He Never Loved Me Until the Day I Finally Left Him novel Chapter 105

She loved painting, something he had always dismissed as trivial, yet now he would sit with her and critique her oil canvases. She also loved baking; he would play the supportive husband and try her pastries, even though he notoriously hated sweets. Even when Janetta baked for him, he would only take a polite bite and leave the rest. The heavy tension between them slowly dissolved in this strange, domestic peace. But the comfortable atmosphere left her feeling entirely disoriented. It was exactly like the beginning of their marriage, back before she had found out about his history with Janetta. He used to casually explain away Janetta's presence, and while he had been cold, he had at least maintained this illusion of peaceful harmony. She knew how greedy the human heart could be. Wrapped in this fragile truce, she greedily caught herself wanting more. She even began to seriously wonder if, for the sake of the baby, she should give this broken marriage one last chance. But that naive hope shattered into pieces the moment she remembered that Janetta was also pregnant. She couldn't afford to take that gamble. The conflicting realities dragged her down into a deeply twisted emotional limbo. Meanwhile, Sebastian observed her every move. Lowering his eyes, he masked his dark, calculative thoughts perfectly. This conflicted, dependent version of her was exactly what he wanted. He would never let her slip out of his control again. Her previous attempt to escape had merely been a fluke. Because of his injury, he hadn't gone into the office, switching all his executive meetings to video calls. While he was locked in his study, her phone buzzed. It was the new phone she had bought and set up with a fresh SIM card. Glancing at the screen, she saw Sophia Zane's name flashing. She answered it immediately. "Lena, you finally picked up! Where the hell are you? Did something happen?" Sophia's voice rang through the speaker, tight with panic. She hadn't known Lance James had whisked her away, but she had certainly seen the tabloid gossip about Sebastian dragging her back home. Sophia had been trying to call her constantly, but her phone had been dead. After days of radio silence, her sheer terror was undeniable. Only now, hearing her best friend's voice, did she finally let out a massive breath. "I'm okay, please don't worry about me," she promised softly. "Don't lie to me! Why couldn't I reach you? Your phone went straight to voicemail! How the hell did Sebastian get you out of the Garrison Apartments? What on earth happened?" Sophia practically shouted in anxiety. Helena didn't answer right away, taking a second to organize her chaotic thoughts. Then, she laid out everything that had unfolded. From the moment she was captured, to the way he weaponized her mother's apartment, to the horrific revelation that her brother, Wynn, was his hostage. She spared no details, explaining her twisted current reality with Sebastian. By the time she finished, Sophia was dead silent. "Lena, I..." She was utterly speechless, unable to find a single comforting word. "I could let my mother's apartment go. I know she would just want me to survive and live a good life," she whispered, her voice heavy with pure exhaustion. She let out a ragged sigh. "But I can't just be completely selfish and leave Wynn to die. He's my brother. The fact that he's still alive is an absolute miracle. No matter how much agony he's in, no matter how broken he is right now, I can't just turn my back on him. I just can't do it."

"..."

"So I can't leave. Because of Wynn, I have to stay. I need to at least see him with my own eyes. If I run away now, the guilt will slowly eat me alive for the rest of my life."