Chapter 20

The divorce agreement crumpled slightly at the edges in Eleanor Knight’s grip. She had known Sebastian Sinclair would eventually say those words.

In his eyes, she had loved him to the point of madness. That was why he could cheat without guilt, using “I’m not done having fun yet” as his excuse.

He thought her love was unshakable. Even if she retaliated by falling for someone else, it would just be spite born from heartbreak.

He used that lie to numb himself.

—What love lasts forever? Playing the field is just human nature.

—Anyone in my position would do the same.

—Even the woman who once adored me changed her heart. Why hold myself to a higher standard?

—If love is this fickle, why stay loyal? Might as well enjoy my youth, then settle for someone decent later.

Wasn’t that how it worked?

These thoughts surfaced every time Sebastian strayed.

At first, Eleanor hadn’t understood.

Not until she hit rock bottom and propositioned Lucas Chase, offering to keep him, did she finally grasp that mindset.

The difference was—she still carried the guilt of betraying her marriage.

She wanted revenge, yet despised her own disloyalty.

The two emotions tore at her, leaving her in agony.

It took that car crash to make her see clearly.

Love and hate were trivial in the face of life and death.

Death erased everything.

Was it worth tormenting herself over someone unworthy, wasting the rest of her life?

She was only twenty-seven. Why chain herself to Sebastian forever?

That was the answer Eleanor found for her marriage after surviving death.

So when Lucas, freshly recovered, playfully demanded commitment—she said yes.

She would free herself. Stop before it was too late.

She refused to become someone as reckless with hearts as Sebastian.

She still had the courage to start over. Someone who loved her. A future full of possibilities.

She and Sebastian had never been the same kind of people.

Which was why today, she could finally say what had weighed on her for so long.

Every word deliberate. Unshakable.

“Revenge? I considered it. But wasting my life punishing you for your cheap love isn’t worth it. Lucas and I are together for one reason—we’re in love.”

“Love means staying. The absence of it means leaving. It’s that simple. Why make excuses? Just say you don’t love me anymore, and I’ll walk away immediately.”

“But you had to string me along. This past year of marriage was the darkest of my life. Thankfully, it’s over. I’ve woken up. I’m choosing to let go.”

“Maybe some people can love multiple at once. Maybe open marriages will become the norm. Maybe you’ll actually change.”

“But none of that concerns me. Sebastian, we were never the same. Not in the past. Not now. And never in the future.”