I repeatedly blink as my ears ring, feeling an adrenaline rush. My fight-or-flight response kicks in at full force, and I start to thrash, trying to free myself from him, but he’s too strong.
I knee William in the groin, making him fall to the ground and howl in pain. But before I get a chance to escape, William grabs me by the ankle and I tumble onto the floor. He’s on top of me trying to rip my shirt off and pressing the bulge of his erection against my core when we hear bottles shattering. Our gazes move to the door, and we find Sébastien standing there, his chest rising and falling at rapid speed, thunder and hell on his face.
And as I desperately drink him in, he reminds me of a fallen angel coming to punish those who have sinned. Sébastien closes the space between us in two ground-eating strides and throws him across the room. “Get the fuck away from her,” he utters with seething dislike.
William stands up immediately, straightening his clothes. “You’re welcome to her,” he says, stepping away from us. “The bitch is of no use to me anymore.”
Sébastien goes straight for William’s middle. The two of them fall to the ground. He starts to brutally punch William in the face and his sides and every single inch he’s able to reach. William at first tries to deflect his blows, but Sébastien is much bigger and faster and angrier than him.
“Sébastien, please, he’s not worth it. Stop!” I beg, gasping for air. But he’s so far gone in his desire to punish William that my words don’t get through to him. Think, Valentina. Think. You must stop this.
Throwing caution to the wind and not caring that I could get hurt, I crawl toward Sébastien and touch him on the back. “Please, my love, he’s not worth it. Let him go. Come back to me.” The moment my hand comes into contact with him, he stiffens and turns to look at me, a crazed expression in his eyes.
“Come back to me, Sébastien. Come back.”
“Valentina.” Sébastien blinks, and it’s like he comes out of a trance. He moves away from William, who’s lying like a pile of dirt on the floor, stands up and takes my hand gently in his, pulling me into his arms. “Are you all right?” He touches me everywhere, searching for injuries. “Did he hurt you?”
“I’m okay,” I say through the burning pain in my neck, wrapping my arms around him. “I’m okay.”
We hear William groan then, drawing our attention back to him. He’s rolling on the floor holding his stomach, bruises forming all over his bloodied face.
I cling to Sébastien, stopping him from going back to finish his obliteration of the useless man next to us.
“Valentina …” Sébastien’s gaze bounces from me to William and back to me, appearing torn. Then he focuses on my neck, and a guttural sound escapes his mouth. “Your neck, Valentina. He fucking hurt you. I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.”
“Please. Sébastien. Stay with me,” I beseech him with my voice, with my hands, with everything I have, while holding onto him. “Let him go. He’s not worth it.”
Sébastien stills, nods and then looks at William. “If you so much as come within five hundred feet of her, I will fucking kill you. Now get the fuck out of here before I finish you, you son of a bitch.”
For the first time since I met him, I see fear in William’s eyes. He repeatedly nods as he struggles to stand. Once he’s on his feet, he runs out the door and never looks back.
“Hey, eyes on me,” Sébastien says. Spellbound, I watch him cup my cheeks, his fingers so gentle it makes me want to weep. A strand of hair falls forward and partially covers his worried eyes as he studies my face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I look at the door, William gone from the hotel room, from my life forever, and then focus on Sébastien’s dear face. I cover his bruised fingers with mine, my entire body shaking as all the love I have for this incredible, beautiful man rushes through me like a river of spring water, purifying me.
As our gazes lock, I know that I will be okay.
I will get there.
I will rise again.
I will stand on my feet amongst the ruins of my life and rebuild myself. If I cut myself along the way, I will bear those scars proudly for they are mine. They are proof I didn’t give up. I fell. Got up. Tried again. I will continue to do so until I get it right. And my love for this man will be the light illuminating my path as I make my way back to him.
“Yes. I will be.”
Six months later …
“SO ARE YOU NERVOUS?” Gigi asks over the phone. “Today is Valentina-finally-gets-laid-again day.”
I smile at the outrageous comment. After news had broken that William and I were getting a divorce, I found an ally and friend in Gigi. We became very close even though I wasn’t a part of that world anymore. She introduced me to Charlie, her lawyer, who was a miracle worker. No matter how good William’s lawyers were, Charlie and his team were ten times better. The divorce proceedings went smoothly, or as smooth as they could possibly go when it came to William and his family. Gigi mentioned some scandal about Loretta disinheriting him, but like a cat, he landed on his feet and is now dating a wealthy socialite. Poor woman.
I shake my head, dismissing William from my mind. He’s the last person I want to be thinking of today, or ever.
“Take a guess.”
“How many times have you changed?”
“Uh … why do you ask?” I grip the phone tighter and look at the pile of clothes lying on the bed, cringing a little.
“Because I know you, babe.”
I sigh. “Five times.”
She laughs throatily. “Oh, Val, when are you going to learn? You could probably wear a sack of potatoes, and Sébastien wouldn’t care. He’s just going to take it off anyway.”
I blush as memories of those two idyllic days spent in his hotel room replay in my head. “God, I hope you’re right.”
There’s a pause, and I know what she’s going to ask before she even utters the words.
“Have you heard from him?”
“Not since the last email …”
About four months ago, Sébastien sent me an email. He wrote in it that he had met a man through Sophie who was looking for an artist to paint a set of portraits of people living in remote places of rural China. The man himself was Chinese American and wanted to honor his heritage. He also happened to be one of the wealthiest men in the world, so he could afford to commission a world-renowned artist to paint these portraits. Sébastien wanted to do it. Not because of the money, but because he was interested in learning and visiting those gems of civilizations hidden away in the mountains of China. The only thing that made him waver in his decision was that he wouldn’t be able to get in touch with me for a couple of months. The places he’d be visiting didn’t have Internet or phone lines.