He Never Loved Me Until the Day I Finally Left Him novel Chapter 560

Julian carried Skye all the way back up to the suite. The little girl had completely passed out during the walk, so Julian and Helena carefully maneuvered the exhausted toddler out of her clothes and tucked her into bed. Because Skye always grew fussy and demanded her mother if she woke up in the dark, Helena stayed to cuddle her.

"I'll be out in the living room. You stay here with her," Julian whispered softly.

"Alright," Helena nodded.

After Julian slipped out, Skye snuggled closer, wrapping her little arms tightly around Helena. Helena kissed her forehead and held her close.

Looking down at her sleeping daughter, a wave of profound tenderness crashed over her. Skye had her mother's brilliant eyes, but the delicate curve of her jaw and lips were an exact replica of Sebastian's. Even the deep, narrow dimples that appeared whenever Skye laughed were a direct genetic inheritance from her father. Helena had realized it the moment Skye was born.

She gently stroked the little girl's soft hair. Skye didn't wake, simply smacking her lips adorably and letting out a tiny, contented sigh before settling deeper into sleep. A soft, satisfied laugh escaped Helena's lips. It was the absolute bliss of holding a treasure she had once thought lost forever.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated on the nightstand. A WhatsApp notification popped up—it was from Sebastian.

Helena stared at the screen in mild surprise before swiping it open. In her memories, Sebastian had despised using text messaging for communication.

Inside the chat, he had sent several screenshots of the contract draft.

Sebastian: *I've highlighted a few sections that need revision. Look over my suggestions.*

Because IGM's massive cross-border project was inextricably linked to The Hayes Corporation, his input was mandatory reading.

His empire relied heavily on IGM's microchip technology, effectively making him her largest and most lucrative client. For now, at least. Given that leverage, Helena couldn't just leave him on read. She quickly scrolled through the images he had attached.

His annotations were razor-sharp, meticulously logical, and heavily backed by market data. It was utterly bulletproof; she couldn't find a single flaw to exploit. That terrifying level of competence was exactly why his corporate empire dominated the globe. After reviewing it thoroughly, she finally fired back a response.

Helena: *I'll forward your revisions to my project managers and have the legal team draft a new version by tomorrow.*

Sebastian: *Let me buy you dinner when you come to Riverton to apologize properly.*

Helena: *Sure.*

Without resorting to a phone call, they continued a stilted, bizarre text exchange. Every single time Helena lost her patience and was about to block him, Sebastian would seamlessly pivot the conversation back to billion-dollar project logistics. It masterfully trapped her, forcing her to reply to avoid compromising her professional obligations.

Staring at the endlessly scrolling chat log, her thinly veiled patience finally snapped completely.

Helena: *Mr. Hayes, it is 11:10 PM. I am going to bed.*

Sebastian: *Alright. Goodnight.*

Sebastian knew exactly when to back off to avoid pushing her into full hostility. Helena stared coldly at the screen, refusing to dignify his "goodnight" with a reply. Once her assistant emailed over the finalized documents confirming the contract updates, she slammed her laptop shut and headed to bed.