He Never Loved Me Until the Day I Finally Left Him novel Chapter 12

It wasn't until Helena's emotions settled that she grabbed her silk nightgown and headed into the bathroom to shower.

By the time she slipped into bed, it was 1:00 AM.

Out of sheer habit, she checked her phone.

There were no calls from Sebastian. Instead, the top trending notifications on every gossip app were flooded with escalating rumors about his affair.

Neither Sebastian nor Janetta had bothered to deny them.

Helena ignored the headlines, set her phone aside, and tossed and turned before finally falling into a restless sleep.

The next morning, Helena headed downstairs with her luggage in tow.

The butler froze at the sight. "Mrs. Hayes, what are you doing?"

"I'm moving out. I probably won't be back," she replied without missing a beat.

The butler was at a loss for words.

Having served the family for years, he knew their marriage had always been respectful, if a bit distant.

Helena was gentle. She never argued with Sebastian.

She treated everyone with grace, including the staff, showing them nothing but respect.

He truly believed she and Sebastian would go the distance. How could it all fall apart so suddenly?

He could guess it had to do with the recent rumors.

But it wasn't his place to pry.

"Ma'am, does Mr. Hayes know?" the butler asked, his brows knitting in concern.

"Mhm," Helena murmured noncommittally.

The butler nodded.

It made sense. She wouldn't just leave without telling her husband.

Assuming everything was sorted, he offered to arrange a driver, but she declined.

Hauling her own suitcase, she took a cab and left.

She owned a condo downtown—the only inheritance her mother had left her before passing away.

*"Lena, I know this is worthless to a family like the Hayes. But you need property in your own name. If anything ever goes wrong, at least you'll have a roof over your head."*

Those words had just become her reality.

Helena pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Focused entirely on her laptop, Helena typed out a message, discussing work matters with Lance.

Meanwhile—

Sebastian was discharging Janetta from the hospital. He had secured a luxurious penthouse for her to rest safely during her pregnancy.

Her previous apartment had been swarmed by paparazzi. Feigning distress that the stress might harm the baby, Janetta had pouted and begged to move. Sebastian had agreed without a second thought.

"Aren't you staying?" Janetta asked softly, looking up at him.

"I have some business to handle," he coaxed.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for things to get this serious. I kept you at the hospital with me for so long. It must have set your work back," Janetta apologized, lowering her gaze submissively. "Go do what you need to do. Susan and the baby are here with me. I'll be fine."

"Alright," Sebastian replied.

Janetta smoothly wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"I'll miss you," she whispered.

Sebastian chuckled softly, gave Susan a few instructions, and turned to leave in a hurry.

He couldn't shake the thought that Helena had actually gone a whole week without contacting him. She had to be ready to admit defeat.