The mention of Jessica made my stomach twist, and I remembered the picture I’d seen on Instagram not long after our breakup—her perched on Sebastian’s lap, smiling like she’d won a prize. At the time, I’d convinced myself it didn’t mean anything, that it was just another one of her games. But now, hearing him talk about her so casually, it all fell into place. They’d been a thing, even back then, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he had sent me those desperate, drunken texts while she was right there with him.
The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. While he was pretending to be heartbroken, he was already moving on with someone who had always been circling, waiting for a chance to take what I had. And now, he was standing here, trying to manipulate me into believing that none of it mattered, that he still wanted me. Needed me.
“You’re right,” I said, my voice cold and unyielding. “Jessica isn’t me. And she never will be. But maybe that’s exactly what you deserve, Sebastian. Someone who doesn’t know the real you, who can’t see through your bullshit. Someone who’s content with the scraps you throw her way. But that’s not me. Not anymore.”
Sebastian’s expression hardened. The mention of Jessica had clearly been an afterthought, a slip that revealed more than he intended. The truth was, no matter how many women he surrounded himself with, he knew they would never measure up to what we had—and that was his real fear. That the only woman who truly saw him, who loved him despite his flaws, was the one who walked away.
“Shit, Vinnie, I didn’t mean to say that. The whole thing with Jessica . . .” His voice dropped, almost as if he was trying to convince himself as much as me. “We’re together, but not really. You know how it is. I’m with her, but it’s not serious. It’s nothing compared to whatwehad.”
Bile rose in my throat at his casual dismissal of Jessica. At the way he tried to downplay it. Something inside me snapped, and I pushed against his chest, using his surprise to create distance between us.
Sebastian stumbled back, a flash of confusion crossing his face, and I seized the opportunity to step away from him, my heart pounding in my chest. The space between us felt like a lifeline. A necessary barrier that I desperately needed to keep intact.
I laughed, a bitter, humorless sound that echoed through the room. “So let me get this straight. You’re with Jessica, but you’rehere, inmycottage, beggingmefor another chance? You’re insane, Sebastian. Truly, you are.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but I held up a hand to stop him, the anger and disbelief burning in my chest. “You can’t stand the idea that I’ve moved on! That I’m happy without you! That’s what this is really about, isn’t it? It’s not love, Sebastian. It’s control. You’re here because you can’t handle the fact that I don’t need you anymore.”
His face twisted in frustration, the cracks in his carefully maintained facade growing deeper. “Vinnie, it’s not like that. You don’t understand—”
“No,” I cut him off, my voice firm and unwavering. “I understand perfectly. You can’t manipulate me anymore, Sebastian. You don’t get to come here and disrupt my life just because you can’t deal with your own insecurities. I’m done.”
The words hung in the air between us, heavy with finality, and Sebastian stared at me, his jaw clenched, the reality of the situation finally sinking in.
He flinched, but quickly masked it with a sigh, his expression turning almost pleading. “It’s not like that, V. I do love Jessica, but she’s not you. I just need one night—one night with you for closure, so I can finally move on.”
The sheer audacity of his request made my blood boil. “Closure?” I spat the word at him, my voice filled with disbelief. “You think sleeping withme will give youclosure? You think I’m just going to let you back into my life, into my bed, because you need to feel better about your own choices?”
Sebastian’s eyes flashed with anger and desperation as he stepped forward, closing the distance between us in an instant. Before I could react, his hands were on me, one gripping my arm while the other cupped my face. His touch was rough, fuelled by the alcohol, and his growing frustration, and he backed me against the wall with a force that sent a jolt of fear through me. The heat of his body pressed against mine, trapping me there as his thumb traced the line of my jaw, his words dripping with a twisted mix of longing and resentment.
“You ruined everything, Vinnie,” he hissed, his voice thick with the effects of the whiskey on his breath. “We had a plan! A future! You were supposed to be with me, by my side, building a life together. But you threw it all away! You destroyed everything we were working toward, everything I had planned!”
As he spoke, he leaned in closer, his breath hot against my skin, the desperation in his eyes a stark contrast to the confidence he tried to project. His hand slid down to my waist, pulling me even tighter against him, his body pressing me into the wall. I felt sick, both from the smell of the alcohol, and the realization of just how far he was willing to go to reclaim what he thought was his.
“I had it all planned out, V. We were going to get married, start a family, build an empire together,” he growled, his voice low and menacing. “You were supposed to help me take charge of your father’s company, and we would’ve made it unstoppable. And then you justwalked away. You think you can just erase everything we had, everything I had mapped out for us?”
Before I could respond, his lips were on my neck, kissing me with a roughness that sent a surge of panic through my veins. His hand tightened on my waist, holding me in place as if trying to rekindle a fire that had longsince gone out. I felt trapped, suffocated by the weight of his body and the twisted passion behind his actions.
That was the final straw. I snapped. With all the strength I could muster, I shoved him hard and forced him to stumble back. “Get out!” I screamed, my voice trembling with anger and fear. “Get out of my house, Sebastian! We’re done! Do you hear me? We’re done!”
Sebastian was stunned, his expression full of shock and fury, but I didn’t care. I was done playing his game.
“And don’t you dare contact me again,” I added, my voice firm and unyielding. “Don’t come near me, don’t try to talk to me, and don’t eventhinkabout sending me another text or call. If you do, I’ll get a restraining order. This is the last time you’ll ever see me or talk to me, Sebastian. We’re finished. And if you think you can keep haunting me, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
His face twisted into a snarl, but he didn’t say anything. He simply turned and stormed out of the cottage, slamming the door behind him with a force that rattled the windows.
Breathing hard, my heart pounded as I tried to calm the storm of emotions inside me. The fire crackled in the background, a stark contrast to the silence that now filled the room. But even as I stood there, shaken and exhausted, I knew one thing for certain. This was the last time Sebastian would ever have power over me. The man who had once held so much sway in my life was finally out of it for good.
I turned back to the fire, letting its warmth slowly seep into my skin, and the adrenaline that had been coursing through me ebbed away, leaving behind a bone-deep exhaustion. Yet, there was also a profound sense of relief, of clarity—a feeling that I had finally closed a chapter that I had been rereading for far too long.
Just as that realization settled in, the lights in the house suddenly flickered back on, casting the room in a familiar glow. It was as if the universe itself was signalling the end of this tumultuous night, ushering in a sense of normalcy, and a return to the life I had built for myself—a life free from Sebastian.
I basked in the newfound light, before the need to cleanse myself of the evening’s events overwhelmed me, and I headed to the bathroom, stripping off my clothes and stepping into the shower. As the hot water cascaded over me, I scrubbed at my skin, as if washing away the remnants of his touch, his words, and the emotional hold he had once had over me.
I hadn’t realized how much I was still holding on to the past, allowing it to define who I was and how I saw myself. Tonight, with Sebastian’s unexpected appearance, I understood that there were still parts of me that had been clinging to the hurt, the disappointment, and the unresolved tension of what we once had.
And now, as I rinsed away the soap and shampoo, I felt an unexpected sense of gratitude. Tonight had forced me to confront those lingering doubts and finally let go. The drama, the tension, even the raw emotions, were all part of the process, part of the closure I didn’t know I’d still needed.
I wasn’t that girl anymore. I was stronger now. The invisible string that had tied us together for so long was finally breaking, fraying bit by bit, until it dissolved completely, setting me free. And, as I stood in the shower, my eyes closed, and my heart open, the water washed away the last remnants of my old life, cleansing me of all traces of Sebastian.
