Divorced CEO's Forgotten Wife Strikes Back (Riley and Bryce) novel Chapter 97

**TITLE: Dreams Refuse Gravity by Leo Arden Knox 97 CONTENT: Chapter 97 Pinky Promise**

**Lucky Draw**

“Sorry,” she whispered, her voice barely above a murmur as she gently pulled away from him. “I’ll do it myself.”

“Alright,” he replied, his tone steady as he opened his palm to reveal the delicate pale blue handkerchief resting there, as if it were an offering. Riley had initially intended to use a tissue to wipe her tears, but the absence of one left her with no choice.

Sebastian’s handkerchief was an unexpected gesture, yet it felt almost like a lifeline.

With a hint of hesitation, she accepted it, awkwardly dabbing at her tear-streaked cheeks.

“Why were you crying?” Sebastian inquired, his brow furrowing slightly with concern. “Is it because they were your parents?”

“Isn’t that reason enough?” she shot back, her voice laced with a mixture of defiance and vulnerability.

Sebastian cast his gaze downward, his expression shifting to one of introspection. “When my mother died, I didn’t shed a single tear. Not one,” he confessed, his voice steady but tinged with an undercurrent of pain. “Even though she was the one who brought me into this world, I couldn’t cry. People said I was cold-blooded. Some even called me a monster. Do you think I’m a cold-blooded monster too?”

Riley pressed her lips together, contemplating his words. If he were truly a monster, he wouldn’t have bothered to attend her parents’ funeral today.

“Was your mother not good to you?” she asked, her curiosity piqued despite the somber atmosphere.

“She detested me, especially this face of mine,” Sebastian replied, his voice eerily calm, as if he were recounting the life story of a stranger rather than his own. “She loathed it to no end.”

Riley was taken aback, her heart aching at the thought of a mother harboring such deep-seated hatred for her own child. What kind of a mother could possibly feel that way?

“What about you? Do you hate my face?” Sebastian asked suddenly, his eyes searching hers for an answer.

Riley was momentarily stunned by the question. Sebastian blinked, his gaze steady and unyielding, like a tranquil sea that concealed a storm beneath its surface. Yet, within that calmness, she could sense a flicker of hope, a fragile ember yearning for warmth.

“No,” she replied firmly, her voice gaining strength.

Sebastian possessed a strikingly handsome face, one that most women would find irresistible.

A faint smile crept onto his lips, softening his features even further, making him appear even more alluring than before.

“By the way, here’s your handkerchief,” Riley said, extending it back to him, feeling a strange connection between them.

He accepted it with a nod. “Promise me you’ll never hate my face?”

Riley’s brow furrowed in confusion as she hesitated for a moment, but eventually, she nodded. “Okay.”

She had never truly hated a face; it was always the person behind it that she found distasteful. If she genuinely disliked someone, she wouldn’t even bother to glance their way. In fact, she would prefer to avoid them altogether, much like she had done with Bryce.

“Then let’s pinky swear on it,” Sebastian suggested, extending his right hand with his pinky finger raised in an innocent gesture.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify