Divorced CEO's Forgotten Wife Strikes Back (Riley and Bryce) novel Chapter 394

Chapter 394 She Was His Medicine

He'd already told himself not to hope. Hoping only made the fall worse.

If she wanted to see his body, then he would let her see all of it clearly.

Sebastian sat up without a word and quietly slipped off his robe.

The moment the fabric fell away, his wounded body came into view.

Even though Thomas said most of it was superficial, and even though Riley had seen far worse during her time in the military, the sight of Sebastian now—bandaged everywhere, with raw scabbed tissue showing between the wrappings, the angry new shapes of his burns—made her chest tighten painfully.

These wounds were from saving her.

Riley leaned in, studying every inch of him, mentally counting each injury as if she could carry part of the pain for him.

"Sebastian, you really do love me, don't you?" she whispered, eyes growing wet as her fingers brushed gently over one of the fresh scars.

He let out a small, bitter smile. "Yeah. I love you. A lot. But I'm also not stupid. The way you love me has never been anywhere near how deeply I love you. From the very beginning, this relationship was never equal."

That was why she could walk away so easily and why being left almost destroyed him.

If she left again, he had no idea how far he would fall.

"Riley, you said you want us back together. Then you need to love me the way I love you," he said quietly. "You need to need me just as much."

It was the only way she wouldn't leave again.

*****

Riley held Sebastian's hand the whole night until she fell asleep.

When she woke the next morning, Sebastian was still asleep, breathing deeply.

She watched him in the soft morning light, almost dazed by how beautiful he was.

His features were sharp and striking, his nose straight, his mouth sensual.

Cold and alluring—two opposite qualities that somehow fit perfectly on him.

The dark shadows under his eyes and the skin only added to the fragile look that made her chest tighten.

He said he wanted her to love him as fiercely as he loved her.

But love couldn't be measured. How was she supposed to prove it to him?

Riley lifted her hand and brushed her fingers gently over his lashes.

When he slowly blinked awake, those lashes swept across her fingertips, sending a strange ripple through her chest.

And because of that, she saw every wound, clear as day.

"Morning!" Thomas said cheerfully.

"Morning." Riley walked closer, her eyes locked on Sebastian's back. "When will his burns fully heal?"

"At least three months," Thomas replied.

"Does he need to change his dressings every day?"

"For the first month, yes. In another week, you can take the bandages off, and after that, he'll just need ointment. But he's weak right now and barely eating. Make sure he has regular meals and gets more nutrition."

"Got it," Riley said.

Thomas added, "Oh, and before those bandages come off, do not—seriously, do not—do anything wild in bed. You'll tear his wounds open. At least wait until after the bandages are gone."

Riley choked, coughing hard as her face heated.

What did he take her for? Sure, she wanted Sebastian back, but she wasn't about to climb him when he was literally wrapped in gauze.

"You can leave now," Sebastian said coldly, shooting Thomas a sharp look.

"Alright, alright. I'm going." Thomas lifted his hands in surrender, finished wrapping the last bandage, and walked out.