He Never Loved Me Until the Day I Finally Left Him novel Chapter 102

She lowered her head, a self-deprecating smile touching her lips. But she quickly reigned in her emotions and replied smoothly, "Cooking pasta." "Why didn't you let the maids do it?" Sebastian asked calmly. His hands remained planted on the counter, refusing to let her go as his brow furrowed slightly. "I don't have much of an appetite, and I prefer the way I make it." She answered his questions mechanically, unwilling to offer a single extra word. The atmosphere between them felt strained and awkward. Throughout the entire exchange, Helena refused to even look at him. Sebastian wasn't oblivious enough to miss that she was upset. But outwardly, he softened his tone. "You didn't make any for me?" He knew better than anyone that her emotional state was fragile right now, and she needed to be coaxed. Coaxed into safely delivering this child. So he could tolerate these little temper tantrums. As long as she remained obedient. He genuinely believed that if he lowered his pride and acted sweet, she would easily melt into his arms again. Instead, Helena merely looked up at him with quiet detachment. Her eyes were completely unreadable, devoid of any warmth. "Did Janetta not cook for you? She let you come home on an empty stomach? That's really quite a shame," Helena remarked dryly. The heavy sarcasm dripping from her words caused his expression to shift. The gentle facade he had put on shattered instantly. He realized that she knew exactly how to get under his skin, pushing his buttons with a relentless audacity. His predatory gaze slowly turned icy as he stared down at her. Helena couldn't care less. "Helena, I have said everything I can to make this right. I've coddled you, and you wanted me to stay home, so I did. And what do you do? You continue to be aggressively unreasonable," he snapped, his patience finally snapping. She had grown entirely numb to his outbursts. She couldn't even tell if she was crying on the inside anymore, the emotional agony having long since hollowed her out. "Say something! What exactly did Janetta do to make you target her at every turn and give me an attitude? Just because she's pregnant? I've told you already, she won't compete with you for the title of Mrs. Hayes!"

"..."

"Helena, enough is enough. Dragging this out any longer is pointless." His voice grew louder and louder. The kitchen wasn't exactly small, but it felt suffocating as his furious yells bounced off the walls, entirely directed at her. Only after he finished did she reply in a monotone voice, "I have nothing to say, and I don't want to fight with you." With that, she went to turn around. The pasta was boiling over, and she needed to turn off the stove. Even in the middle of this mess, her brain automatically remembered that Sebastian preferred his pasta al dente. The cooking time was still perfectly calculated for his exact taste. Seven years. Too many habits were deeply ingrained. She felt a wave of intense frustration at herself, but there was nothing she could do about the muscle memory. She silently decided to let the pasta boil a little longer, ruining his preferred texture. But her dismissive attitude completely enraged him. "Helena, talk to me!" He grabbed her wrist tight, violently jerking her toward him. But the sudden force sent her hand crashing into the wooden handle of the pot. A tidal wave of boiling pasta water splashed out, and she screamed in shock. Seeing the water arc through the air, Sebastian's expression twisted in horror. Driven by pure instinct, he ripped her into his embrace, shielding her completely. The boiling water was heading straight for her stomach.