He Never Loved Me Until the Day I Finally Left Him novel Chapter 69

Without a second thought, Sebastian's control snapped. He lunged forward, violently pinning Helena against the hospital bed.

The sudden, crushing force knocked the breath out of her lungs. Yet, to his shock, she didn't thrash or fight back. She simply stared up at him with unyielding defiance.

Because his hand was clamped around her neck, her voice came out as a broken rasp.

"Just kill me then, Sebastian," she whispered coldly, accepting her fate.

She had completely given up.

Sebastian stared down at her, his eyes bloodshot with rage. "You think I won't?"

Helena didn't respond. Her silence was a void.

Her absolute apathy only threw gasoline on his fury.

He let out a derisive scoff. "If you're so desperate to die, why should I beg you to live?"

Helena's expression remained terrifyingly blank. But a second later, her eyes widened in disbelief.

The suffocating pressure around her windpipe intensified. He tightened his grip, and this time, it wasn't a twisted threat. He was actually strangling her.

Pure survival instinct finally kicked in. Her hands flew up, desperately clawing at his arm. But it was entirely futile. The sheer physical disparity between them made her resistance laughable.

Trapped beneath him, Helena felt her strength rapidly draining away. As her vision began to blur, she looked at him with utter despair.

It was the ultimate, tragic punchline to their marriage. They couldn't even part ways peacefully; they were reduced to a lethal, violent struggle.

Sebastian saw the resignation in her eyes.

"Stop putting on an act, Helena," he hissed through clenched teeth, still refusing to loosen his iron grip.

Just then, a nurse rushed into the room. She froze, the color completely draining from her face at the horrifying scene.

"Mr. Hayes, please let go! You're going to kill her!" she shrieked in absolute panic.

The commotion drew a doctor, who sprinted through the door. "Mr. Hayes, if you keep this up, the baby will be lost!"

Another nurse entered the room quietly, preparing a new IV drip. She had obviously heard about the violent episode.

As she adjusted the IV, she offered Helena a sympathetic smile. "Mrs. Hayes, I really think Mr. Hayes cares about you. He hasn't left; he's been standing right outside the door this whole time."

Helena froze for a fraction of a second. She offered the nurse a weak, hollow smile.

For a fleeting, pathetic moment, she wondered if maybe he really did stay because he cared. But the thought immediately made her want to laugh out loud at her own stupidity.

Care about her?

If he cared, would he have almost strangled the life out of her? And if he didn't care, why was he still here? Was he just calculating his next method of torture?

She was nothing but collateral damage anyway. What did she have left to fear?

Helena retreated further into silence.

Sensing her withdrawal, the nurse didn't dare say another word. She double-checked the IV flow and hurried out of the room.