He Never Loved Me Until the Day I Finally Left Him novel Chapter 437

Driven by an impulse she couldn't quite name, Helena walked over to Sebastian's phone.

This was the first time in an agonizingly long period that she had held a mobile device.

She stared down at the glowing lock screen, pausing at the passcode prompt.

She hesitated for a split second.

Then, she typed in Janetta's birthday.

The phone instantly unlocked.

She lowered her head, a bitter, self-mocking laugh escaping her lips.

This was the first time she had ever snooped through his phone.

And the first time she had ever bothered guessing his passcode.

Yet the answer had been painfully obvious.

The home screen was meticulously organized, a standard interface free of clutter.

The apps were strictly business—finance trackers and corporate portals.

She ignored all of them.

She only wanted to check his photo gallery.

As Hope's legal guardian, every single medical procedure and document had to pass through Sebastian's hands.

If he had gone to see her body, there would likely be a photographic record.

Even if Sebastian wasn't the type to take pictures himself...

The hospital would have sent documentation to him.

Helena took a deep breath, forcing her trembling hands to steady.

She tapped on the gallery icon.

Instantly, the dam holding back her tears shattered.

She saw several photos taken from different angles of her baby's lifeless body.

There was no blood or gore, but the child had been drained of all color.

Her skin was a horrific, waxy grey.

Usually, when someone passed away, care was taken to make them presentable.

But not for an infant this small.

Even in her final photos, the baby was merely wrapped in a clinical, transparent plastic bag.

It was a biohazard bag, not a warm blanket.

Prepared to be shoved back into a freezer.

Every single image felt like a knife plunging into Helena's chest, the pain so immense it threatened to crush her.

A rapid succession of memories flashed through her mind.

The things she had overheard, the bizarre anomalies she had noticed when she saw her baby.

For days, that final video clip had been looping endlessly in her brain.

The subtle, almost imperceptible details that everyone else had missed, she had caught.

Her eyes were squeezed shut, but her entire body was locked tight.

Her fingers gripped the edge of the mattress, white-knuckled and silent.

She had prayed he would leave.

But a moment later, she felt the mattress dip heavily.

Sebastian lay down, sending her anxiety skyrocketing.

Unable to help herself, she shifted slightly.

But she was already practically falling off the bed; there was nowhere left to retreat.

Suddenly, a powerful arm clamped around her waist like a vice.

"Don't..." she gasped in shock before she could stop herself.

It was pure, visceral rejection.

But it was useless.

She was instantly yanked flush against his chest.

"Let me go. Let me go," she pleaded, her hands pushing weakly against his hard chest.

"Stop moving. Go to sleep," he commanded, his voice dark with warning.

Helena acted as if she hadn't heard him, continuing to struggle blindly.

Her frantic resistance began to ignite a slow-burning rage deep inside him.

In the past, all it took was for him to slightly soften his tone or show a sliver of leniency...