Divorced CEO's Forgotten Wife Strikes Back (Riley and Bryce) novel Chapter 90

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

**Chapter 90: Maybe I Am Joking**

“Huh?” Riley’s brow furrowed in confusion. The mention of Sebastian’s father felt like a whisper from a forgotten past, almost spectral in its absence within the Torres family narrative.

Mason had once been the patriarch, guiding the Torres family with a firm hand until his untimely demise. Following that, Sebastian had taken over the leadership, but the shadow of his father lingered like a ghost, deliberately omitted from family discussions and memories. It was as though Sebastian’s father had been erased from existence, a silent figure that the family preferred to forget.

Even the journalists in Washington, who thrived on scandal and intrigue, seldom mentioned him.

“My relationship with my father is… complicated,” Sebastian finally confessed, his voice low and heavy with unspoken burdens. “If I were to die someday, he’d probably be the happiest person alive.”

Riley’s heart sank at his words. A chill ran through her as she connected the dots, recalling his earlier comment on the plane about parental love not being a universal truth.

“When I was a kid,” he continued, his gaze distant as if peering through the veil of time, “I always wished for someone to protect me from my father…” His voice trailed off, leaving an unfinished thought hanging in the air, heavy with unexpressed emotions.

“Hmm?” Riley made a soft sound, urging him to continue, to share the weight of his past.

“Never mind,” Sebastian replied, his tone suddenly flat, as if he had sealed off that part of himself again.

**Lucky Draw**

Is it the alcohol?

For a fleeting moment, he had nearly revealed the shadows of his childhood, the deep-seated fears he had buried beneath layers of strength and bravado.

He had yearned for a protector, someone to help him escape the grasp of his father’s oppressive influence. Back then, Sebastian had felt powerless, a mere child waiting for a savior. Yet, here he was now, a man forged by experience, unafraid of the world. So why had he nearly exposed his vulnerabilities to her?

“Riley,” he said softly, his voice a gentle murmur, “what if I became that guy you talked about—someone who would love you unconditionally, never betray you, and stand by you through thick and thin? Would you then fall for me?”

Riley blinked in surprise, her mind racing. “Are you joking?” she asked, incredulity lacing her words.

After all, Sebastian didn’t exactly strike her as the type to make such promises.

She struggled to envision what it would look like for a man like him to genuinely love someone, to let down his walls and embrace vulnerability.

“Yeah…” Sebastian allowed his eyes to flutter shut, inhaling the soft, comforting scent that surrounded her.

It wasn’t a fragrance born of artifice, but rather something pure and organic—a blend of sunlight and fresh herbs that wrapped around him like a warm embrace.

In that moment, he felt a wave of tranquility wash over him, momentarily soothing the tumult that had risen within him after Gregory’s call.

“Maybe I am joking,” he murmured, leaning into her shoulder, wishing to linger in this peaceful moment just a little longer, enveloped in her presence.

The nausea that had threatened to consume him began to fade, dissipating with each breath of her soothing scent.

*****

The following two days saw Riley making her way to the Anderson family’s memorial hall with unwavering dedication. Each visit was a ritual; she would pause to check on her parents’ urns, bowing her head in respect before the framed portraits of her ancestors that adorned the walls.

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