[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260313F01E2B-65":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},65,6,"Chapter 6: The Bruises Beneath the Clothes","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I gave her a knowing look.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Looks like Sebastian isn't the only one with a memory problem. You, Mom, have forgotten a whole lot too. Forgotten what you did to Sebastian when he was sixteen!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Growing up, Sebastian was no stranger to his mother's iron fist. One wrong move, even the slightest slip-up, meant corner time for reflection, or worse, a public dressing-down and even a smack, dignity be damned.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His eye condition? A direct result of one of his mother's furious outbursts.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">At sixteen, Sebastian finally snapped. He pushed back against his mom's suffocating control, turning into a full-blown rebel. Trouble, fights, the whole nine yards. His family couldn't handle him, so they packed him off to a new school.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The incident between Sebastian and me? It left him with eyes that would never truly heal. I've carried that guilt ever since, desperate to make it up to him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Later, when our daughter came along, I refused to hand her over to the Walker family. But Sebastian's mother issued an ultimatum: give them our daughter, or Sebastian wouldn't inherit the family company.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Sebastian swore he'd protect our daughter, that she'd never be mistreated. That's the only reason I let go, with a heavy heart.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But the moment I saw our daughter, I knew I'd made a mistake. His mother hadn't changed one bit.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My words hit a nerve, and Sebastian's mother exploded.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Shut your trap! Your father was a degenerate gambler, your mother was a murderer! Who the hell are you to judge me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I tuned out her venomous attack. From my bag, I pulled out the divorce papers and handed them to Sebastian.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Sign them.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I turned my attention back to his mother.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"My mother was a timid soul her entire life, yet for my sake, she picked up a knife. You, strong-willed your whole life, drove your own son to the brink of suicide. Compared to my mother, you're the real murderer.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">With that, I turned and walked away with my daughter.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Sebastian's mother stood there, fuming, barely able to breathe, screaming for someone to stop me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Enough! Let her go!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Sebastian's unexpected command stunned everyone present and pushed his mother to the edge.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I paid them no mind.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I took my daughter to the small apartment I'd rented.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Back home, I gave Selena a long, soothing bath. That's when I discovered the bruises hidden beneath her clothes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Under my gentle but persistent questioning, she finally broke. She confessed that whenever she messed up, Valentina would hit her, always in places covered by clothes, hard to see.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Valentina was desperate to prove herself to the Walker family, to show she was the perfect fit for Sebastian.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Selena wasn't her biological daughter; she was just a pawn in Valentina's game. So, no wonder she felt no remorse, no heartache.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Holding Selena, regret washed over me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">If only I'd stood my ground back then, if only I hadn't trusted Sebastian so blindly, maybe things wouldn't have ended up like this.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The next day, I called in sick for Selena and invited Aurora to join us for a day at the amusement park.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I wanted Selena to experience the pure joy a child deserves, to help her escape those dark memories.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The Walker family would have never approved; they'd see it as a waste of time, utterly frivolous. But I believe childhood should be filled with laughter.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Aurora knew about my past, but she was still trying to process everything that had happened.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It felt like I'd gotten a divorce overnight, with no warning.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You're really going through with it? That's Sebastian Walker! You two used to be so in love. You sacrificed so much for him.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Aurora is my apprentice; we've shared everything. She knew how deeply I loved Sebastian, so she couldn't comprehend it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"People change. He was my entire world, but his eyes were always on something else.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"If you're on the wrong path, you'll never reach your destination, no matter how far you walk.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Sometimes, cutting your losses is the smartest move.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Don't worry, you're incredible. You'll find someone way better who loves you even more.\" Aurora's comfort was all she could offer.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My phone buzzed relentlessly. Sebastian. I ignored every call. Finally, he called Selena's smartwatch.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Seeing her father's name, Selena froze, her eyes wide with fear as she looked at me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I reassured my daughter, sent her back to her play, and answered Sebastian's call.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Selena should be in school today, not at an amusement park. My mother might be strict, but you're spoiling her like this. It's frivolous!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You had me followed?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He already knew I was with Selena and where we were.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I'm just worried you can't handle taking proper care of our daughter. I know my mother and Valentina can be a bit much, but they always have Selena's best interests at heart. I was raised that way. But this kind of permissiveness from you will ruin her!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I almost choked on my laughter. He truly had forgotten how he used to cry and beg as a child.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I opened my messaging app and sent Sebastian photos of Selena's bruised body.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Was this how your mother 'disciplined' you when you were little?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"And this kind of 'education' is for our daughter's own good?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After hitting send, I blocked him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Of course, I knew Selena needed to be in school. But today was about giving her something I owed her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In the days that followed, Aurora kept inviting Selena and me out, helping to lift my spirits. I started to relax, and Selena became noticeably more cheerful.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Spending more time with my daughter, I discovered a hidden talent: a real passion for music.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272924782]