Divorced CEO's Forgotten Wife Strikes Back (Riley and Bryce) novel Chapter 78

**TITLE: Dreams Refuse Gravity by Leo Arden Knox**
**Chapter 78: Fall in Love or Not**

**Lucky Draw**

In the expansive villa, Sebastian found himself standing at the far end of the third-floor corridor, his heart pounding in his chest. It was a place he had warned Riley to steer clear of, a space that held memories he wished to keep buried.

Before him loomed a colossal oil painting, its frame almost ten feet tall, dominating the wall with an imposing presence. The artwork portrayed an extraordinarily beautiful woman, her elegance captured in a magnificent gown that flowed around her like liquid silk. Adorning her wrist was the Torres family’s heirloom bracelet, sparkling with a brilliance that only heightened her allure. Yet, this same woman had once cast that very bracelet aside in a fit of rage, her fury palpable as she had screamed, “I don’t want any of your Torres family trinkets! Let me out of here! I want to escape this prison, away from the Torres family! You’re all insane! Every single one of you in that family!”

As the years passed, the vibrant life in her eyes faded, much like a rose wilting under the harsh sun, losing its vitality and charm.

On her deathbed, her grip on Sebastian’s hand was painfully tight, her voice a desperate whisper, “You’re his son. You’ll inherit his madness. So, you must not fall in love! You can’t! People like you don’t deserve the gift of love.”

“Mom…” Sebastian murmured, his gaze locked onto the painting of the woman who had once been his mother. “I swear, I won’t become a lunatic like Dad. I promise I’ll honor your wishes. I won’t fall in love with anyone.”

He had witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of love. His father, Gregory Torres, had been consumed by an obsessive passion for his mother, Audrey Torres, to the point of locking her away in this very villa, transforming it into a gilded cage.

Audrey had longed for freedom until her last breath, yet she had never found the strength to escape. After her death, she was laid to rest in the Torres family cemetery, a final resting place that felt more like a prison than a sanctuary.

In the wake of Audrey’s passing, Gregory had become a mere shadow of his former self, his spirit twisted by grief. He was violent, bloodthirsty, and utterly deranged.

Sebastian could never comprehend why Gregory had fixated on a woman who had not returned his love.

At Audrey’s graveside, Gregory had glared at him with bloodshot eyes, his voice a chilling rasp. “You are our son. You will follow the same twisted path. If you love someone, you will stop at nothing to possess them. If you don’t, you won’t care even if they beg at your feet.

“Sebastian, what fate lies ahead for you?

“Haha… I can’t wait to see!”

Gregory’s maniacal laughter echoed in his mind, a haunting reminder of the legacy he wished to escape.

But Sebastian was determined; he would not succumb to either of those fates.

With a heavy heart, he descended the staircase from the third floor, feeling as if he were dragging the weight of the world behind him. As he reached the second floor, he spotted Riley emerging from her room, her presence a brief respite from the darkness enveloping him.

Even when faced with the gravest of circumstances, their devotion to each other never wavered, a testament to their love that transcended even death itself.

“Is there really someone out there like that?” Sebastian asked, his lips pressing together in contemplation.

“My parents are just like that! They always support one another, through thick and thin!” Riley exclaimed, a smile breaking through her earlier solemnity. The thought of her parents filled her with warmth, and though her eyes glistened with unshed tears, her expression was one of joy. “They’re completely in love with each other.”

As Sebastian listened to her speak of her parents, he couldn’t help but draw a stark contrast to his own family. They were polar opposites in every sense, and he realized that Riley represented a world he had never known.

That evening, after dinner, Riley busied herself tidying up her room. Suddenly, her gaze fell upon a door nestled against the right wall, curiosity piquing within her.

Is there a hidden room behind it?

Without a moment’s hesitation, she reached for the doorknob and twisted it.

The door creaked open, and in that instant, she found herself frozen in place, heart racing, as an unexpected world lay before her.