Chapter 6

"Sebastian!" Zoey's soft, delicate voice came from the doorway. She stood there with a timid look. "Did I interrupt you?" She had barely taken a step when her heel slipped. "Ah!" she cried out as she crashed into a candelabrum. The flame caught the scattered photographs in an instant. The photos of Steven and Fiona curled up, blackened, and turned to ash. Sebastian's pupils shrank. But when he saw the tears glistening in Zoey's eyes, he froze. Her frightened look was so much like Fiona's from all those years ago. "Sebastian, I didn't mean to…" Zoey bit her lip, her eyes brimming with tears. "Please don't be mad." Sebastian faltered. His hand tilted almost on its own, brushing away her tears. "It's not your fault." The sight hit Felicia like a knife driven straight into her chest. She tore free from the bodyguards and rushed forward, slapping Sebastian across the face with all her strength. "Wake up, Sebastian!" Her voice shook. "She's nothing but a knockoff. She's not Fiona!" Sebastian's expression turned cold. He seized Felicia's wrist, his grip so tight her bones cracked audibly. His voice rasped low. "I know she's not, but can you bring Fiona back to me?" Felicia's lips parted, but no sound came out. Her vision blurred with tears. She looked at Sebastian's face, so close to hers, and the tears almost burst out. Right then, he let go of her and ordered the bodyguards, "Tie her up! Let her kneel and repent!" The bodyguards bound Felicia with a rough rope and forced her to kneel in the middle of the chapel. Sebastian then left with Zoey without glancing back. The heavy doors slammed shut, and darkness swallowed the chapel. Felicia kneeled there, her wrists raw against the rope, her tears streaming down her cheeks. She turned her head toward the burnt remains of Fiona's photo and gave a broken laugh. "Fiona, did you see that? He can't even tell what's real anymore. I'll come see you soon. When I do, you can tell him yourself how ridiculous that imposter is, alright?" Outside the chapel, Sebastian stood under the eaves, chain-smoking one cigarette after another. Zoey sidled up to him, trying to cling to his arm, but he shoved her away instead. "Leave." "Sebastian—" "I said go." Zoey left reluctantly. Sebastian crushed the cigarette under his shoe and looked back at the closed doors of the chapel. His chest tightened. He should be feeling satisfied. So why did he feel so hollow inside? Felicia remained bound for a full day and night before the bodyguards finally released her the next evening. Her body ached all over. Her knees were swollen and bruised, barely able to hold her weight. When a maid tried to help her back to her room, Felicia shook her head. "No. There's somewhere I need to go." She knew her time was running out, so she wanted to see her parents one last time. Outside the Lane residence, Felicia stood across the street, staring at the house she once called home. Five years had passed. She hadn't set foot there since marrying Sebastian. She hadn't meant to get close, but a long-serving maid spotted her. "Ms. Lane? You're back!" the maid called out in surprise. Before Felicia could respond, her parents rushed out. "Who told you to come here? You killed Fiona! What more do you want? How dare you show your face here again?" her father, Richard Lane, roared. Her mother, Marissa Cooper, grabbed a broom and struck her across the back. "Get out of here! You're no daughter of this family!" Each hit landed squarely on her back, but Felicia didn't flinch. She simply stood there and endured it. "Mom… Dad…" Her voice cracked. "I just wanted to see you…" "What's there to see?" Richard kicked her in the leg. "Go back to the Fuller family where you belong!" Felicia stumbled and fell hard to the ground, rain and mud soaking through her clothes. She pushed herself up, trembling, then lowered her head for a moment before walking away. The rain fell harder as Felicia wandered down the street, soaked to the bone. Suddenly, a black car pulled up beside her. The window slid down, revealing Sebastian's cold, sharp profile. "Get in," he demanded. Felicia ignored him and kept walking. "Get in the car, or I'll drag you in. Your choice," he said. The door swung open, and Felicia had no choice but to climb in. Her soaked clothes left damp marks on the leather seat as she curled up in the corner, looking like a drowned cat. "How pathetic." Sebastian shot her a sidelong glance. "Even your own parents cast you away. Someone like you will never be forgiven." Felicia said nothing. She kept her eyes on the window, watching the raindrops slide down and merge into crooked streams. The car didn't head home, though. It stopped in front of an upscale club. "Why did you bring me here?"