Nine Years Of Auditions, Then I Walked Away Chapter 05

Nine Years Of Auditions, Then I Walked Away Chapter 05

In the middle of the night, Sebastian felt a sudden 

jolt in his chest. 

He rubbed his temples and reached for his phone. 

The chat with Elara was still stuck on the message 

he’d sent five hours ago. 

Usually, she’d have blown up his phone by now, 

crying and asking if he really loved her. 

But she didn’t. It seemed like she’d finally learned 

her lesson after nine years of the Trials. 

Something heavy sat in his gut. 

Elara had finally become the perfect, obedient 

Whitmore wife in his mind. 

But he kind of missed the old her. The one who 

texted him about everything and threw adorable 

tantrums. 

He started typing. He wanted to ask if she was really that mad. 

Then he felt movement beside him. A soft warmth 

pressed against his back. 

Seraphina wrapped her arms around his waist and 

nuzzled his neck like a kitten. 

“Sebastian, why are you awake?” 

“You always slept so well when I was next to you.” 

Sebastian gently but firmly pried her hands off and shifted toward the edge of the bed. 

When he’d dated Seraphina, it was true. He needed to hold her to fall asleep. 

Elara had noticed that he couldn’t sleep without holding onto something. 

She secretly booked him an appointment with a therapist. 

The diagnosis was severe anxiety and mild self–destructive tendencies. 

It had taken Elara only three months to see what 

was wrong. 

And Seraphina? Three years with him, asking for money and attention. 

She never gave a damn about his mental state. 

She’d folded the second his mother offered a payout. Took fifty million and dumped him for Europe. 

His head was a mess. 

He remembered Elara standing outside his 

glass–walled office. Her face was scrunched up as she 

refused his mother’s check. 

“I love Sebastian. Even if he was broke, I’d still 

love him.” 

To test her, he’d actually moved out of the estate. They lived in a cramped apartment in The Flats. 

He couldn’t cook. He didn’t know how to hold a 

nine–to–five. 

Elara just curled up in his lap and smiled that bright smile. 

“It’s fine. I’ll take care of you.” 

So she started waking up three hours earlier to 

make his breakfast and iron his shirts. 

He’d see the dark circles under her eyes and feel a 

pang of guilt. 

That was the moment he knew. Elara Vance loved 

him down to the marrow. 

No matter how cruel he was, she’d always forgive 

him. 

lift. 

The thought of her made the corner of his mouth 

There was one detail he’d kept to himself. 

Tomorrow’s wedding? It was just a formality with 

Seraphina. 

But at that ceremony, he was going to make Elara his wife in front of everyone. 

fist. 

He unlocked his phone and typed. 

[Elara, make sure you come tomorrow.] 

[I have a surprise for you.] 

After sending it, he clutched the leather cord in his 

It still had her faint scent on it. The scent that 

calmed him down. 

Tomorrow, she’d be a wreck. A happy wreck.