiskey on his breath made my stomach churn, and I recoiled in disgust.
“Knock it off, Sebastian,” I snapped, pushing him away with more force than I realized I had. His smirk faltered, replaced by a flash of irritation as he steadied himself.
I was hit with a wave of nausea, not just from the alcohol on his breath, but from the realization of how far removed this man was from the person I had once loved. Was he always like this? Had I been blind to his true nature, too caught up in the love I thought we had to see him clearly? The rose-colored glasses I once wore had been shattered, leaving me to see him for what he really was—a man desperate to cling to control, even as it slipped through his fingers.
And now, as he stood before me, trying to twist my life back into his narrative, he tainted the good memories we had shared. All the moments that had once felt so significant, so full of meaning, were now tarnished by his arrogance, and his refusal to let go. He was erasing the man I had once loved, replacing him with this bitter, desperate version that I wanted nothing to do with.
“The only fantasy here, Sebastian, is you thinking that I need you. I don’t. I never did. You were a chapter in my life, but I’m done with that story now. I’m writing a new one, and you’re not in it.”
His eyes darkened, the facade of control slipping just enough for a shadow of desperation to emerge. He leaned in, his breath hot against my skin, his voice dripping with a twisted mix of bitterness and longing. “You know, V,” he murmured, “I’ve got women lining up, who are more than happy to take what you threw away. But none of them are you. Jessica?Sure, she’s eager, but she’s not you. She doesn’t know how to love me the way you did. How to make me feel like I was the only one that mattered.”
