He Never Loved Me Until the Day I Finally Left Him novel Chapter 518

In reality, Julian rarely crossed the threshold of this bedroom.

Her visceral phobia of men made intimacy impossible.

True to his nature, he maintained a respectful distance to preserve her sanity.

Furthermore, the suffocating wave of despair that had consumed her mind all those years ago constantly threatened to drag her back under.

She was tethered to heavy prescription medication to keep the darkness at bay.

This terrifying instability was exactly why she refused to bring Skye into her home.

She was terrified her mental wreckage would inadvertently traumatize the child.

Just as she curled under the blankets, her phone vibrated against the nightstand.

Glancing at the screen, she saw Lance's name flashing.

She tapped to answer.

He didn't speak immediately.

A soft laugh escaped her lips. "Let me guess. You're also calling to interrogate me about tomorrow's meeting?"

She cut straight to the chase.

Having failed to deter her, Julian had obviously sent his right-hand man to try.

The two men operated in perfect synergy when it came to keeping her far away from Sebastian.

Trapped by her directness, Lance remained awkwardly silent.

"Relax. I'm fine. I know exactly how to play this without exposing myself," she reassured him.

"I swear, I never know what to do with you," he groaned, rubbing his temples.

"Then don't say anything," she quipped.

Surrendering to defeat, he pivoted to family matters. "My grandfather wants to know when you're flying back."

Helena went completely still, an unreadable expression settling over her features.

Years ago, Lance and Julian had burned through staggering resources to pull her back from the brink of death.

Naturally, Lance had weaponized the entire Everett family network to shield her.

Bizarrely, Alistair Everett had authorized the massive expenditure without a single complaint.

At the time, Lance hadn't questioned his grandfather's generosity.

However, the old patriarch possessed an entirely different motive.

The battered woman unconscious in the ICU bore a terrifying resemblance to Ivy Everett.

Suspicious, Alistair had secretly initiated an investigation to determine if she was his daughter's long-lost infant.

Despite historical records ruthlessly insisting the baby had perished decades ago.

Not to mention her legally established roots with the Wallace family, complete with a twin brother, Wynn.

Given those facts, Alistair hadn't dared to nurture any genuine hope.

But then the laboratory shattered reality.

After exchanging a few operational updates, the call disconnected.

Helena tossed the phone aside, expelling the conversation from her mind.

Leaning back against the pillows, her consciousness faded almost instantly.

The physical exhaustion of travel had finally claimed its toll.

The heavy sedatives flowing through her system dragged her under.

But the chemical slumber provided no sanctuary.

Trapped in a feverish nightmare, ghosts from her past swarmed her vision.

It had been an eternity since those horrific memories dared to surface.

Seeing Sebastian's face today had violently ripped open wounds she thought had scarred over.

Dawn had barely broken when her eyes snapped open.

Abandoning the useless endeavor of sleep, she fired up her laptop and meticulously reviewed every single dossier for the upcoming negotiation.

By nine o'clock, her assistant was already idling in the VIP pickup lane downstairs.

Slipping on a pair of designer sunglasses, she climbed into the sleek sedan.

The vehicle smoothly merged into traffic, speeding toward her empire.

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