Page 102 of The Husband Contract
Will Sebastian believe me now?
“Hi,” I say slowly, face blanching. When I look over at Sebastian, he looks like he’s been slapped.
“So what’s her name, dude? Are you gonna introduce me to her, or you just wanted to show me you got a hot-ass girlfriend?” Sergio continues and I notice Louisa has disappeared from the screen. I wonder if Sebastian noticed her.
Sebastian closes his eyes for a few seconds. “Sergio, this is Willow.”
“Oh, really? Cool. Nice to meet you, Willow. You know, I was dating a girl named Willow too. What are the chances of that?” Sebastian presses his lips together and I can tell from his expression that he’s furious.
“Where are you right now? You don’t look like you’re in Thailand.”
“I’m in France,” Sergio says, lifting a wine glass. “Viva la France! It’s fucking cool here.”
Sebastian scowls at the phone. “Are you with anyone I know?”
Sergio takes a sip of wine and nods. “Yeah, but I gotta go. Miss ya, bro.” And then he hangs up. Sebastian and I just stand there. Silence fills the room. It’s tense. He knows the truth. And yet, it doesn’t make me feel better. It doesn’t make me feel exonerated. It only makes me madder.
We have a silent standoff. I refuse to say anything. I will not let him off easily. I’ll never forgive him for what he’s done, no matter what he says. No matter what he does. No matter that he still looks handsome.
And he also looks as broken as I feel, causing a sense of twisted satisfaction to fill me.
“I’m sorry,” he utters, voice hoarse with emotion. He reaches for my hand, and I step back. I don’t want to feel his hand on mine. Don’t want to feel his warmth or provide him with any of my own. Let his frozen heart keep him cold as ice.
“I have nothing to say to you, Sebastian.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Now you do,” I say, shrugging. “I’m glad you figured it out.”
“Can you forgive me?” His voice breaks. He looks like a broken man, with his shoulders slumped and his hair messed up.
“How can I forgive you, Sebastian?” I shake my head. “How can I forgive you for what you’ve put me through—for what you’ve done to me—and for nothing? You never listened to me. I tried to tell you over and over again.”
“I had proof,” he says weakly. “I had proof.” He shakes his head. “I should have listened to you. I should have listened to my heart.”
I start laughing bitterly. “You don’t have a heart, Sebastian Laurence. I loved you. I thought this was real. I thought we had something special—something written in the stars. When you swept into my life, I thought, ‘Wow, how did I get so lucky to meet a man like this?’But I wasn’t lucky. You showed me everything I believed was worth nothing. You showed me that my emotions...” My voice cracks. “Well, they don’t matter.”
“I understand, Willow, but I just—” He steps forward, then stops. “I do truly have feelings for you.”
“I don’t care. I don’t want to hear it. I may one day learn to forgive you, but I will never forget.”
He looks at me, broken inside. I can see it in his eyes—the guilt, the ruin, the sliver of hope. And then I know what I have to do. How I’ll put the nail in his coffin. I step forward, place my hand on the side of his face, and run my finger across his bottom lip.
“Remember when we danced?” I ask.
He nods as his eyes fill with memories of a time I’d thought were so special.
“Dance with me again. Hum a song for me.” I urge, trying not to get caught up in that time where we were happy.
He starts humming a Nat King Cole song I vaguely remember, and we dance around the room. He holds me askance at first, then brings me closer. I run my fingers down his back and along his side. I look up into his eyes and see hope there growing—the same hope I once had. The hope that I’d had a life full of joy and love. The hope that he’d been the one.
“Do you forgive me?” he asks. “Can you ever forgive me?”
A gamut of emotions run through me as he holds me close to his hard hot body. I say nothing. Instead, I grab his hand and lead him to the bed. I push him down. He looks up at me, a question in his eyes. I press my lips to his cheek, then undo his shirt and take it off. I kiss down his chest until I reach the top of his pants, unbuckle them, and pull them down, along with his boxers.
He’s naked on the bed, staring up at me with such light and excitement. Like an ember waiting to burst into a flame. “You’re a better woman than I ever could have asked for, Willow,” he says. “Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for understanding.”
Still, I say nothing.
