chapter 111
Elena's POV:
The world split apart with the sound of grinding metal and shattering glass.
I stood frozen on the sidewalk, my mind refusing to process what my eyes were seeing—Sebastian's black sports car, crumpled like paper against the delivery truck, steam rising from the twisted wreckage in the cold morning air.
The scream that tore from my throat didn't sound human, more like an animal's cry of pure anguish as I stumbled forward on legs that suddenly couldn't remember how to work properly.
"Sebastian!" His name became a prayer, a plea, a desperate incantation as I ran toward the smoking ruins.
Voices distant warnings about fuel leaks and potential explosions that meant nothing compared to the sight of him slumped over the steering wheel, blood trickling down his temple.
Someone tried to pull me back, their hands insistent on my shoulders. "Ma'am, please, it's not safe! The car could explode—"
I wrenched free with a strength I didn't know I possessed, dropping to my knees beside the driver's door.
The metal was hot under my palms as I pressed against it, trying to see him better through the spider-webbed glass. "Sebastian, please, please answer me. Open your eyes. Look at me."
The door hung at an impossible angle, jammed shut by the impact.
Behind me, I heard rapid footsteps—my bodyguards had followed despite the danger. One of them, the taller one whose name I'd never bothered to learn, pushed past me with something heavy in his hands.
"Mrs. Vane, please step back."
His voice was urgent but professional as he swung what looked like a tactical baton at the already damaged window. The safety glass crumbled into tiny cubes that scattered like diamonds across the asphalt.
I could see him breathing, but his eyes remained closed, dark lashes stark against skin that had gone frighteningly pale.
The bodyguard reached through carefully, unlocking the door from inside before working with his partner to ease it open.
Together, they maneuvered Sebastian's unconscious form out of the wreckage, their movements swift but gentle as they carried him several yards away from the smoking vehicle.
"Careful with his neck," one muttered to the other as they laid him on the cold pavement, one of them immediately shrugging off his jacket to cushion Sebastian's head.
I dropped to my knees beside him again, my hands hovering over his still form, afraid to touch him and cause more damage but desperate for that connection.
My trembling fingers found the wound on his head, the blood sticky and warm, and a sob caught in my throat. This was my fault. He'd seen the truck coming for me, had thrown his car between us without hesitation, and now—
"Elena?" His voice was barely a whisper, rough with pain, but it was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard. His eyes fluttered open, unfocused and glazed, searching for me without truly seeing. "Are you... hurt?"
"No, no, I'm fine. You saved me." The words tumbled out between sobs as I cradled his face. "Just stay with me, okay? Help is coming. You're going to be fine."
A bitter smile tugged at his bloodied lips, and even now, even like this, he was achingly beautiful in his destruction.
"Don't cry, my Elena." His voice was barely audible, each word seeming to cost him enormous effort. "I'm sorry... for everything. The way I trapped you, controlled you... Can you forgive me?"
"Sebastian, don't—"
"Please." His fingers found mine, squeezing weakly. " These months with you... to be there... they were the happiest of my life. To wake up beside you, to hear you laugh, to feel our child growing inside you..." He paused, struggling for breath. "It's more than I deserved. More than I ever thought I'd have."
"You're going to have so much more," I insisted, my tears falling faster. "Years and years of it. You'll see our baby born, teach them to ride horses at Blackwood Manor—"
"My only regret," he whispered, his eyes growing distant, "is that I'm going to die without ever hearing you say you love me."
The words hit me like a physical blow, stealing what little breath I had left.
Behind us, I could hear sirens approaching, voices shouting instructions, the organized chaos of emergency responders arriving.
But in that moment, there was only Sebastian and the truth I'd been running from for so long.
"I love you." The confession poured out of me, unstoppable now that the dam had broken. "I love you, you impossible, infuriating man. You can't leave me. You can't—our baby needs you. I need you. Please, Sebastian, just hold on."
His eyes widened slightly, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.
A single tear tracked down his face, mingling with the blood, and he lifted one hand weakly toward me. I caught it, pressing his palm against my wet cheek, holding on as if I could anchor him to life through touch alone.
"There," he whispered, that ghost of a smile returning. "Now I can die happy. My Elena... crying for me... loving me..."
"Don't you dare." My voice cracked with fury and fear. "Don't you dare talk about dying. You don't get to make me fall in love with you and then leave. That's not how this works."
A soft laugh escaped him, barely more than an exhale, but I saw genuine joy flicker across his pain-etched features before his eyes rolled back and his body went limp in my arms.
"Sebastian? Sebastian!" I shook him gently, panic clawing at my throat, but he didn't respond.