Chapter 12:
The once handsome and charming man now looked like a shadow of himself. His face had tumed gaunt, with sharp collarbones and cheekbones, eyes sunken deep into his skull and skin as pale as the dead. His thick hair, once a mark of his vitality, had thinned to a sparse patch.
When he saw me, his instinct was to tug at his hair. His fingers tore out a large handful, more than I would lose in a week?
I couldn’t help but think he must be ill and I instinctively took a step back.
He seemed to realize what he had done, quickly dropping the hair and looking at me with wide eyes filled with a spark of hope.
I felt his gaze crawling over me and disgusted, I turned away and walked off.
“Brianna… I’ve finally found you. Do you know how I’ve spent this last month? If i don’t see you again, I can’t go on living
“How could you be so cruel? You just vanished without a word…
His voice cracked with grievance
He reached out desperately for my hand, but I yanked it away, stepping back straight into Fiona, who was holding a milk tea. She glanced up, saw him and shaved the drink into my hand, her sleeves already rolled up as she searched for anything to use.
But Sebastian only seemed oblivious, a foolish smile stretching across his face.
“Brianna, you’re more beautiful than ever! I missed you so much my heart aches. Don’t believe me? Feel it “2
Fiona’s fury boiled over. She grabbed a nearby glass and smashed it against the back of his hand with a sharp crack
“I’ll show you what ‘Teel it means!“:
No longer needing a weapon, Fiona went at him with her bare fists, her anger fueled by the sheer audacity of his words.
I feared Sebastian might lash out, so I quickly stepped in to stop Fionall
But Sebastian kneeled before me once more, his voice breaking as he begged, “Brianna, hit me! Both of you hit me: just let it all out! Don’t hold back
*Brianna, get something to hit me with, don’t use your hands! I’d feel bad if you hurt yourself!
He was desperate, his eyes pleading with a raw intensity as if he needed this to feel some sort of relief.
But why should I duty my hands just to appease him?
“Sebastian, it’s over between us. Please, leave me alone
He didn’t believe it, his eyes wide with disbelief, still clinging to the hope that
at I still loved him.
He swore, falling to his knees on broken glass, blood staining his hands, yet completely unaware of the absurdity of it all 3 “Brianna, Eliza actually dared to provoke you. I sent her packing myself. Her father sold her to a 60–year–old man for favors: she’ll never bully you again!”
ΠΙ
faithful to you from now on, we’ll have a wonderful life together,
“I’ve severed ties with Kenneth and his entire group. I swear it be fai just you and me…”
But I could never trust him again.