Chapter 144

Sebastian pulled on his robe with one hand and stepped out of the bathroom. A night like this, after all that time apart, was bound to be sleepless. For once, he wasn't caught up in work, and the silence actually gave him space to think about Elaria-even if she was just in the next room. But they weren't a couple anymore, and knocking on her door this late? That'd just be overstepping. Besides, she still resented him. Near the living room's floor-to-ceiling window sat the same piano. Sebastian grabbed a bottle of red wine from the bar, poured himself a glass, then leaned against the piano, taking slow sips while staring out into the night. The good times, the bad. The light and the hurt. He lowered his head, eyes falling on his scarred right hand. He tried to lift a mug to his lips, but his fingers shook for a while before the glass finally slipped from his grasp. Red wine splashed onto the pale carpet, staining it a brutal shade of crimson. Sebastian just looked at that spreading mark