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“Oh, darling, I’m so sorry for what you are going through,” she says softly, her words filled with empathy. “But if you must know the truth, Sebastian hasn’t turned out to be as bad a husband as I once feared. And look at your beautiful family. He’s just too stubborn and prideful for his own good.”
A sigh escapes my lips, a mixture of resignation and longing. “I know, but after everything we’ve been through, I had hoped he would have grown, learned from his mistakes.”
Margaret’s voice carries a hint of wistfulness as she responds, “Ah, well, Sebastian is a real piece of work, as I always told you. When are you going to realize that I’m always right, hm?”
The seriousness of the situation lingers in the air, regardless of our attempts at humor. I gather my strength and turn my attention back to my mother, an idea tickling in my brain that I can’t ignore begging to come out.
“Speaking of Sebastian, can I ask you a favor, Mom?” I inquire, heart pounding with the risk I’m about to take.
Her eyes meet mine, filled with a mother’s unwavering love. Just like the love I have for Andries, and all of my children.
“Anything you need, dear,” Mom assures me, squeezing my hand once more. Older and thinner, power radiates from her nonetheless. It’s almost like making a deal with the devil, except this devil happens to love me endlessly. “Anything at all.”
30
Sebastian
Alex:Don’t be silly, you know you will regret this! I’m picking you up.
I sneer at the phone and throw it on the bed behind me, absolutely done with this entire situation a million times over. Why is everyone so fixated on me attending this hellscape of a wedding? I said no, Julia moved out, and so here we are. Everyone is getting their way except for me, so what the hell else do they want from me?
I hear the clearing of a throat from my bedroom door, and I turn, annoyed, to see my butler with his hands clasped behind him. “Sir, there is someone here to speak with you.”
“Of course there is,” I grumble, pulling my robe on and tying it tight at the waist. I’m expecting Alex, anger and resignation swelling within me. “Go ahead and send them in.”
The butler disappears, and I walk out of my suite and down to the foyer, expecting to see my brother-in-law waiting for me. Instead, I see someone totally unexpected. Even after all these years, her presence puts me on edge.
Margaret removes her light jacket and hands it to the butler, smiling at me with a saccharine sweetness as she walks through the doors and approaches me. She smoothes down the navy blue sheath dress she’s wearing, grinning the entire time. “Hello, Sebastian. How are you on this beautiful morning?”
“I was better before you walked in,” I confess, raising an eyebrow. “Of all the people I thought would come to drag me to this shit show, you weren’t even on the list.”
“Well, I do love a surprise, don’t you?” She teases, brushing past me. “Aren’t you going to offer your mother-in-law some tea? Coffee, maybe? It is early.”
My butler looks at me, slightly alarmed, and I give him a quick nod. Maybe if we give her a drink, she will disappear faster. Unlikely, but it’s worth a shot.
I join her on the terrace, grimacing at how bright it is. Margaret doesn’t seem in any hurry to speak, simply taking her seat and gazing out at the long expanse of our property, full of greenery and gardens.
Finally, she speaks. “Doesn’t this just feel so familiar, Sebastian?” Margaret says wistfully, barely hiding her satisfied grin. “It’s almost nostalgic. Twenty-two years ago, it was me that was up in arms about you marrying my daughter. Now look where we are—with you being the asshole, this time.”
I snort, a complex web of feelings warring inside of me. Seeing her here has really thrown me through a loop, and I’m struggling to catch up. “Don’t pretend for one minute that if Julia had been marrying anescort, that you wouldn’t have done everything in your power to prevent it. Andries is your grandchild, so you get to enjoy the festivities without worrying what chaotic bullshit their marriage will create.”
“Roxanne is a lovely girl, despite her…less than tasteful past. You, on the other hand, have always been a rude, ungrateful little boy.” One of our servers comes out, pouring my coffee before doing the same for Margaret. She smirks at me above the ceramic rim of the mug. “Even now. So little has changed.”
I feel my jaw tightening with anger, but rein it in. “Did you come here just to insult me, or did you have a point you were wanting to make?”
“My point is that Julia and I’s relationship suffered after my refusal to let her marry you in the first place. There is no reason it has to be like that for you and Andries. Sure, I like knowing that you’re in this empty house all alone and pissed off, but my grandchildren and my daughter are grieving the fact that you aren’t going to be there for the ceremony. Set your pride aside for once and come with me.” Her lips twitch up at the corner. “I won’t even reprimand you on the way over.”
“I’ll tell you what I’ve told everyone else—no. Hell no. You all can celebrate my oldest son marrying a whore, but I’m not going to be a part of it. Just because they sent the devil incarnate to fetch me doesn’t mean I’m going to obey.” The words come out of me nearly in a growl, giving away just how frustrated and tired of this thing I really am. “Let me know when you’re ready to leave, Margaret. I’ll walk you out.”
Margaret checks her fingernails, humming to herself between drinks of coffee. I’m just about to ask her what the hell she’s waiting for when she speaks up again. “I know you’re going to find this hard to believe, but I’m the lesser of the two evils in this situation, Sebastian. I’m going to give you one last chance you get dressed and come with me before I have to take the next step. And I promise you’re not going to be fond of the next step.”
I stand to leave, pushing down the hurricane of feelings storming inside me. “Goodbye, Margaret. I’m going to take a shower. The butler will see you out.”
She makes a disappointed sound, like the hiss of a snake, before pulling a long white envelope out of her bag. “Very well, my least favorite son, since it seems that I’m unable to convince you to put your pride aside, then I hope Julia will be more convincing.”
This stops me in my tracks. I refuse to feel hope that maybe, just maybe, my wife has returned to me. “She’s here?”
Margaret stands, walking towards me, her heels clicking on the tile flooring. “No, she isn’t. She asked me to give you this. I’ll wait here for you to read it, and then you need to make your decision, because you’re wasting my time.”
