SEBASTIAN’S POV
Sasha lies against me, her breath slow, soft, as if each sigh she lets go eases a weight I didn’t know we’d been carrying.
My fingers trail along her shoulder, feeling her warmth, her heartbeat still strong beneath the softness of her skin.
In the dim light filtering through the window, she’s quiet, thoughtful, her eyes focused somewhere near my collarbone.
“Sebastian,” she murmurs eventually, and I catch the slight tremor in her voice, as if something she’s held back is finally about to be set free.
“Mmm?” I brush my lips against her forehead, inhaling the familiar scent that’s become as much a part of me as my own pulse.
But when she pulls away just a little, I know it’s something more than the usual post-midnight murmurs.
“I… I want to show you something.” Her voice is hesitant, as if she’s unsure about how I’ll respond.
She reaches over to the nightstand and picks up her phone, unlocking it before turning the screen toward me.
The image blurs slightly before coming into focus-a photo of me with a woman I recognize, her arm looped casually through mine. The date stamp reveals it’s not recent, but the familiarity of it hits me hard.
For a moment, I’m still, and I feel Sasha’s eyes on me, watching, waiting. She pulls her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, and looks away, almost as if she’s bracing herself.
“I got this sent to me,” she says, her voice barely a whisper.
“From some unknown number. A while back.” She pauses. “It was just… it got in my head, Sebastian. And I didn’t want it to, but it did.”
I keep my eyes on the image for a moment longer, taking in every detail, remembering where and when it was taken. “Sasha…” My hand moves to cup her face, turning her gaze back to mine.
“This was before I even knew you, long before anything between us happened.”
Her brows knit together.
“But, why send it? Why now? Who would even want to send something like this?”
I let out a slow breath, realizing that whoever sent it knew exactly how to get under her skin, to plant doubt. It hits me that someone wanted her to question me, to make her second-guess us.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” My voice is steady, firm. “But I swear to you, Sasha, you have nothing to worry about. That woman… she doesn’t mean anything. Not now, not then.”
I watch her expression soften, a hint of relief beginning to show, but there’s still a faint trace of doubt, something I know didn’t exist before this came along.
“Maybe I should’ve come to you sooner,” she murmurs, a touch of regret in her eyes.
“But after Roland took so long to get to the bottom of what happened… I guess my mind just spiraled.” She pauses, as if catching herself in a confession. “I started questioning… us.”
There’s an ache in my chest hearing her say it, but I wrap her in my arms, pulling her close, letting her rest against my heart.
“I’m glad you told me now, though,” I murmur, feeling the last of the tension in her melt away against me.
“Whatever we’re facing, we face it together. I won’t let anything come between us. Not ever again.”
A small, tentative smile curves her lips, and the weight that’s lingered between us feels like it’s finally dissolving, slipping away.
I press a kiss to the top of her head. “You know, the way you kept your distance… It drove me crazy.” My words are soft, playful, and I feel her laugh, a soft exhale against my chest.
“You’re not the only one.” She looks up at me, her eyes bright with something closer to peace, to relief.
“I’m sorry, Sebastian. I should have trusted you.”
A slow grin pulls at my lips. “No need to apologize, love. I’m just glad we’re okay.” I pause, the grin deepening.
“Although, I have to admit… if you’re up for it, maybe we could make up for some lost time?”
The smile on her lips turns mischievous, and she shifts in my arms, brushing a kiss along my jawline before moving to my lips, the invitation unmistakable.
“I think I’d like that,” she whispers, her voice warm, teasing, but laced with a promise that ignites something deep within me.
I hold Sasha close, letting the quiet in our room settle around us, but I can still feel her pulse racing against my chest. It’s as if she’s still sorting through everything, even with my arms wrapped around her.
Her apology lingers in my mind, softening the edges of all those moments I’d spent wondering what I’d done to make her pull away.
I hated the distance between us, but seeing her here, finally honest, makes me realize it was worth it. I would have waited longer if it meant having her like this whole, open, vulnerable.
“Sasha,” I murmur, my hand trailing down her back as she nestles into me. “You didn’t have to deal with this alone.”
She closes her eyes, as if savoring the warmth of my words.
“I didn’t know what to do, Sebastian. Whoever’s behind this… they got to me. Every time I wanted to ask you, I thought I’d just sound insecure or paranoid.” She takes a shaky breath, her fingers tracing light patterns along my arm.
“I didn’t want to be that person. But then I was.”
My thumb brushes her cheek, feeling the slight tremble beneath my touch. “We all have insecurities, Sasha.”
“It doesn’t make you weak or paranoid to want reassurance. That’s what I’m here for.” I lower my voice, pulling her even closer.
“You’re the only woman I want in my life. None of this changes that.”
A tear slips from her eye, and I catch it with my thumb before it falls, guiding her gaze back to me.
“You have nothing to worry about. Whoever sent this is just trying to mess with us. But they’re going to have to try a hell of a lot harder.”
A smile finally makes its way back onto her face. “You’re really not mad?”