Sebastian gave no reply.
He turned his head to look out the window.
It had started snowing again.
After a long while, he offered a faint response: "I know."
The call ended.
He headed upstairs and pushed open the passcode-locked door to his study. The bookshelves were overflowing with domestic and international volumes, boasting an impressive collection of out-of-print foreign texts. He had read nearly all of them.
Sebastian walked over to the desk and sat down.
He pulled open the drawer closest to his hand.
Inside lay an untold number of fire-damaged photographs. Most were heavily burned, leaving obvious, charred black edges.
They were clearly pictures of two people.
Yet they were left incomplete.
The photograph resting on top was missing half its frame.
In it, Raelynn was wearing a wedding dress, her smile sweet and radiant.
Sebastian sat in his chair, head bowed, just looking at it for a while. He lightly brushed his fingertips over the image before closing the drawer once more.
-
Raelynn truly hadn't had a moment of peace these last two days.
Her phone was practically ringing off the hook.
After the fiasco at her wedding with Ian Hudson, her true relationship with the Yves family was fully exposed. Combined with her already staggering personal achievements, the congratulatory calls were endless.
Most of them were people just trying to show their faces and curry favor.
She was exhausted from dealing with it all.
Meanwhile.
Dr. Hayes had already gone to meet Lily.
Lily was now well aware she had become the great-granddaughter of the Yves family. Surprisingly, Lily accepted the transition far better than anticipated.
Perhaps it was due to the environment she grew up in.
Little Lily had always known her biological father was someone else. Switching to a new family didn't trigger much resistance in her.
At this point.
Raelynn no longer needed to intentionally keep her distance from Lily.
She immediately trotted over to Raelynn. "Mama."
Julian quickly fetched a bottle of perfectly warmed sweet milk and handed it to Lily.
Raelynn touched Lily's ice-cold cheeks. "You little monkey, did you have fun? Are you cold?"
Lily tilted her head at Julian and offered him the warm milk bottle. "You warm your hands too, Uncle."
Julian's heart instantly melted.
He smoothly scooped Lily right out of Raelynn's arms, stealing her away in broad daylight.
"Holding my toasty little Lily warms me right up."
Raelynn didn't stop him. She knew Julian genuinely adored Lily. He treated her like a precious treasure he was afraid to drop. As an adult, she also understood that this kind of love stemmed partly from loving her as well.
"Where's Grandma?" she asked.
Julian still got nervous around Raelynn, especially since she usually kept a cool distance. Just a single word from her sent him over the moon. "She's tallying up the guest list. Finding you is the greatest joy for the Yves family; she's having the time of her life doing it."
Raelynn nodded.
She had no intention of interfering.
Lily, who was drinking her milk, suddenly looked up, a hint of curiosity in her beautiful eyes. "Then, will you invite my daddy?"

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Boss, Your Wife Signed the Divorce Agreement Before the Wedding
I think for as slow as the beginning was, their turning point is just so fast... really hope we actually get to read about R and S and their rekindle.... we did not read 950 pages for their story to be sidelined. Im for this sideline story, but it if it's to separate from the main characters and their story, please make it separate book....
Author please update more chapters...
I really like Zella, she is becoming a good friend to Raelynn. Ian needs to go. The relationship with Chloe is confusing. Some chapters they are cousins, sometimes they're sibling. A little confusing....
Julians role as big brother- I feel comes from a genuine place, but in a relationship thats is just as stained as Raelynns and Sebastians. It hard for me to connect to his big brother role as he too was such a problem before. And while they talked a little bit, the conversation did not give me the believe there was resolution between Raelynn and Julian. For a brute, he should make his feelings clear about the situation to Raelynn and then step back, until there is more foundation for him to stand on....
Knife in my heart. I hurt for Raelynn. She has made it this far, but how much does she have in her, everyone has a breaking point. Some back of me hopes the author is joking to lighten the mood after so many intense chapters, but thats not this kind of story or couple....
My heart cannot take this. This, cannot be how it ends with these too. They need resolution with each other. Raelynn needs to be more humanize with Sebastian. We know she is hurt, but this is the branch. She needs all these answers, if not for them to be together, then for Lily to have both her parents. Stop with the mind games Raelynn!...
Its like the story is just repeating itself...
Timeline is getting lost for me. So many treasured little memories Raelynn has but yet, he was gone for years ? Anyways... still rooting for them! These two need a heart to heart. Lily "forgetting" someone, not possible in this day and age and I hope thats not their storyline....
Sebastian, the man of few words.... needs to find all the words! Needs to fight for her! On note, seven years seems like a long time for this master plan (which I am sure goes back much farther). Rereading this novel, and it seems like everything has played out in a 5-8 month time span. And I feel like all Sebastian's doings/ plan have not been revealed. I hope we get to see the whole picture and have the resolutions we hope. But seven years of mistreatment, I just don't see Raelynn fully coming back. If these was 2-3 years, maybe, and I know it changes some characters around, but it would still work. Rooting for them!...
Literally on edge!...