Chapter 171

But Valeria never did. She no longer pinned her hopes on this relationship, realizing that it was just an illusion. There was never going to be a future between them. What they had was an unspoken, purely physical arrangement. She knew that once the novelty and thrill wore off, Sebastian would go back to that cold, detached version of himself she had seen before. This kind of relationship could end at any moment. Whether it ended today or months from now, it made no real difference. Sebastian drove on. Only when he made a right turn did he see in the rearview mirror that she had completely disappeared from sight. His hands tightened on the steering wheel, his lips pressing into a thin line. He barely registered whatever Martha was saying, only giving a vague grunt in reply. He was a prideful person. Lowering himself to mend things with Valeria wasn't something he could bring himself to do. She would have to give him some kind of opening, a way to smooth things over. If she woul