Late that evening, Lillian finally made the decision she had been avoiding all day.
She had to go back to the mansion.
Not to see Sebastian.
Not to talk.
Just to collect her things.
Her car stopped outside the familiar black iron gates. The mansion loomed quietly in the darkness, its tall windows glowing faintly with warm light.
Lillian hesitated before stepping out of the car.
Her chest tightened.
So many memories lived inside that house.
Taking care of him after surgery.
Arguing with him about his medication.
Sitting in the kitchen late at night because he couldn't sleep.
Moments that had once felt strangely peaceful now felt heavy.
Painful.
"I'm just getting my things," she whispered to herself.
Nothing more.
She climbed the stone steps and unlocked the front door using the spare key Sebastian had given her months ago.
The door creaked open.
The mansion was quiet.
Too quiet.
Lillian stepped inside and closed the door gently behind her.
For a moment she thought the house was empty.
Then she heard it.
A faint clink.
Glass hitting wood.
Her stomach dropped.
She followed the sound down the hallway toward the living room.
The lights were dim inside.
And that's when she saw him.
Sebastian Wolfe sat on the large dark couch.
His tie was loose around his neck.
His shirt sleeves were rolled up, the top buttons of his shirt undone.
His hair—usually perfectly styled—was slightly messy.
In his hand was a bottle of whiskey.
Not a glass.
The bottle.
Nearly half of it was gone.
Lillian froze in the doorway.
She had never seen him like this.
Never.
Sebastian was always controlled.
Composed.
Careful.
Even when he drank, it was measured.
One glass.
Maybe two.
Never like this.
He lifted the bottle and took another long drink.
Then his eyes slowly shifted toward the doorway.
Toward her.
For a moment he just stared like he wasn't sure she was real.
"Lillian," he said quietly.
His voice sounded rough.
Tired.
She stepped into the room slowly.
"What are you doing?"
Sebastian gave a quiet, humorless laugh.
"What does it look like?"
"You're drunk."
"Observant as always."
He lifted the bottle again.
Before he could drink, Lillian crossed the room quickly and grabbed the bottle from his hand.
"That's enough."
Sebastian didn't try to stop her.
He just leaned back against the couch, watching her.
"You came back," he said.
His voice was quieter now.
"I came to get my things."
The words hung in the air.
Sebastian looked away.
Something in his expression shifted.
Like the words hurt more than he expected.
"Right," he muttered.
Lillian set the whiskey bottle on the table.
"You've been drinking since you got home, haven't you?"
Sebastian didn't answer.
Which was answer enough.
She crossed her arms.
"You had surgery three weeks ago. You shouldn't be drinking at all."
Sebastian laughed again, though the sound was tired.
"You resigned."
Her jaw tightened.
"Yes."
"And you expected me to what?" he asked quietly. "Celebrate?"
"You humiliated me in front of your entire company."
His expression darkened slightly.
"I know."
The simple admission caught her off guard.
"You… know?"
Sebastian rubbed his hand over his face.
"I read your letter."
Lillian said nothing.
"I assume Misd Jones told you what happened afterward."
"She mentioned something."
Sebastian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Did she tell you I destroyed my laptop?"
"Yes."
He let out a slow breath.
"That sounds about right."
Lillian studied him carefully.
This wasn't the Sebastian she knew.
The cold, intimidating CEO was gone.
In his place sat someone exhausted.
Frustrated.
And deeply shaken.
"You shouldn't be drinking like this," she said quietly.
Sebastian looked up at her.
"You shouldn't have left."
Her eyes flashed immediately.
"You gave me a reason to."
Silence filled the room.
Sebastian suddenly stood up.
The movement made him wince slightly.
Lillian noticed instantly.
"You're still in pain," she said.
"I'm fine."
"You're not."
He ignored the comment.
"Do you know what the worst part was?" he asked quietly.
"What?"
"Reading your letter."
Lillian's chest tightened slightly.
"You said you couldn't continue working under circumstances that affected your emotional well-being."
"Yes."
Sebastian nodded slowly.
"And you're right."
He stepped closer.
