He Bet I’d Crawl Back—My New Husband Was Waiting Outside Chapter 05

He Bet I’d Crawl Back—My New Husband Was Waiting Outside Chapter 05

Five days after the anniversary gala.

The Varenna Group’s cybersecurity team finally confirmed that I had left the country.

The report also contained a name: Declan Mercer.

Son of the old Bellucci family driver. Enlisted in the Marines after turning eighteen. After his

discharge, he built an international security firm based in Europe.

The Don once said that if Declan had Varenna blood in his veins, Sebastian wouldn’t have stood a

chance at the inheritance.

The moment Sebastian had a confirmed address, he booked the next available flight to London.

He didn’t go home. He didn’t even pack a bag.

He’d barely arrived at the airport when Tessa came running after him in tears.

“Sebastian. Are you abandoning me and the baby?”

Sebastian glanced at the swell of her belly, then reached out and patted her head.

“My assistant will arrange a new place for you.”

“Move out today.”

Tessa’s tears spilled over instantly.

“I don’t care where I live, as long as I can be with you. But the baby is innocent. If Ginevra really

loves you, she should treat our child as her own instead of deliberately ruining your grandparents’ gala and humiliating the entire Varenna family in front of New York.”

“A woman like her–”

Sebastian cut her off, his voice cold enough to freeze.

“Who gave you the right to talk about my wife?”

“Tessa, I thought you knew your place.”

“Clearly, I was wrong.”

He took his boarding pass and looked down at her.

“It doesn’t matter how many children I have out there.”

“Ginevra will always be my only wife.”

“When you leave the estate, take everything that belongs to you.”

“I don’t want her to see a single trace of you when she comes home.”

Tessa stood there, tears streaming, frozen for a long time.

Then she smiled at Sebastian’s retreating back.

“Sebastian Varenna.”

“I didn’t think you’d be even more naive than I am.”

“After what you did to her.”

“What makes you think she’d ever come back?”

Sebastian didn’t take those words seriously.

He knew his wife.

For nine years, no matter how angry Ginevra got, all it took was a sincere apology and a few gifts

she liked, and he could smooth everything over.

This time she’d gone as far as preparing divorce papers, sure. So ordinary gifts probably wouldn’t

cut it.

After the plane landed

Sebastian went straight to a tattoo parlor.

He pulled out a design I’d sent him five years ago.

“I’m in a hurry.”

“No anesthetic.”

Seven hours later

Sebastian walked out of the shop in a white dress shirt soaked through with blood.

He bought jewelry worth millions and nine hundred ninety-nine white roses.

He hadn’t slept in nearly forty-eight hours, but he still drove himself out to the vineyard estate in the Kent countryside.

The entire way, he rehearsed every step of his apology in his head.

But no matter how many times he ran through it, the first thing he wanted to say to me was alway’s the same:

Ginevra.

I miss you so much.

Finally

Sebastian found me in a foreign country.

But the white roses in his hands hit the ground the moment he laid eyes on me.

In the golden light of sunset, a tall, handsome man had his arms around me.

On my face was a smile Sebastian had never seen before. Easy. Unguarded. Free.

The two of us were feeding each other grapes we’d just picked from the vine.

Sebastian never said those words. I miss you.

He just stood there, rigid, and asked:

“Who is he?”

I felt my body stiffen slightly. Declan’s hand tightened around my waist without a word.

He looked at Sebastian.

“So you’re Sebastian Varenna.”

“I’ve seen your wedding photos with Ginny.”

“Didn’t expect you to be even uglier in person.”

I couldn’t help it. A laugh escaped me.

Something slammed into Sebastian’s chest like a fist.

His hands curled slowly into fists, nails biting into his palms.

Declan continued, unhurried:

“Since you came all this way, I’ll do the polite thing and introduce myself.”

“Declan Mercer.”

“Ginny’s–”

“I know who you are.”

Sebastian’s voice was ice.

“The Bellucci driver’s kid. Taken in out of charity, then thrown out for stealing. A real piece of work.”

Declan raised an eyebrow.

He didn’t take the bait.

But I frowned.

“Declan is nothing like what you just described.”

“And this is private property.”

“Entering without permission is trespassing. You’re already breaking the law.”

Hearing me tell him to leave, Sebastian’s face twisted into something ugly.

