Chapter 4

Chapter 4

BLAIRE

The weight of the situation and the unexpected turn of events hung in

the air like a storm cloud. Sebastian and I quickly went to my father's

hospital. room. Sebastian walked silently behind us as we entered the

room. All eyes were on us the moment we stepped in. I couldn't help

but notice the glaring eyes that my stepsister kept throwing at me the

moment I arrived. But my focus remained solely on the figure lying in

the hospital bed.

“Dad...” I whispered, my voice filled with a mixture of relief and

concern. His frail form lay there, a stark contrast to the strong and

imposing figure I had known throughout my life.

My father turned his gaze toward me, and his eyes, though weary, held

a spark of recognition and warmth. In that moment, it felt like a lifetime

of separation had melted away, and I was once again the little girl

seeking solace in her father’s presence.

“You finally had the guts to show up after all these years?" Stacy, my

stepmother, couldn't resist the urge to inject a barb of spite into the

room. Her words, laced with bitterness, were a stark reminder of the

strained relationships that had defined my life.

“I've only been gone for a year, Stacy,” I replied, my tone laced with at

touch of sarcasm. Her animosity toward me had always been a source

of tension, but I had grown used to it.

“Well, it felt like years to us!” Stacy retorted, her hostility undiminished.

“Look what happened since you left. We've been getting nothing but

bad luck because of you.”

I couldn't help but roll my eyes in response to her accusation. The idea

that my absence had brought misfortune to their lives was as irrational

as it was infuriating. How could one person be blamed for the twists of

fate?

“That's enough, Stacy,” my father interjected, his voice feeble but

authoritative. His words held a sense of weariness, as if he had grown

tired of the family discord that had plagued us for years.

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My father’s plea for peace was not lost on me, and I took a deep

breath, quelling the urge to engage in a fruitless argument with Stacy.

There were more pressing matters at hand, and my father’s well-being

took

precedence over past grievances.

“Father, how are you feeling?” I asked, and my concern was genuine.

He offered a weary but reassuring smile. “I've been better, Blaire, but

I'm still here. That's what matters. Besides, Sebastian here has been

helping us and picking everything up.”

Sebastian, who had remained silently by my side, finally spoke. “It's

what a good son-in-law does, isn't it?"

I can't help but grow a frown upon hearing that. My eyes shifted to

Catherine, who kept glaring at me. My eyes lowered to her flat

stomach. It seems like she has finally given birth. And hearing

Sebastian refer to himself as my father’s son-in-law, it seems like they

finally got married as they should.

The bitter words tumbled from my lips as I gazed at Sebastian, the man

who had once been my husband but had shattered our marriage with

his betrayal. “Well, I'm glad things work out between you and my sister.

It will be a waste if it doesn't after what you and her did to me,” I said

with a bitterness that I couldn't quite suppress.

My father, who was lying on the hospital bed, looked at me with an

innocent expression, as if he had no knowledge of the turmoil that had

unfolded in my absence. “What do you mean, Blaire? Did something

happen between you and Sebastian?” he asked, genuine confusion

marring

his features.

Sebastian, ever the composed one, stepped in to defuse the situation.

“I think my wife is just tired, father. Why don’t we go back home so she

can. get some rest? We'll visit again once she’s settled at home,” he

suggested, his tone gentle as he addressed my father.

Without warning, he gently grasped my arm and led me out of the

room. I was so stunned by his actions that I offered no resistance,

merely allowing myself to be guided out of the room and into the

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Chapter 4

corridor.

Once we were finally alone, away from the prying eyes and the weight

of my father’s gaze, I found my voice. “I think you grabbed the wrong

wife, Sebastian.”

His brow furrowed in confusion as he glanced at me. “What are you

talking about, Blaire? You're my only wife.”

His words were like a punch to the gut, and I struggled to comprehend

what he was saying. It was as though my world had tilted off its axis,

and the confusion intensified as I heard Catherine's voice from behind

us.

“Sebastian, wait!” She shouted, and I could practically hear the

exasperation in his sigh as he responded to her call.

In that moment, I stood at the crossroads of a mystery, with fragments

of a puzzle that didn’t quite fit together. My heart raced, and my mind

spun with the enigma of Sebastian's words, and the presence of my

sister in the midst of it all only deepened the intrigue.

As Sebastian turned to face Catherine, I struggled to piece together the

disjointed narrative. What had transpired in my absence? Had there

been a deception, a ruse, that I had been unknowingly drawn into? The

tangled web of emotions and relationships was more complex than I

had ever imagined.

Catherine's arrival, with her presence in this fraught situation, only ade

layers to the confusion. Her voice trembled as she spoke, and the lines

her face bore a mixture of emotions that were difficult to decipher.

“Sebastian, you can't just walk away like this. You promised me you'd

stay.

Sebastian's features darkened, and he turned to face her, his voice

tinged. with frustration. “Catherine, I didn’t promise you anything.”

Their exchange unfolded before me like a scene from a drama, and I

struggled to find my voice amid the whirlwind of emotions and

unanswered questions. It was as though I had walked into the middle of

a play with a script I had never read.

“Sebastian, what is going on?” I finally managed to utter it, my voice

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Chapter 4

trembling with the tumult of emotions that swirled within me.

Sebastian turned back to me, and his gaze held a mixture of guilt and

resolve. “Let's go. at home.”

We'll talk

He then grabbed my hand once again and pulled me away from the

hospital room.

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