SASHA’S POV
I pushed the door open, balancing my tote bag on one shoulder while holding my phone against my ear. My father’s warm, raspy voice came through the line, grounding me after a whirlwind of a day.
“… So the physical therapy’s been helping?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light even though fatigue weighed on me.
It had been a long day of delivering orders nonstop, and my feet were screaming at me to collapse into bed.
“Little by little,” my father replied. “Don’t worry about me so much, Sasha. You already have your hands full.”
I smiled, even though he couldn’t see it. “You’re my father. I’ll always worry.”
As I stepped into the living room, my eyes immediately landed on Sebastian. He was seated on the couch, his posture stiff, his hands clasped tightly together on his lap. The tension in the air was palpable, hitting me like a cold gust of wind.
“Dad, I’ll call you back,” I murmured into the phone, my gaze locked on Sebastian. Something was off, terribly off.
My father started to say something, but I quickly ended the call, shoving my phone into my bag. I hurried toward Sebastian, my fatigue momentarily forgotten. “Sebastian, you’re home! I didn’t think you’d be back until later tonight.”
I was about to reach out to him when he raised a hand, stopping me in my tracks. The gesture was firm, and the expression on his face made my heart sink.
His jaw was clenched, his eyes cold and piercing, and the faint crease between his brows told me whatever this was, it wasn’t good.
“What’s wrong?” I asked cautiously, my voice soft.
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his gaze scanned me, lingering as though he was trying to see through me.
When he finally spoke, his voice was sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade. “Where have you been?”
I blinked, confused. “What? I’ve been out delivering orders all day. You know that. I told you yesterday”
“Don’t,” he interrupted, his tone harsh. “Don’t stand there and lie to my face.”
The words stung, a sharp ache blooming in my chest. I took a step back, searching his face for some sign that he didn’t mean it. “I’m not lying, Sebastian,” I said, my voice trembling. “Why would I lie about that?”
He let out a humorless laugh, shaking his head as he reached for something on the coffee table. When he held it up, my breath hitched. It was a photo.
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” he began, his tone laced with bitterness. “I wanted to believe you. But then I saw this.”
He held the photo out toward me, and I instinctively reached for it. My stomach dropped as I took in the image.
It was a blurry picture of me standing outside, a man’s arms wrapped tightly around me in an embrace. His face was obscured, but the scene was unmistakable.
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. My mind raced, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.
“Who is he, Sasha?” Sebastian demanded, his voice rising.
I looked up at him, wide-eyed.
“Sebastian, I”
“Don’t lie to me!” he snapped, standing abruptly. The sheer force of his anger made me flinch.
“I’m not lying!” I protested, clutching the photo in my trembling hands. “I don’t even know”
“You don’t know?” He cut me off, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“So, you’re telling me you don’t recognize the man you’re hugging like that? Do you think I’m stupid?”
“No, of course not,” I said quickly, my voice breaking. “Sebastian, you have to believe me. I don’t know what this is or where it came from, but”
“But nothing!” he thundered, pacing in front of me like a caged animal.
“I trusted you, Sasha. I’ve given you everything, my time, my loyalty, my heart and this is how you repay me?”
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, and I struggled to keep my composure. “Sebastian, please. You’re jumping to conclusions. Let me explain”
“Explain what?” He stopped pacing, his piercing gaze locking onto mine.
“Explain why you’re in another man’s arms while I’m out working my ass off for us? Go ahead. I’m listening.”
I took a shaky breath, clutching the photo so tightly that the edges crumpled. “I don’t know who he is,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t remember this happening.”
His laugh was cold and hollow. “You don’t remember? That’s the best you’ve got?”
“I’m telling the truth!” I insisted, my desperation mounting. “I’ve been working all day, Sebastian. You can check the delivery logs. I”
“I don’t care about your logs,” he interrupted, his tone venomous.
“What I care about is the fact that you’re lying to me. Just admit it, Sasha. Admit that there’s someone else.”
“There isn’t!” I shouted, my voice cracking under the weight of my emotions. “There’s no one else, Sebastian. I would never”
“Then explain this!” he yelled, snatching the photo from my hands and holding it up. “Explain why this man is holding you like that if there’s no one else!”
I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. “I don’t know,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I don’t know, Sebastian. Please, you have to believe me.”
His expression softened for a brief moment, as though he wanted to believe me.
But then his eyes hardened again, and he took a step back, creating a physical distance between us that felt like a chasm.
“I don’t know if I can,” he said quietly, his voice filled with pain.
The words hit me like a punch to the gut, leaving me breathless. “Sebastian,” I pleaded, reaching for him, but he stepped away.
“Don’t,” he said, his tone cold. “Don’t touch me.”
I froze, my hand hovering in the air before I slowly let it fall to my side. The silence that followed was deafening, suffocating.
Sebastian turned away from me, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “I can’t do this right now,” he muttered, his voice barely audible.
“Sebastian, please,” I begged, my voice shaking.
“Don’t walk away. Let’s talk about this. Let me prove to you that I’m telling the truth.”
He turned back to me, his eyes filled with a mix of anger and hurt. “How, Sasha? How are you going to prove it? The evidence is right here,” he said, holding up the photo again.
“And I don’t know if I can trust you anymore.”
The finality in his words made my knees buckle, and I sank onto the couch, burying my face in my hands. The tears came in full force now, and I couldn’t stop them.
“Sebastian,” I choked out, my voice muffled by my hands. “I love you. You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted. Please don’t do this.”
He didn’t respond. The sound of his footsteps echoed through the room as he walked away, leaving me alone with my broken heart and the damning photo in my hands.