Once, it would’ve made me happy. But now, it only disgusted me.
He kneeled and shakily said, “Tess, please don’t look at me like that. It’s killing and tearing me apart.” Then, he pulled out a ring box. “Tess, I made this myself. It’s just like the plain silver ring I gave you ten years ago.
“Come back to me. Let’s start over. I don’t love Roxanne. The baby isn’t mine. It happened on a business trip when she got drunk and someone else took advantage of her. I only stayed because I felt guilty and responsible.
“Do you remember when I didn’t return home for two months? It was because she tried to take her own life. So, I stayed at the hospital with her.”
I took the ring calmly.
It did look a lot like the one from ten years ago. However, the design was different. I’d held the original in my hand so many times–I would know.
Laised my arm and threw the ring into the pouring rain. “This isn’t the same ring. It’s just like how we’re not the same people anymore.”
“No!” Sebastian started slapping himself across the face. “Tess, I was wrong. Please hit me instead. Just don’t say things like that. It hurts too much.
“I swear, the only reason I treated Roxanne well was because she reminded me of a younger version of you. Back then, I kept thinking that I’d give you the world if only I had money. She was just… a stand–in. A way to make up for everything I couldn’t give you.”
That was the final straw. His speech revolted me.
“Sebastian! I’m still alive, and you went out looking for a replacement? Fine. Let’s say you never slept with Roxanne. But can you swear you never resented me?
“Should I remind you of the things you said to me -the ones that tore ine apart?”
His face went pale, like he’d been exposed under a harsh light. Words couldn’t be taken back once they were spoken.
I didn’t want to argue anymore. So I turned to go back inside. But that was when something changed in his eyes. It was something dark and twisted.
He suddenly lunged forward. He pushed his way inside, grabbed me, and forced me down onto the couch.
“Tess, it’s because we never had a child, isn’t it? That’s why it was so easy for you to leave. Let’s have a baby, okay? If we have a baby, you’ll never leave me again ”
