She Accepted Divorce, He Panicked

Scarlett's POV

"I appreciate your trust," This is the first words from Sebastian on our way to the Fuller's.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

"I'm not letting you be with Ava alone," I fold my arms and look away.

He lets out a slight laugh.

I do trust him. I trust that he doesn't lie, and I trust that he thinks he has been doing the right things. But that's it. I am not trusting him with a lot of things, even with things about Ava aside. He doesn't know about my conncections with the Vanderbilt, and he doesn't know about Ava's lie, and...our baby.

"--" I hesitate, weighing which secret might be the slightest to tell, "What changed your attitude toward me, all of a sudden?"

I want to know if I can trust him with any of my big secrets.

He glances at me in the rare view mirror, and a bitter smile crawls onto his lips with a shade of irony.

""What?" I frown.

"Nothing," He looks straight at the road, answering as if he is in an interview, "I guess I have always felt like I was forced to be with you, but the divorce lifted that dark shadow that has been blinding me from my true feelings. I started seeing things from different angles, and I realized how wrong I have been."

So all I needed to do was to leave?

"Well, if I didn't force your hand...would you have married Ava?"

I actually wish that he would say yes. Because that would give the past five years a little sense -- I only did that because I saw no other way to expose Ava's lie to him at that moment. But if he weren't going to, then...

"I don't know," He answers.

Tsk. I glare at him. What kind of answer is that?

"You can tell the truth. I won't be mad."

"You are mad at my answer right now," He laughs, darting his sight from the road to me briefly.

"I'm mad at your lie!" I roll my eyes, hmphing, "I know you would have!"

"Would that make you jealous?" He leans over to search for my eyes, and I dodge all the way to the other side, "I said I don't know because that if would never be true. I married you, and I fell in love with you. That's what happened. I don't live in regretting the past because regret can't change the past. But the future can be changed. I can."

I stare at him, can't help his charm coming back to life in my mind. We don't necessarily share all values about life, but he always surprises me with his, making me think and grow with him. Only it wasn't always this easy. It used to be done through fights.

"I have something I need to talk to you about," I blurt. I almost blurted "I'm with your baby", but it's truly not the time for it. I can see Fuller's villa already.

"Anytime," He takes my hand, giving me a firm grip to assure me. For no good reason, I do settle down.

But then I instantly get uncomfortable again -- Ava is waiting by the gate out of the villa.

"You said you were coming alone," Ava folds her arms with a reluctant tone when I get out of the car, pouting. Sebastian stops the car by the side of the road, coming to my side.

"I said I have something to talk to you about in private, but I didn't think you'd honor me all the way to the gate," I glance at the villa behind her. Looks like the Fullers are having some guests over. "He won't be joining our conversation," I add when Ava's eyes dart to Sebastian.

He just nods lightly at Ava.

"You--" Ava pouts at him, tears coming out instantly but she forces them back. That's a first.

"I want to talk to him alone for a moment," She turns to me and I cock my eyebrow. She hasn't been behaving like this for a while now. She did this in the first years of our marriage, when she wasn't sure of Sebastian's attitude toward me. It was after that she saw he didn't care about me, that she turned into the unreasonable monster she had

been.

If anything can prove that Sebastian changed his attitude toward me, it's her timidness right now.

"Well, you--" can't.

But before I could say that,

Sebastian took my waist lightly to stop me, I purse my lips and glare at him, only to hear him saying: "That wouldn't be appropriate, Ava I have explained why."

He still talks to her like she was a child that needs patient and gentle discipline on the most basic things. But magically, it's not annoying this time.

I don't need him to hurt anyone for me. I just need him to be on my side. That's why.

Him rejecting Ava on himself instead of letting me get aggressive and fight for him really warms me up. Ava turns and walks in the direction of the lake, and we follow her loosely.

"I won't be too far away," Sebastian says as he tightens his arm around my waist, "let me know if you need me."

Now I really feel bad about all the secrets, and somehow he sees through that, too--

"I look forward to our talk after this."

Me, too. Blushing, I didn't tell him that when I had the chance. I should have. I would have, if I knew I wouldn't get a chance to.