He Never Loved Me Until the Day I Finally Left Him novel Chapter 109

Helena wasn't naive enough to believe that he had completely cut contact with Janetta. Janetta was far too calculated for that. The other woman knew exactly when to push her limits and when to play the fragile, heartbroken victim to reel him back in. So naturally, Janetta wouldn't be throwing a tantrum at a time like this. Masking the bitterness, she gave a flat response. "Sixteen weeks and four days." "When will the baby start kicking?" he asked. "The doctor said any day now. It'll be a lot more noticeable around twenty weeks." "I can feel him moving," he murmured. "That's impossible. Even I can't feel anything yet." "I'm his father. Of course, I can feel him." "He's literally inside my body."

...

They tossed the lazy banter back and forth. By the time she fully processed the exchange, she realized this was the very first time they had ever spoken about the baby like this. They almost sounded like a totally normal, happily married couple. But it was just another facet of his deeply volatile nature; you could never predict what game he would play next. He constantly swung like a pendulum between brutal dominance and addictive tenderness. Lowering her eyes, she fell terrifyingly quiet. This seductive, gentle version of him was dangerously intoxicating, practically begging her to surrender to the delusion. If she let herself fall for it, she would be permanently chained to him. A violent shudder ripped through her at the sheer horror of her reality. She forced her racing mind to steady itself. Through it all, he hadn't loosened his grip for a single second, keeping her flushed against his chest. "What are you thinking about?" he suddenly whispered into her hair. "Oh, nothing." She lifted her head, quickly denying it. She was met with his pitch-black, unfathomable gaze. Driven by a raw survival instinct, she pushed against his arms. "Let me go. I'm feeling uncomfortable." "Helena, what did I tell you earlier?" he asked, his voice slow and laced with a lethal calm. She froze completely. She hadn't forgotten the threat. The harder she fought, the more ruthlessly he would punish her. Panic flashed through her eyes. Before she could even brace herself, he crushed his mouth over hers with an overwhelming, suffocating heat. She stared at him with wide, shocked eyes, desperately wanting to shove him away but completely boxed in. Her hands fluttered uselessly against his chest. Over their entire seven-year marriage, they had rarely ever kissed like this. Even when they slept together, it was just a mechanical release of built-up tension. But a heavy, wet kiss like this sent a terrifying jolt straight to her heart. It was slowly dragging her down into a beautiful abyss. Every time she tried to turn her head, he relentlessly chased her mouth, backing her into a corner until she had absolutely no choice but to melt against him. The kiss seemed to stretch into eternity until her lungs were screaming for oxygen. Bracing her hands flat against his solid chest, she gasped for air. Seeing that she had completely stopped fighting him, the dark storm brewing in his eyes finally began to clear. "Just be a good girl, if only for the baby's sake. You wouldn't want to catch an infection and put him in danger, would you?" he reminded her smoothly. She stared up at him, utterly transfixed. For a split second, looking deep into his eyes, she actually saw her own reflection locked inside his gaze. It made her feel like she truly mattered to him. Perhaps seduced by the dangerous intimacy of the moment, she completely lost her filter. "Sebastian, have you ever actually had feelings for me?" The second the words slipped out, regret washed over her. Asking a question like that was just begging for him to humiliate her. But you couldn't put the bullet back in the chamber once the trigger was pulled. "I just meant..." she stammered, frantically trying to backpedal. His gaze remained locked on hers, heavily intense, but he surprisingly stepped in to soothe her bruised pride. "We've been married for seven years, Helena. It's impossible for me not to have cared for you at all. It's just that, more often than not, my hands have been tied." His confession sounded remarkably genuine. She didn't respond. Looking down at her shoes, she curled her toes tightly inside her slippers.