Part 3I Became the Other Woman Overnight

Sebastian stood motionless in the doorway and took the slap.

He said nothing as he reached out, pulled me into his arms, and held me so tightly that I could barely move.

"Anna, I'm sorry."

I struggled and tried to push him away, but he refused to let go.

"Anna, the moment I saw you today, I realized I still can't get over you," he said helplessly. "It breaks my heart knowing you traveled all this way just to see me. But there's nothing I can do.

"My family arranged my marriage to Clarissa years ago, and I've already put off the engagement for too long. I can't delay it any longer."

I couldn't stop the tears from falling as I finally tore myself out of his arms. "What about me? What even am I to you? Do you think I deserve to be treated like some homewrecker? You've been lying to me all this time! How could you be so cruel?"

Sebastian fell silent for a moment, and the patience in his eyes gradually faded.

"I'll buy you an apartment in Hilston to make it up to you. Just be good and don't let Clarissa find out about us. We can still be together like we always have been."

I was shaking with anger. My breathing grew unsteady as I backed toward the table.

"Not a chance. I'm going to find Clarissa, and I'm going to tell her everything."

In the blink of an eye, Sebastian's expression shifted, and his voice hardened.

"You'd better do as I say, Annabeth. You're not in Hilston anymore. You're all alone here, and if you insist on causing a scene, you're the one who's going to get hurt."

He stepped closer and gently wiped away my tears, lowering his voice as he spoke.

I shoved him away, grabbed my suitcase, and hurried out of the hotel.

As I was leaving, Sebastian called after me. "Clary won't tolerate another woman in my life. I don't want anything happening to you, so you'd better listen to me."

I didn't bother responding and blocked his number.

Being alone in a foreign country, I had some trouble finding a place to stay. But after a while, I finally managed to find somewhere and settle in.

I'd just started looking at flights when the door was suddenly forced open.

Clarissa stood in the doorway, accompanied by several bodyguards dressed in black and a few people carrying cameras. The moment she recognized me, the gentleness I'd seen earlier disappeared from her face.

"It really was you."

I stared at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Instead of answering, Clarissa slapped me across the face. "You're the one who's been trying to steal my fiance all this time! You shameless homewrecker!"

I wanted to tell her that I hadn't tried to steal anyone, that I wasn't the other woman. But before I could explain, her bodyguards rushed forward, pinned me down, and started kicking me.

I instinctively curled up and wrapped my arms tightly around my lower abdomen to protect my baby.

Sebastian arrived shortly afterward, having heard what was happening. The first thing he did was grab Clarissa and try to calm her down.

"Clary, that's enough. Don't get yourself worked up over a nobody."

But Clarissa wasn't satisfied. She gave me another shove when I stood up. "Don't ever let me see you again."

I lost my balance and fell backward.

A sudden, excruciating pain shot through my abdomen, and I felt something warm flowing between my legs. I curled up on the floor, unable to bear the pain.

Clarissa stared at me in shock.

I desperately grabbed the leg of Sebastian's pants, but he merely glanced down at me before pulling away.

"It was just a fall," he said. "Stop being so dramatic."

Then he turned back to Clarissa and gently reassured her, "Come on, Clary. Let's go."

I'd originally planned to tell him that I was pregnant, but he didn't deserve this child.

As I watched him walk away with such resolution, I finally lost the strength to hold on, and everything went black.