Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 317

Meeting Sebastian's gaze, Elara stared at him unblinking.

It suddenly dawned on her that, for as long as she had known him, Sebastian rarely ever used a direct form of address with her.

He didn't use formal titles, and he almost never used her name. He wasn't the type for flowery greetings or beating around the bush; every conversation they ever had cut straight to the chase.

In the past, Elara just assumed he was still recovering from his childhood trauma. Back then, the dynamic was crystal clear: he was the precious, traumatized heir to a billionaire empire, and she was Elara. She had never dared force a 'sick' boy to address her affectionately.

Over time, she simply grew accustomed to his blunt communication style. For over a decade, this was how they operated. Sebastian never showed any intention of changing, and Elara hadn't cared enough to push the issue.

So, hearing him suddenly call her 'El' was jarring. Her initial reaction was pure bewilderment, quickly followed by a creeping sense of strange subtlety.

Elara didn't want to jump to wild conclusions, but Sebastian was no longer a traumatized child or an awkward teenager.

He was a twenty-four-year-old man, the fiercely capable leader of Vance Dynamics. For him to abruptly break a decade-long habit and use such a profoundly intimate nickname... it was hard not to overthink it.

She kept her eyes locked onto his. Sebastian didn't flinch or look away, accepting her intense scrutiny with composed calmness.

As the silence stretched on, Elara's initial suspicion morphed into deeper confusion.

Was she truly just overthinking it?

Was it simply because they had been spending more time together lately, breaking down old barriers, and he felt that constantly skipping her name was impolite? Adding a friendly nickname was normal among close friends, after all.

That made logical sense.

Yet, something still felt entirely off.

It wasn't the nickname 'El' itself. She had been Elara that her whole life; she was used to it, regardless of how close the person was.

The real issue was the tone Sebastian had used.

How to describe it?

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