He Never Loved Me Until the Day I Finally Left Him novel Chapter 15

Sebastian immediately reached for her again.

But Helena was faster, dodging his grip seamlessly.

Taking a swift step forward, his towering frame crowded her into the corner of the stairwell, trapping her.

He stared down at her, his tone laced with venom.

"You ran away just to play these little games with me?" he sneered, bracing his hand against the wall beside her head.

Helena pushed his arm away. "You're overthinking it."

"I'm going to say this one last time. Drop the attitude and come home. I'll let this slide. I told you..." His patience was visibly snapping.

"I'm not going back," she cut him off, the rejection absolute.

Sebastian fell silent.

He just stared at her.

This version of Helena was entirely foreign to him.

And it was rapidly eroding the last shred of his temper.

His jaw clenched, the muscles in his body pulling taut. Just then, his phone vibrated.

They both saw the caller ID. It was Janetta.

Sebastian answered without a second of hesitation.

"Seb, I don't feel well," Janetta's voice drifted through, soft and needy. "Can you come keep me company? I have no appetite, and I keep throwing up. The baby is being so fussy. I really want that beef noodle soup from Southside."

Because they were standing so close, Helena heard every word perfectly.

Instantly, Sebastian stepped back, his entire demeanor softening. "I'll be right there. I'll pick up the soup on my way."

"Okay, thank you," she replied. "It's just... I feel so guilty. You spent all that time with me at the hospital. Shouldn't you go check on Lena? I'm afraid she'll be mad. She's your real wife, after all."

Janetta's voice trailed off, sounding incredibly pitiful.

Helena almost wanted to give the woman a standing ovation.

Her acting was so flawless that even Helena momentarily felt like the evil villain terrorizing a poor, defenseless girl.

His hand shot out, grasping the fabric of her top and pulling her flush against him, lifting her slightly onto her toes.

"Don't push your luck! I'm trying to play nice, you should know when to quit. You can't even compare to her!" he exploded, all pretenses dropped.

Helena offered a silent, mocking smile, shoved his hands off her chest, and walked toward the elevator without looking back.

Sebastian stood rooted to the spot.

The elevator doors slid shut.

Helena lowered her eyes, a heavy silence surrounding her.

Would she regret this? She didn't know.

But she knew that staying in this toxic, twisted relationship would destroy her.

She had to leave him. She had to leave the Hayes family.

The realization weighed on her so heavily she could barely breathe.

Entering her apartment, she stood by the window, watching his sleek car speed off into the distance.