Chapter 112
Slowly, she stood.
She walked toward him and wrapped her slender arms around him, burying her face against his broad chest.
The room fell silent.
Even the distant sounds of guests downstairs seemed to disappear, as though the rest of the world belonged to another lifetime.
Simone slowly lifted her head.
She leaned toward his lips.
But he stepped back.
The two of them froze.
Their eyes locked.
The air between them crackled with everything neither of them had said.
Outside the door, Lexi clapped a hand over her mouth, desperately suppressing the cry rising in her throat.
Then—
“Lexi p>
Sebastian’s voice rang out behind her.
“What are you doing here p>
He had watched Lexi disappear upstairs and, after she failed to return, had grown concerned.
He’d finally shaken Lauren off and come looking for her.
Instead, he’d found Lexi standing outside his sister’s room, clearly listening.
His voice had come out sharper than intended.
Lexi turned.
Through the narrow opening of the door, Sebastian caught sight of what was happening inside.
His expression changed instantly.
His eyes darkened.
“Lexi p>
His voice dropped.
“You know now p>
There was something almost ominous in his deep voice.
Lexi’s eyes burned with tears.
“Yes p>
She laughed bitterly.
“I know everything now p>
“Simone is actually a Blackwood—your biological sister p>
Her voice shook.
“And Julian has been rejecting me all this time because he never stopped loving your sister p>
She looked straight at Sebastian.
“Did you really think that because I’m poor, I’d be easy to fool p>
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
“You all kept me in the dark and treated me like some idiot who couldn’t figure out what was happening p>
“Lexi, calm down p>
Sebastian’s expression tightened.
“My sister didn’t tell you who she really was because she was afraid you’d push her away because of me p>
Lexi stared at him.
Then she laughed coldly.
“You really think that highly of yourself, Sebastian p>
“Why would I push someone away because of you p>
Her eyes were red, but the fury burning inside them was unmistakable.
Sebastian’s patience snapped.
He grabbed her pale arm.
His grip tightened until red marks appeared beneath his fingers.
“Lexi p>
His voice was strained.
“The person who took your virginity that night at the hotel p>
He swallowed.
“It was me p>
The words struck her like a gunshot.
Sebastian continued, desperate to make her understand.
“That night is why I p>
“Don’t p>
Lexi’s voice cut through him.
Her mind filled with fragments she had spent years trying to bury.
The hotel.
The darkness.
The fear.
Everything she’d refused to remember came crashing back.
“You don’t have to say anything else p>
Her voice was painfully quiet.
“It was just a mistake p>
She lifted her head.
“It doesn’t matter p>
Her eyes were rimmed with red, glistening with tears she refused to let fall.
“I’ve already forgotten it p>
The lighter her voice became, the more devastating the pain in her chest felt.
Sebastian stared at her.
Seeing how much she was hurting, he could no longer keep the rest of the truth from her.
“There was something else p>
His voice softened.
“The car accident p>
He looked directly into her eyes.
“You were the one who saved me that night p>
And finally, Sebastian began telling her everything.
Sebastian wanted desperately to prove to Lexi that there had always been some kind of fate connecting them.
Lexi let out a cold laugh and raised an eyebrow.
“Sebastian, if you’re going to make up a story, at least make it believable. I don’t believe for a second that you were the person I saved back then p>
Her eyes hardened.
“If I’d known it was you, I would have left you there to die p>
“Lexi p>
The contempt in her eyes finally pushed Sebastian past his limit.
His grip tightened around her arm.
Pain shot through Lexi, but she clenched her teeth and refused to make a sound.
She would not let Sebastian see her vulnerable again.
“Sebastian, let her go p>
The argument had naturally drawn Simone and Julian out of the room.
They emerged one after the other, and the moment Simone saw Sebastian gripping Lexi’s arm, her expression changed.
Sebastian had listened to his sister since he was a child.
After one long look at Lexi’s stubborn, wounded expression, he slowly released her.
Simone walked toward Lexi with a faint smile.
“Lexi, I was actually planning to tell you everything tonight. I just didn’t expect you to find out this way p>
She sighed softly.
“But please believe me. Whatever happened between Julian and me is over. We’re even. What’s done is done p>
Her gaze moved between Lexi and Sebastian.
“From this point forward, whether you choose Julian or Sebastian is entirely your decision. No one will interfere p>
Lexi rubbed her aching arm before slowly lifting her head.
A bright, almost frightening smile appeared on her lips.
She stared directly at Sebastian.
“The three conditions you agreed to back then… do they still stand p>
Sebastian clearly hadn’t expected her to bring that up now.
For a moment, he was stunned.
Then he answered firmly.
“Of course.
If I give my word, I keep it p>
“Good p>
Lexi drew in a deep breath.
Ignoring the confusion and surprise on Simone and Julian’s faces, she spoke in a voice cold enough to cut.
“Then here’s my third condition p>
She looked straight into Sebastian’s eyes.
“Starting today, I, Lexi has absolutely nothing to do with Sebastian Blackwood p>
Her voice didn’t waver.
“And I want you to stay out of my life. There are plenty of roads in this world. You go your way, and I’ll go mine p>
With that, Lexi turned and strode away without looking back.
Behind her, Simone’s worried voice followed.
“Sebastian, what happened between you two? Go after her p>
A sharp pain pierced Sebastian’s chest.
But in front of his sister, he merely shook his head, pretending to remain calm.
If chasing Lexi could solve anything, she wouldn’t be Lexi.
Even so, Sebastian quietly ordered Connor to have someone follow Lexi from a distance.
Whatever knot existed between them would need time to untangle.
Lexi kicked off her heels and continued down the deserted road barefoot.
She had no destination in mind.
The streetlights flickered along the mountain road, casting long shadows across the pavement—and even longer ones across her heart.
Simone’s farewell gala had been held at a secluded Blackwood estate high in the hills.
The location was remote, and at this hour, finding a cab was nearly impossible.
After walking for what felt like forever, Lexi’s legs finally gave out.
She spotted a bench ahead and sank onto it.
Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, she curled inward as though she could somehow hold herself together by force.
She didn’t know how much time passed.
Then rain began falling from the black sky.
Cold droplets soaked through her hair and ran down her cheeks.
Suddenly, the rain stopped.
Lexi looked up.
A man stood beside her, holding an umbrella over her.