Chapter 20
Private Island – Early Morning
The helicopter touched down on the helipad in the heart of the island. As the roaring blades slowed, only the sound of waves crashing against the rocky shore remained.
The moment Scarlett’s heels hit the ground, she shoved Sebastian away with all her strength.
“Kidnapping?” she laughed coldly, wedding gown whipping in the ocean breeze. “When did Mr. Reed start doing things
this low?”
Sebastian didn’t flinch. Instead, he chuckled softly. “So what if I did?”
He reached up and brushed her cheek. His fingers were cool, but his gaze burned. “You’re mine, Scarlett. You always have
been.”
“And for the rest of this life, I won’t let you belong to anyone else.”
Inside the main villa, Sebastian led her through the sprawling estate.
“Everything here is yours,” he said, pushing open the floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Ocean wind rushed in, carrying the scent
of salt and sun. “The garden, the pool, the library… even the sea.”
Scarlett stood still, expression unmoved. “I want to go back.”
“Forget everything that happened,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around her from behind. His chin rested lightly atop
her head, voice low and rough. “Let’s start over. Pretend none of it ever happened.”
Scarlett pulled away and turned to him, her laugh sharp and bitter. “Sebastian, since when did you start lying to yourself?”
He froze. Then, after a long silence, he said quietly, “I’ll bring everything back to the way it was.”
In the days that followed, Sebastian acted like a man possessed.
When Scarlett walked barefoot on the beach and offhandedly complained the sand was too coarse, the entire shoreline
was replaced overnight with fine white sand flown in from Northern Europe.
When she woke up crying from a nightmare, she found a soft nightlight glowing gently by the bed-and Sebastian sitting
silently beside her, dark circles under his bloodshot eyes.
She once casually mentioned missing the taste of fresh mango. The next day, he had an entire mango tree flown in and
planted in the garden.
This version of Sebastian-soft, obsessed, spoiling her without limit-was someone Scarlett had never seen before.
And for a brief moment, she felt her heart falter.
If only he had been like this before… what could’ve been?
But that thought passed just as quickly.
There was no going back.
A week later, Scarlett began refusing to eat.
“You’re not eating?” Sebastian’s tone darkened as he approached, a bowl of fruit in hand. “Then I’ll feed you myself.”
He popped a cherry into his mouth, leaned down, and kissed her.
Scarlett struggled, juice spilling down her lips before he licked it clean.
The kiss deepened, turned darker. His breath quickened as he cradled her neck, pressing her closer.
“Don’t-” Scarlett twisted away, voice trembling. “Don’t touch me.”
Sebastian stopped, freezing mid-motion. His hands trembled where they held her.
After a long pause, he pressed his forehead to hers, voice ragged. “Lettie… what do I have to do?”
She looked into his eyes. And then, she smiled.
“Let me go.”
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