Mom pushed a plate of dessert toward me again.
“El, come on. You really need to eat more! You barely touched your food. Look at Amelie—she always goes for seconds. I don’t want you looking too skinny,” she said before standing up, ready to serve another slice of cake onto my plate.

I quickly stood up as well. “It’s okay, Mom. I’ll get it myself. I was just about to, really,” I said, trying to reassure her.

“You better eat it, okay? I made that cake myself!” she warned. “Finish the cake *and* the pudding, alright? Now, I’m going to prepare Sebastian’s favorite dessert next. Sebastian, keep an eye on El. If she doesn’t get up and eat that cake, don’t let her go upstairs yet.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sebastian replied with a playful smirk, while Amelie, still enjoying her second helping, giggled at Mom’s strict orders.

I leaned closer to Sebastian and whispered, “Psst, Sebastian... I’m really full, I swear. Please don’t make me eat more cake. Especially if your mom’s bringing *another* dessert after this. I can’t take it anymore.”

“Just grab the fruit, okay? I’ll take care of the cake,” he said, grinning as he lifted the slice off my plate.

“I’ll help too,” Amelie chimed in, grabbing one piece from the serving plate, leaving only one slice for me.

“Thank you, both of you are the best!” I smiled at them and began nibbling the last slice of fruit cake.

\*\*

“I’m going to get fat if this keeps up,” I groaned, slouching back into the sofa in the bedroom. My stomach was so full I didn’t even feel like moving. Sebastian chuckled at the sight of me.

“That’s my mom for you. Once she starts caring about someone, she won’t stop until they’re stuffed,” he said, sitting beside me.

“So that means, in her eyes, I must look really skinny, huh? That’s why she keeps telling me to eat more?”

Sebastian laughed again. “Not just in her eyes. Even to me, you seem small and fragile... Makes me want to protect you so nothing ever hurts you.”

He gently brushed my hair, and I couldn’t help but feel tempted to lay my head in his lap. Almost as if he read my mind, he slowly pulled me closer, guiding me to rest my head on his thighs. It was warm and comfortable.

“How’s college going, El? Anything interesting happen on campus lately?” he asked while still stroking my hair gently.

I almost stammered. It wasn’t like him to ask about my campus life out of the blue.
“Uh, nothing special really. Just the usual—swamped with assignments, running back and forth to the library for references. But yeah, every day’s still kinda fun,” I replied as casually as I could.

Honestly, I wanted to tell him about Amelie and David. But Amelie had made me promise not to. She didn’t want Sebastian to know about her love life issues.

“Um... any updates on the Sylvia situation?” I shifted the topic as smoothly as possible.

Sebastian let out a slow sigh, his hand pausing in my hair. Then he ruffled his own.
“It’s only been a few days, El. It'll probably take a week or so before my contact can dig up anything solid. Plus, it looks like Sylvia planned everything way in advance. She’s not easy to find.”

His voice carried a hint of frustration. It reminded me of what Sarah said before—almost word for word. Sylvia really did seem to have things figured out. Whether it was her own planning or the influence of her gambler boyfriend, no one knew for sure.

I sighed too. I never expected this whole Sylvia thing to drag on this long.

“El... don’t worry too much about it. Just focus on school, okay? Leave this to me.”

“Oh, come on. How can I not worry? Your dad’s clearly involved in all of this. And now Sarah’s getting threats too. How can I *not* be stressed out?” I said, looking up into his eyes.

“I know. That bastard of a father of mine is tangled up in this mess. But don’t worry, El. I’ll handle it. I’ll figure something out.” He resumed stroking my hair gently.

“It’s natural to be scared, though…”

“You’ve got me. And you *do* remember how efficiently I handled that troublesome guest who insisted only *you* could serve him, right?”

“Oh, right! I almost forgot about that. How did you even manage to calm that guest down after I flat-out refused him?”
Even Sarah forgot to follow up on that issue. Probably because the Sylvia situation had taken over everything.

“Hmm, let’s just say I have my ways. What matters is, that issue’s over. No drama, no loose ends.” Sebastian gave me a smug but loving look.

“Let’s hope the same goes for Sylvia. I really hope you can solve this soon without too much damage.”

“Yeah, I hope so too. I don’t want you being tied down by the past anymore…” he stopped stroking my hair, gently lifted me up, and made me sit face-to-face with him.

“Listen, El. I want you to live in the present. As my wife. Not as Bebi, not as Rosaline. To me, those are two very different people. That was your past. I want you to move forward, away from all that. Just focus on being happy as *my* wife.”

His words touched me so deeply I couldn’t stop myself—I hugged him tightly. Tears slowly welled in my eyes and began falling.

“Sweetheart... honestly, even now, it still feels like a dream. I never imagined having a husband like you. A family like Amelie and Mom. You know what? Sometimes I wonder what I ever did to deserve a second chance at happiness. After everything... after all the sins I’ve committed.”

“Hey, don’t say that!” Sebastian pulled back a little and wiped away my tears with his thumb. “Everyone has a right to change. Everyone deserves happiness. As long as you don’t repeat the same mistakes, I believe He’ll give you that chance. He’s fair. And I believe in *you*.”

He sounded so wise and sincere. My heart swelled with gratitude.
“Oh, my dear... thank you. Thank you for choosing me to be your wife,” I whispered as I hugged him again.

Suddenly, my phone started ringing. It was still charging on the side table near the bookshelf.

“Your phone’s ringing,” Sebastian said, letting go of me.

I quickly walked over and picked it up. Who could be calling this late at night?

Sarah?

My brows furrowed as I reached for the phone.

“Hello, Sarah? What’s going on?” I answered, puzzled.

“El... It’s bad. What should we do—”
Sarah’s voice was filled with panic, and instantly, I felt a wave of anxiety rush through me.

“Hey—what happened? Tell me!” I asked, alarmed.

---