The sudden lunch invitation with David finally wrapped up. The wedding invitation file from Sylvia gave me hope—maybe I could really find her soon!

Sebastian had been calling me several times, and I intentionally ignored his calls. It was better to avoid picking up than risk saying something I shouldn't.

“Oh my God, El! Why are you only answering now? I’ve been calling you like crazy. I was about to drive over to Wonderland to pick you up!” Sebastian’s voice came through the line, full of worry.

I smiled. He sounded genuinely concerned. So different from David, who always talked like the world revolved around him.

Gosh. Why was I even thinking about David?

“Sorry, sorry… I didn’t mean to ignore your calls. My phone was charging,” I explained, giving him a harmless excuse.

“Where are you now? I’ll come get you.”

“I’m already on my way home, honey. Don’t worry.”

“You could’ve called me, you know. I would’ve picked you up.”

He didn’t like the idea of me using a ride-hailing app, apparently.

I smiled again, touched by his kindness—though deep down, I knew I was lying to him.

“What matters is I’m already on the way. So relax, okay?”

But to my surprise, when I arrived at the front of the house, Sebastian was already standing by the gate. Oh my… he had actually waited for me outside. After thanking the driver, I hurried out of the car and rushed toward him.

“Next time, you *have* to call me, okay? I’ll pick you up, no matter how far. I'd rather do that than have you ride with a stranger,” he said, reaching for my hand and gently pulling me along toward the house.

I didn’t argue. I just smiled and linked my arm with his. It wasn’t a big deal, but I didn’t want my sweet husband to wait anxiously while some random driver brought me home.

**

After taking a shower, I found Sebastian already sitting on the chair near our bed. He smiled and motioned for me to sit where he had just been. I obeyed, still holding a small towel to dry my hair.

“You eaten yet?” he asked, grabbing the towel from me as he stood behind me and gently massaged my head.

“No, not yet. Have you?” I asked, tilting my head slightly to look at him.

“Well, that’s why I’m asking you,” he replied, playfully pinching my nose.

I grinned. “So we’re eating now, huh?”

“Yup. Let’s go eat first,” he said, continuing to massage my head. His touch made me feel even guiltier for lying to him earlier.

“Oh, honey… I actually got a bit of info. It might help you track down Sylvia.”

He suddenly stopped.

“What kind of info, El?”

I took a deep breath, trying not to sound nervous. “Well… let’s just say someone managed to get some leads on her. It’s not much, but it could help.”

“Can I see it now?” he asked, turning me around, curiosity all over his face.

“What? Shouldn’t we eat first?” I countered.

Sebastian cupped my face in his hands and kissed my forehead. “Hmm, are you that hungry?”

“Not really… but I think we should eat first. Otherwise, once you get into it, you’ll be too focused and forget to eat.”

“I’m already curious, El! Only you can keep me in suspense like this,” he said, pinching my cheeks.

I chuckled at his antics. “Alright, let’s head down. We’ll talk about the con woman after dinner.”

**

Dinner didn’t last long. Sebastian was obviously in a rush, finishing his meal much faster than usual.

He stared intently at his phone screen. I had just sent him the wedding invitation file from Sylvia.

“El, this is more than just ‘a bit of info.’ This might actually be the evidence my mom and I need to finally sue my father. While the three of us—my mom, Amelie, and I—have been struggling to survive, that man’s been living carefree. With this, we can finally corner him.”

I didn’t fully understand everything he meant, but I was glad to help provide him with something that could be used as solid evidence.

“Tomorrow, I’m going straight to the address listed here. Don’t say anything to Sarah yet, okay?” he warned.

“Alright. I won’t mention it to her unless you say it’s okay.”

“You don’t need my permission. I just mean—let’s wait until we have the full picture. Then you can tell her everything.”

“Oh, I see.” I nodded, glancing at Sebastian. He looked exhausted. That’s when I realized how much all of this had been draining him.

“Honey, don’t overwork yourself. You look pale—check the mirror,” I said, pointing at the nearby vanity.

“I’m fine. I’m doing this for *my* wife. Once this Sylvia situation is over, I want us to go on our honeymoon as a reward.”

“Huh? Honeymoon? What do you mean?”

“We rushed our wedding, didn’t even get a chance to travel anywhere. Once this is all sorted—my mom’s surgery, Sylvia, the divorce stuff—I want us to take a trip. Just the two of us,” he said with a playful wink.

“Ooh… and where exactly are you planning to take me?” I asked with a smile.

“Secret! You’ll find out once everything’s settled.”

Sebastian’s eyes lit up as if he’d just thought of something amazing. He suddenly sat up straighter, his fatigue seemingly forgotten.

"I want to go somewhere really far away."

“Wait—what if we go somewhere really far for our honeymoon? Like... Iceland? Or maybe Santorini? I've always wanted to see those white buildings with the blue domes,” he said, his eyes twinkling.

I laughed softly, shaking my head. “You’re acting like a kid who just found out school’s canceled.”

“Well, it *feels* like that!” he grinned. “Just thinking about being away with you, no stress, no drama—just the two of us, in a place we’ve never been. That sounds like a dream right now.”

“Sounds expensive,” I teased.

Sebastian leaned closer, resting his forehead against mine. “I don’t care. After everything we’ve been through—after *everything*—you and I deserve something beautiful. And I wanna give that to you.”

I could feel my heart squeeze a little at the sincerity in his voice. “Okay, fine. But no riding camels in the desert. Last time I did that, I couldn’t walk properly for two days.”

He burst out laughing. “Deal. No camels. But I can’t promise you won’t be sore from other things.”

“Sebastian!” I gasped, swatting his arm, while he doubled over laughing.

“Hey, I’m just saying—honeymoon is for love, right?” he winked playfully.

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “You’re impossible.”

“And you love it.”

Just then, I suddenly remembered David’s words earlier that afternoon—his “payment” for helping me.

“As a return favor,” he had said, “I want two meals with you—one lunch and one dinner. And one full day just to hang out.”

---