chapter 17
Elena's POV:
For a moment that felt like an eternity, he remained statue-still, his free hand clenched at his side while his eyes remained fixed on Adrian with an intensity that made my stomach clench with dread.
I gave his hand a gentle shake, a silent plea for him to focus on me instead of whatever dark thoughts were spiraling through his mind.
Then, almost imperceptibly, something shifted in his posture.
"Fine," he said, his voice clipped and cold, but the single word was enough permission for me to act.
I didn't dare look back at the chaos of emotions I was leaving behind—Adrian's stricken face, his parents' obvious relief—instead, I tightened my grip on Sebastian's sleeve and half-coaxed, half-pulled him toward the car.
Sebastian allowed himself to be tugged forward.
Marcus held the door open for us, his expression carefully neutral, though I caught the slight relief in his eyes when Sebastian actually got into the car instead of doing something catastrophic.
The car pulled away from Blackwood Manor in oppressive silence.
Sebastian stared straight ahead, his profile sharp in the afternoon light filtering through the tinted windows. I could practically feel the turbulence of his unsettled emotions, could see it in the tension of his jaw, the deliberate steadiness of his breathing that spoke of someone still fighting to regain control.
I had to do something.
Swallowing my pride and a good portion of my self-respect, I shifted closer to him on the leather seat, letting my thigh brush against his. "Sebastian," I said softly, "are you still angry?"
"No," he replied curtly, but his eyes remained fixed forward, his tone suggesting the exact opposite.
I studied his rigid profile, noting the way he seemed determined to look anywhere but at me. "Then why won't you look at me?"
That got a reaction. His head turned slowly, and when his eyes met mine, the intensity there made my breath catch—not anger exactly, but something more complex, more dangerous.
I reached for his hand, threading my fingers through his. "What are you really angry about?"
Sebastian's gaze dropped to our joined hands, his expression unreadable. When he looked back up, there was something almost vulnerable in his eyes before it was quickly masked.
"Is this because of him?" he asked quietly. His voice carried an edge I'd learned to recognize. "Are you only being so accommodating because you saw Adrian today?"
I stared at him, stunned. I hadn't expected him to twist my behavior into something connected to Adrian, and for a moment, I could only blink in confusion.
I said quietly, shaking my head. "No, Sebastian."
"Yesterday I told you I wasn't going to run anymore," I said, forcing myself to meet his stare. "I told you I wanted to try to make this work between us. That wasn't a performance, Sebastian. I meant it."
A bitter smile twisted his lips. "How am I supposed to believe that? You've spent this entire year trying to escape me at every turn, and suddenly, after seeing Adrian, you've had a complete change of heart?"
I stared at him, frustration building in my chest. God, this man was impossible to appease.
I'd thought this approach would be simpler, that playing the devoted girlfriend would be easier than constantly fighting him. But apparently, even surrender came with its own complications.
Without thinking, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, cutting off whatever else he might have said. The kiss was brief, more desperate than passionate, and when I pulled back, I searched his face.
"Do you believe me now?" I whispered.
Sebastian's eyes had gone dark, but his expression remained guarded. "You don't have to do all this, Elena," he said quietly. "I won't hurt Adrian."
That did it. Anger flared hot and bright in my chest, and I jerked away from him, sliding across the leather seat until my back hit the car door.
"Fine then," I said, my voice sharp with irritation. "Since you're so convinced that Adrian and I have something going on, maybe I should just make it true. Would that be easier for you?"
The words were barely out of my mouth before Sebastian's expression turned dangerous. "You wouldn't dare."
Before I could react, his arm shot out, and he hauled me back across the seat, pulling me firmly against his chest. "You wouldn't fucking dare," he repeated, his voice low and threatening.
Instead of fighting his grip, I let myself settle into his embrace, tucking my head against his shoulder with a soft sigh. "Then don't be angry anymore," I murmured, my voice muffled against his shirt.
Sebastian's arms tightened around me, but he said nothing.
I could feel the rapid beat of his heart beneath my cheek, could sense the war going on in his head as he held me close.
The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken tensions and half-truths, but for now at least, the immediate storm had passed.
I felt the car slow and realized we'd arrived at the Aurora Penthouse.
Marcus appeared at the door, but Sebastian made no move to get out. Instead, he turned to me with an expression I couldn't quite parse.
"Go up," he said quietly. "I have some things to take care of."
I blinked, startled. "You're not coming up?"
"Not right now." His tone was carefully neutral, giving nothing away.
For some reason, the thought of him not following me up to the penthouse immediately sent an unexpected jolt of something through me. Anxiety? Disappointment? I couldn't name it, but it sat in my stomach like a stone.
"When will you be back?" I asked.
"When I'm finished," he said, which wasn't really an answer at all.
I sat there for another moment, uncertain and oddly bereft, before slowly gathering myself to get out of the car.
Sebastian's behavior was so far outside his normal pattern of barely letting me out of his sight that I found myself struggling to understand what it meant.
As I stood on the sidewalk watching the car pull away, I realized that despite everything I'd told myself about wanting freedom from his constant presence, the sight of Sebastian leaving me behind felt strangely like abandonment.