He seemed to have forgotten he’d come here to apologize.

“Ginevra.”

“I came all this way to find you personally.”

“Stop acting like a child.”

“Come home with me.”

“Home?”

I looked at him like he’d lost his mind.

“We’re already divorced.”

“Did you not see the papers I signed?”

Sebastian’s voice dropped low.

“I tore up that ridiculous thing.”

“I know what you’re upset about.”

“The Tessa situation has been handled.”

“I promise she will never appear in front of you again.”

He stepped forward urgently, reaching for my face.

I pushed him away first.

“Mr. Varenna.”

“When the Bellucci family fell, your grandfather was the only one willing to step in and protect us.”

“For nine years of this marriage, I have been repaying that debt.”

“Now Tessa is carrying your child. The Varenna family has its new heir.”

“I sincerely wish the three of you a lifetime of happiness.”

Sebastian was too smart not to hear what I was really saying. That I meant it. That I was done.

He panicked completely.

“Baby, why would you say something like that?”

“Are you telling me these nine years, you stayed with me just to pay off a debt?”

“You think I’d believe something that pathetic?”

Of course he wouldn’t believe it.

If I didn’t love him

, why did I insist on a kiss before he left the house every morning, clinging to him like a child?

Why, when he was shot and went into surgery, did I cry until my eyes were swollen shut, refusing to

leave the waiting room no matter who tried to pull me away?

I had loved him so much.

So much that anyone with eyes could see it written all over me.

But what had he done with that love?

The more obedient I was, the more I forgave, the more freely he trampled on my dignity.

He forgot something fundamental.

A heart is made of flesh, not stone.

Hurt it long enough and it goes numb.

And once it’s numb, there’s nothing left to give.

Sebastian forced a smile that looked worse than crying.

“Ginevra, I honestly didn’t know Tessa would hurt you this badly.”

“She and I only slept together once, when I was drunk.”

“I brought her to the estate only because of the baby.”

“Once the child is born, I’ll send her out of the country.”

“Would that be enough?”

I shook my head. No hesitation.

“I don’t care what your relationship is.”

“All you need to know is that I have a new life now.”

“I’m not going back with you.”

“Please leave. Now.”

“What new life?”

Sebastian was losing control.

He hadn’t slept in two days. The tattoo had cost him too much blood.

Before he could finish his sentence, his vision went black.

He collapsed.

When he woke again, it was eleven at night.

A glass of water sat on the nightstand, left by a servant.

Sebastian assumed I’d left it for him. A flicker of hope crossed his face as he walked out of the room.

Fighting through the pain, he followed the spiral staircase up to the rooftop terrace.

What he saw was Declan and me, kissing.

Sebastian went white.

He lunged forward and grabbed Declan by the collar.

“What the hell are you doing to my wife?”

He could no longer lie to himself. Declan was not just a brother to me in name.

“Who gave you permission to touch her?”

Declan actually laughed.

“Your wife?”

“Sebastian, have you ever once treated her like a wife?”

He threw a punch that connected hard with Sebastian’s face.

“If Ginny weren’t so soft-hearted, I’d have thrown you out of this estate already.”

“Listen carefully.”

“She’s my fiancee now.”

“No matter what you do, no matter how hard you beg, she will never look at you again.”

Sebastian slowly lowered the fist he’d raised to strike back.

He stared at me in disbelief.

“Is what he said true?”

“We’ve been apart less than a month.”

“You’ve already accepted his proposal?”

I didn’t tell Sebastian that on the day I found out Tessa was pregnant, I had already accepted

Declan’s proposal over a video call from across the ocean.

I just leaned against Declan’s shoulder and gave a casual, almost careless answer.

“Mm-hm.”

Sebastian looked like he’d just heard the most absurd joke of his life.

“Have you lost your mind?”

“You’re still my wife.”

“I haven’t agreed to a divorce. How dare you be with another man?”

Why wouldn’t I dare?

I tilted my head slightly and met his eyes, perfectly calm.

“Does your agreement matter to me?”

“Sebastian, you think way too highly of yourself.”

“I’m going to tell you this one last time.”

“You mean nothing to me.”

“We are done.”

With that, I laced my fingers through Declan’s.

We turned around and sat back down on the terrace to watch the moon.