Sebastian said nothing.
But his gaze fell sternly and steadily on her face for the first time in so many years.
When exactly did he start hating her?
If he remembered correctly, when he was around the age of ten, the Wand family moved into town out of the blue. They were originally from the North. Soon after that, Mr. and Mrs. Wand brought Sasha, who was only five years old then, to meet the Hayes. Young Sebastian was told that the girl would be his future wife.
At that time, a ten-year-old boy had yet to grasp the meaning of love.
But, on that day, he saw with his own eyes how her parents rejoiced at the arrangement. The look of pleasure on their faces, and the way the little girl gawked at him…
They filled him with disgust.
He saw the clinging greed in their eyes. He saw the little girl’s idiocy. He hated them all.
But later, the adults of the Wand family got really close to his father. They often dropped by for visits with little Sasha in tow. And whenever they came over, they would leave the foolish girl in his company.
“Sebby, would you like an orange?”
Young Sasha was actually very gentle, just like Vivian.
Every time she came to visit the Hayes and met the handsome boy who never showed his emotions, she would always offer him her favorite candy.
But Sebastian had never appreciated her kindness.
He did not like her, so naturally, he did not like everything else about her. He would snatch the candy from her, toss it on the ground, and then stomp on it a couple of times to get her to leave!
Young Sasha’s eyes were always red and swollen, swimming with tears.
She would go away in fear, but very soon she would come back again. She would observe him timidly, and from a short distance away. She was like a piece of sticky bubble gum that he could never seem to shake off.
But, that had only been dislike.
What really made him turn to hate her completely was that one time when he had an episode, and she happened to run into him.
Back then, no one in the Hayes family knew about Sebastian’s condition. He did not confide in any of them. He was afraid that, once his family found out about him, they would take measures to control him or restrict his freedom.
So, at that time, he secretly contacted his uncle who was living abroad and sought his aid.
But on that day, the foolish girl saw him. She witnessed him lose control and strangle the family cat until it took its last breath. Consumed by terror, she quickly fled the scene to tell her parents.
Subsequently, Sebastian was taken to the hospital by his parents.
That was the beginning of his endless treatment. Even after he was taken home, he was kept in his room in virtue of the authoritative diagnosis by the hospital. He had not stepped out of the house for six whole years!
It was not until six years later that his uncle finally managed to persuade his parents to send him abroad.
Therefore, saying that he disliked Sasha barely scratched the surface.
For Sebastian, hatred had occupied the majority of his feelings towards the woman. If it had not been for her, his uncle might have secretly snuck him abroad to undergo treatment while his symptoms were still mild.
Unfortunately, he had to spend six years in a living hell. All because of her.
As if that was not enough, a most unbearable fate was waiting for him. When he finally got out of that painful abyss, he still had to marry her.
How ironic!
Sebastian stared at the woman in silence. His gaze was like a sharp sword, covered in dust for many years. How he wanted to cut her open right then and see for himself what was inside of her!
Ever since the incident of that particular year, he never saw little Sasha again.
However, the peeled orange he was served that night looked too familiar to him. Of course, he had been eating the exact same thing for the entirety of six terrible years. From the very beginning when he turned a blind eye to the fruit until the very last one, which appeared alongside a letter wrapped in a handkerchief.
And so he ate.
Because, on the letter, it said: Have something sweet to forget the bitterness in life.
“What’s… gotten into you? Are you having second thoughts?”
Sasha gulped.
She had never seen him look like this. The man had always worn his emotions on his sleeves in front of her. When provoked, he would fire up immediately; when obeyed, he would behave in kind.
When has he gotten so calm? The stillness is mortifying!
“No.”
Sebastian finally spoke. He slowly retracted his gaze. For an instant, his thin lips turned pale and his voice raspy, as though lead and sand had coursed through his throat.
Sasha was unnerved.
What’s gotten into him? Why’s he behaving like his life has been sucked out of him? Has something come over him?
Sasha might be puzzled by the man’s behavior, but when she heard that he was not having second thoughts, she was delighted. His personal troubles were not something she should bother with.
“Okay, then. Relax, I’ll take good care of Ian. I’ll get him home when he’s ready to go back.”
She assured him.
Surprisingly, the man rejected her offer.
“There’s no need for that. I’ll come get him.”
After that, he resumed his usual arrogance and took big strides towards the door.
Sasha saw that he was leaving, so she quickly called her children to see their Daddy off. When the man left the apartment, the four of them burst into excitement and shouted in joy.
“Yay! Little Ian’s staying here tonight! Hooray!”
“Hooray!”
“Hooray!”
Only one person was quiet.
Sebastian, who had forged a great distance between himself and the door, could still hear the cheers coming from inside.
Are they that happy?
He entered the elevator in a daze…
