He Bet I’d Crawl Back—My New Husband Was Waiting Outside Chapter 01

He Bet I’d Crawl Back—My New Husband Was Waiting Outside Chapter 01

I was about to walk out the front door when Sebastian called after me.

“Ginevra. Leave your bracelet.”

“Tessa’s been having nightmares.”

That red coral bracelet was the only thing my parents left me.

A small golden horn charm dangled from its chain. My mother told me it would protect anyone who had to leave their homeland behind.

Sebastian met my reddening eyes with a look of total indifference.

“Name your price.”

Nine years of a marriage where I was treated like dirt. How much could that possibly be worth?

I didn’t bother doing the math.

All I knew was that the last time we were at the family’s ski resort, I refused to give Tessa my goggles. Sebastian had his security team strip off my coat and leave me alone halfway up the mountain.

I walked through the snow for three hours.

I nearly died out there.

I unclasped the bracelet, walked over to Tessa, and fastened it around her wrist myself.

“I wish you and your baby nothing but safety and peace.”

Hearing that, Sebastian did something unprecedented. He actually threw me a bone.

“Ginevra, as long as you behave yourself, my child can call you Mommy too.”

The words had barely left his mouth when the bracelet slipped from Tessa’s wrist.

The red coral hit the marble floor and shattered into pieces.

A sharp shard of metal sliced across her shin.

Sebastian’s face changed instantly.

He scooped Tessa into his arms and barked at the butler to call the family doctor. The panic in his voice, the urgency in every movement, made everyone in the room turn to look at me.

Someone couldn’t help but laugh.

And honestly, I didn’t blame them. The whole scene was laughable.

Even I thought so.

The night before, when I’d had a cardiac episode, Sebastian had been about to take Tessa up the mountain to watch a meteor shower. Even as I was foaming at the mouth and collapsing at his feet, he stepped over my body without so much as a change in expression.

Before I lost consciousness, I heard him tell the butler:

“Have someone disinfect the entire living room.”

“Tessa’s moving in tomorrow. I don’t want her smelling anything unpleasant.”

I tightened my grip on my suitcase handle and turned to leave.

But Sebastian grabbed my wrist, his face like stone.

“Apologize.”

“What?”

Before I could finish, he was already dragging me to my knees in front of Tessa.

My kneecaps ground into the shattered coral. Blood quickly stained the white floor red.

When he saw the blood, disgust flickered across Sebastian’s eyes. He let go.

“You deliberately broke the bracelet and hurt Tessa.”

“Don’t you think youowe her an apology?”

After marrying Sebastian, “I’m sorry” became my most-used phrase.

The soup was too bland. I’m sorry.

I texted him because I was worried he’d drunk too much and might feel sick. I’m sorry for bothering you.

I accidentally saw Tessa’s message inviting him to a hotel. I’m sorry for invading your privacy.

I bit down on the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood, then stood up like the obedient wife I’d been trained to be.

I bowed deeply to Tessa.

I said I’m sorry three times.

Then I looked at Sebastian, my face completely blank.

“Is that enough?”

His gaze lingered on the blood at the corner of my mouth.

His chest rose and fell, just once.

“Ginevra, the old Don isn’t here to protect you.”

“Who exactly are you putting on this pitiful act for?”

Before I could answer, the family doctor arrived with his medical team.

Sebastian shoved past me and led them straight to Tessa.

While everyounce of his attention was on her, I grabbed my suitcase and walked out the front door as fast as I could.

I’d barely made it down the steps when two short honks came from beyond the iron gates.

A silver-gray armored sedan sat waiting in the darkness.

I quickened my pace.

But before the gates could open, two men in black suits appeared out of nowhere and dragged me back inside.

In the basement medical

room, Sebastian had me strapped to a hospital bed.

A cold needle pierced my arm.

Through the half-open door, I heard the doctor speaking to him in a low, urgent voice:

“Mr. Varenna, your wife and Miss Reed do share the same rare blood type, but your wife has had a heart condition since childhood

. If we keep drawing blood, she could go into acute shock

. We should be taking Miss Reed to a hospital immediately, not–”

“Enough.”

Sebastian cut him off, his voice like ice.

“Your only job is to make sure Tessa and the baby are safe.”

“As for my wife, I know what I’m doing.”

I heard his footsteps approaching and slowly closed my eyes.

“Does it hurt?”

There was something in his voice I almost never heard. Something close to comfort.

“Just hold on a little longer. It’ll be over soon.”

I turned my head away. I didn’t want to look at him.

By the time they’d drawn eight hundred milliliters, my lips had turned purple.

That was when Tessa started coughing from the master bedroom upstairs.

At the sound, Sebastian immediately grabbed the doctor’s hand just as he was reaching to remove the needle.

“One more bag.”

The doctor was drenched in sweat.

“We can’t take any more. Your wife will die.”

Sebastian hesitated for two seconds.

Then he said, simply:

“Tessa is pregnant.”

“The pregnant woman comes first.”

The doctor tried to argue.

But I spoke first.

“Just take it.”

“And when you’re done, let me leave.”

Sebastian stared at my bloodless face. Anger slowly surfaced in his eyes.

He probably wanted to ask how long I planned to keep up this tantrum.

Was I really going to leave the family over something this trivial?

But from upstairs came Tessa’s soft, honeyed voice:

“Sebastian…”

And just like that, it pulled him away from my side.