Sebastian effortlessly dominated the conversation, matching Wynn's energy perfectly.
Helena watched her brother's eyes widen with awe. Wynn was quickly becoming Sebastian's biggest fan. Everything Wynn loved—and could no longer do—Sebastian was a master of.
Extreme sports, street racing, snowboarding, surfing.
Sebastian recounted thrilling stories with perfect comedic timing, answering all of Wynn's rapid-fire questions about gear and technique. In record time, Wynn had completely idolized his new brother-in-law.
Helena sat quietly, staring at her lap. This was a disaster waiting to happen. The closer Wynn got to Sebastian, the harder the fallout would be.
But she was entirely trapped. She couldn't tell Wynn the truth.
Eventually, the adrenaline faded, and Wynn's severely weakened body began to crash. He slumped back against the pillows, struggling to keep his eyes open.
Helena panicked, but Sebastian casually placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and hit the call button.
A doctor rushed in to check Wynn's vitals.
"He's still in the early stages of recovery and exhausts easily. We need to strictly limit visiting hours for now," the doctor instructed firmly.
Helena nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. She tucked the blankets snugly around Wynn's chest, kissed his forehead, and quietly slipped out of the room.
Sebastian followed her into the hallway. The silence between them was deafening.
As soon as the heavy door clicked shut behind them, Sebastian reached out and grabbed her hand again.
She looked down at his fingers, then coldly wrenched her hand free.
"Wynn can't see us anymore. The show's over," she said, her voice dropping back to sub-zero.
"Didn't you demand that I take our marriage public?" he asked.
"What?" She blinked, totally thrown off guard.
He looked down at her, enunciating every word. "I'm going to announce to the world that you are Mrs. Hayes."
Helena was genuinely stunned.
A week ago, she had been trying to force him to do exactly this. But after seven years of being his dirty little secret, and with a divorce on the horizon, going public meant absolutely nothing to her now. She had only demanded it to make Janetta miserable, just like he tortured her for fun.
Making Janetta cry was the only way Helena could score a point.
And now, out of nowhere, he was handing her the ultimate victory on a silver platter.

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