Chapter 142

Third Person

Sebastian watches Stella with a close eye. She has not been feeling well lately, and her health taking a slight decline as her emotional and mental state have worsened. He knows that the reason for this is because of one person, one person that he wishes to see fail more than anything else in the world.

His eyes move to her fingers. She slowly types on her keyboard, a yawn escapes her lips as she builds another hefty firewall for a company, one that he suggested use her. He sighs and force himself to look away, focusing on the paperwork in front of him, wanting to try and get his mind off of Stella and her ex-husband, but fails miserably.

Stella is tired all of the time. He can see it in her movement and the way she slowly responds to him, having to take a minute to herself before she can respond. It pains him to know that Adrian has caused such turmoil in her life, causing Stella more pain and suffering than relief and closure.

Sebastian supposes, though, that with Adrian sticking with his engagement to Clara, Stella will be forced to realize and accept that Adrian wants nothing to do with her. That she can finally put all of her focus into him and the life that she is currently building with her new family. He can only sit here and hope that she can accept it sooner rather than later.

Stella moves to get up, pushing her laptop off of her lap, but Sebastian is quick to stand, crossing the room in a few strides before attaching himself to her side. Stella falls back onto the couch and looks up at him, glaring. She crosses her arms over her chest and slightly pouts, shaking her head at him.

“I was just going to get some water,” she reasons with him.

“The doctor said you have to be on bedrest,” Sebastian retorts, looking down at her with a soft expression on his face, “let me get it for you, yeah?”

“Fine,” Stella rolls her eyes and looks away, bringing the laptop back onto her lap.

Sebastian lingers in a spot for a moment, eyes fixated on the woman before him. She doesn't say anything, simply turning her attention back onto the computer rather than him, not even thanking him for doing this for her. He finally turns around and leaves, walking to the kitchen to get her water.

He watches her from his spot, cup in hands. He knows that if he were to say anything, anything outrageous and deplorable, that Stella wouldn't even notice. She would not give him the time of day, even if the apartment building was on fire and he was trying to get out.

He is slightly irritated while watching her. Lately, she has been lost in thought, always keeping things to herself rather than opening up and letting him help her carry some of the emotional load that is on her shoulders. It kills him to know that Adrian is the reason why she's constantly worried, her health plummeting as a result.

If he could, he would find Adrian and force him to tell Stella to take care of herself, to forget all about him so that she can move on with her life, to move onto Sebastian instead of him. It is selfish of him to even think this way, he knows that much, but he still cannot help, but feel that Stella is holding back on him, that parts of her heart still belong to the blonde haired man instead of him.

It angers him, it makes him angrier than he has ever been in his life. To know that the woman he has loved so dearly for so long think of another man while they sleep in bed together at night makes his blood run cold.

Sebastian leaves the kitchen and crosses back over to Stella, water cup in hand. He places the cup onto the coffee table in front of her, and she looks up at him, a smile flashing across her face as a way of saying thank you, before she turns her attention back onto the computer. Her brow furrows once she looks back at the computer screen. Sebastian wonders what she thinks about.

“How is Adrian?” he asks, the question bold and shocking. Stella looks up at him with white and eyes before she relaxes, a frown over taking her face.

“I'm just worried about my friend, if that's what you're wondering,” Stella counters, not answering his question. Sebastian thinks it's deliberate, that she is covering for the way she truly feels about the man.

“Why are you so worried about your ex? Shouldn't you be focused on yourself in your own happiness instead of his? He doesn't even deserve the time of day!” Sebastian says, unconsciously raising his voice at her.

“A part of me will always care about Adrian, Sebastian, him, and I were married for five years to one another. Those type of feelings won't go away without a snap of your fingers,” Stella sighs. She closes the laptop and set it to the side, putting her full attention on Sebastian.

Sebastian does realize, however, that still his attention is only on him because of Adrian. She's not giving it to him because he wants it or she wants to, but rather the fact that the conversation I hand in involves Adrian, the man she still clearly loves.

“Stella,” Sebastian breathes out, his muscles tense, “I am trying my best to be understanding of your situation with Adrian, but it feels like I am competing with a guy that doesn't want you. He's engaged to your bitch of a sister, the one person who has hurt you more than anybody else in your life. Why are you so hung up on a man like him?”

“It’s… complicated,” Stella diverts her gaze, unable to look at Sebastian.

“Complicated,” Sebastian scoffs. “So you want to elaborate on that? Do you want to even try and make a case for yourself?”

Stella's silence is deafening. She simply stares up at her boyfriend, unable to form a coherent word or sentence. She is unable to bring herself to try and come up with the reason as to why she's still so hung up on Adrian, why she is so desperate to have him remain a person in her life.

“It’s like you don't even want to be with me,” Sebastian lower his voice, “do you even want to be in a relationship with me?”

Stella sucks in a breath, unable to respond. Sebastian simply nonce his head and response, swiping his tongue over his teeth. He steps away from her and gathered his belongings, tossing them into his leather briefcase before turning to look at her once again.

“he is only going to hurt you,” Sebastian's voice is strained with frustration, “and I want you to know that I'm not going to be here next time to pick up the pieces.”

“Sebastian,” Stella breathes out his name, turning around on the couch to look at him.

It is too late, though. Sebastian has already left the apartment, the door slamming closed behind him.