"But you're wrong about one thing."
Lillian frowned.
"What?"
His voice lowered.
"You think you were the only one affected."
Her breath caught.
"What are you talking about?"
He looked at her for a long moment.
Then he said quietly:
"You leaving destroyed me today."
The words hung heavily in the room.
Lillian's heart skipped.
But she forced herself to remain calm.
"You're drunk."
"Unfortunately," Sebastian said softly, "I'm not drunk enough to lie."
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Finally Lillian looked away.
"I'm not staying here."
"I didn't ask you to."
"I'm just getting my things."
Sebastian nodded slowly.
"Of course you are."
His voice had become calm again.
Controlled.
But something behind his eyes was still broken.
Lillian turned toward the staircase.
She walked upstairs slowly, her heart pounding harder with every step.
The guest room she had stayed in felt strangely empty now.
Her suitcase still sat in the corner.
She packed quickly.
Clothes.
Toiletries.
The few books she had brought.
But as she moved around the room, memories kept creeping in.
Sebastian leaning against the doorway while arguing about medication.
His irritated expression when she forced him to rest.
The rare moments when he looked almost… peaceful.
Lillian zipped the suitcase shut.
She didn't allow herself to think about it any longer.
A few minutes later she carried the suitcase downstairs.
Sebastian was still in the living room.
Still sitting on the couch.
But now the whiskey bottle remained untouched on the table.
He looked up when he heard her footsteps.
Their eyes met briefly.
"I'm leaving," she said quietly.
Sebastian nodded once.
"Goodnight, Miss Parker."
The formality stung more than she expected.
Lillian turned and walked toward the door.
She didn't look back.
Not once.
The cold night air hit her as she stepped outside.
Her chest felt tight.
But she kept walking.
Inside the mansion, Sebastian remained exactly where he was.
Alone.
Staring at the empty space where she had stood.
Lillian climbed inside her car and started the engine.
The city lights blurred past the window during the quiet ride.
Only when she stopped in front of Chloe's apartment building did she realize how exhausted she felt.
A few minutes later she unlocked Chloe's apartment door.
Chloe was sitting on the couch with her phone in her hand.
The moment she saw Lillian's suitcase, her eyebrows lifted.
"You went back to the mansion."
Lillian closed the door behind her.
"Yes."
Chloe immediately sat up.
"Was he there?"
Lillian hesitated.
Then nodded.
Chloe's eyes widened.
"And?"
Lillian set the suitcase down.
"He was drunk."
Chloe blinked.
"Sebastian? Drunk?"
"Drinking straight from a whiskey bottle."
Chloe stared at her.
"I don't think I've ever seen that man lose control of anything."
"Neither have I."
Chloe leaned forward.
"What happened?"
Lillian sat down slowly in the chair across from her.
"He said my resignation destroyed him today."
Chloe's eyes widened again.
"He actually said that?"
"Yes."
"And?"
Lillian looked away.
"He was drunk."
Chloe sighed.
"You keep saying that like it explains everything."
Lillian didn't answer.
Her mind replayed the moment again.
"You leaving destroyed me today."
Chloe studied her friend carefully.
"You still care about him," she said quietly.
Lillian shook her head immediately.
"No."
But her voice wasn't convincing.
And Chloe noticed.
She leaned back against the couch.
"Yeah," she muttered.
"You're in serious trouble."
Lillian frowned slightly.
"What does that mean?"
Chloe smirked.
"It means you're trying very hard to pretend something that isn't true."
Lillian didn't respond.
Instead she stood up and picked up her suitcase.
"I'm going to bed."
Chloe watched her walk down the hallway.
Then she called after her.
"Lillian?"
Lillian stopped.
"What?"
Chloe smiled slightly.
"Sebastian Wolfe getting drunk over you is a pretty big deal."
Lillian didn't reply.
She simply walked into the guest room and closed the door.
But long after she lay down in bed…
Sleep refused to come.
Because one sentence kept echoing in her mind.
"You leaving destroyed me today."
And no matter how hard she tried…
She couldn't forget the way he had looked when he said it.