Divorced CEO's Forgotten Wife Strikes Back (Riley and Bryce) novel Chapter 119

**TITLE: Dreams Refuse Gravity by Leo Arden Knox**

**Chapter 119 I Believe You**

**Lucky Draw**

“What on earth are you doing out here, Sebastian?” Riley exclaimed, her voice a mixture of surprise and concern.

Sebastian slowly turned his head, his gaze locking onto hers. His lips, pale and almost colorless, parted slightly as he murmured, “You’re back.”

In that moment, Riley couldn’t help but notice how vulnerable he appeared. Normally, Sebastian exuded confidence—an untouchable aura that made him seem invincible. But now, he looked so fragile, as if he were made of glass, ready to shatter at any moment.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. Just that morning, during breakfast, he had been a different person entirely. What could have transpired in just a few short hours to alter him so profoundly?

“Yeah, I’m back,” Riley replied, stepping forward and lifting the umbrella high above them, its large black canopy providing a shield against the relentless rain.

“The rain’s getting heavier. Let’s go inside,” she urged, hoping to coax him away from whatever dark thoughts seemed to cloud his mind.

Sebastian, however, remained oblivious to her words, his attention fixated on the towering tree that loomed before them. “My mother loved this tree,” he said, his voice tinged with nostalgia. “She used to climb it all the time.”

“She did?” Riley asked, unable to hide her surprise. She had never heard him speak of his mother in such a personal way.

“She’d scale it just to gaze at the horizon,” he continued, bitterness creeping into his tone. “She was desperate to escape, but my father kept her imprisoned. She never found her way out.”

Riley fell silent, absorbing the weight of his words. The air between them felt thick with unspoken pain.

“Riley, I’m not like my dad, and I’ll never be like him,” he said, his voice low but firm, as if he were trying to convince himself as much as her.

“Yeah, I believe you,” Riley answered, her voice steady and reassuring.

Sebastian stiffened, suddenly turning to meet her gaze. “You do?”

“Sure, I do,” she replied, a hint of warmth in her smile.

A strange sensation began to swell in Sebastian’s chest—a flicker of hope. So many people had told him he was just like Gregory, his father, warning him that one day he would succumb to the same madness.

Yet here was Riley, looking at him with a belief that felt like a lifeline, seeing him as someone capable of forging his own destiny.

“Come on. You’re soaked. You’d better go take a bath right now, or you’ll catch a cold,” Riley urged, stepping forward. But she noticed Sebastian remained rooted to the spot, lost in thought.

Without a second thought, she reached out and grasped his hand, her fingers wrapping around his with a gentle yet firm tug, leading him toward the main house. The raindrops drummed rhythmically against the umbrella, creating a soothing melody that accompanied their steps.

“Never mind. I’ll go take a bath,” Sebastian said abruptly, releasing her hand and hurrying into the bathroom, his heart racing. He feared that if he lingered any longer, he might hear an answer he wasn’t ready to confront.

As he sank into the warm water, it enveloped him like a comforting embrace, slowly melting away the bone-deep chill that had settled in. The memories of his mother’s suffering haunted him, lingering like shadows in the corners of his mind. If his love for Riley deepened, would he become the monster his father had been?

The same obsession, the same madness—it felt like an inescapable curse, etched into the very fabric of the Torres family legacy.

A mutual love could lead to a happy ending, he mused, but a one-sided infatuation? More often than not, that path led to tragedy, echoing the ill-fated relationship between his parents.

After finishing his bath, Sebastian slipped into a bathrobe and stepped out of the bathroom, only to find the room empty. Panic surged through him in an instant.

His heart sank, and a single thought consumed him: she hadn’t even bothered to wait.

Just then, the door creaked open, and Sebastian’s head snapped up to see Riley entering with a tray in her hands.

Relief washed over him, dispelling the shadows of his earlier fears. She was still there.

“Just in time,” Riley said, approaching him with the tray. Steam wafted from a bowl of rich, brown broth. “Here—something warm to keep you from getting sick after being out in that rain.”

Sebastian pressed his lips together, staring at the soup in silence, a mix of gratitude and unspoken emotions swirling within him.