FROM MAID TO MISTRESS: THE RETURN

CHAPTER 1: THE ILLUSION OF LOVE

CHAPTER 1: THE ILLUSION OF LOVE

It was a rainy Tuesday night, the kind of weather that always worsened Sebastian’s pain. The ache in his injured leg would turn into a burning, throbbing agony that no medicine could fully soothe. I was called to his private chambers, as I always was on nights like this. I was the only one who knew exactly how to massage his muscles, how to position his leg, how to make the pain bearable. To him, I was useful only when he hurt. To me, being useful meant I was close to him.

I entered the room quietly, carrying warm oil and a soft towel. The room was dim, lit only by a single lamp on his bedside table. Sebastian was sitting on the edge of his large bed, his face twisted in pain, sweat glistening on his forehead. He was wearing nothing but a loose silk pajama top, his strong arms tense and trembling from the effort of enduring the ache.

"About time," he grunted, his voice sharp. "Do you want me to suffer all night, Arya?"

"I apologize, Sir Sebastian," I whispered, bowing my head slightly as I approached. "I was preparing the oil, just how you like it. Warm and scented."

I knelt beside the bed, carefully taking his injured leg in my hands. I began to massage firmly but gently, working the tension out of his muscles. For a long time, the room was silent, save for the sound of the rain against the glass and his heavy breathing. I worked with all my focus, trying to ease his pain, my heart beating fast just being near him. I loved the scent of him — expensive cologne mixed with the natural scent of rain and masculinity. It was a dangerous drug to my foolish heart.

Slowly, the tension left his body. His breathing became calmer. He looked down at me, and for the first time in years, his gaze wasn't cold or annoyed. It was intense, dark, and searching. I felt his fingers brush against my cheek, wiping away a stray hair that had fallen on my face. My breath hitched. My hands stopped moving.

He leaned closer. I could feel the heat radiating from his body.

"You are the only one..." he murmured, his voice low and rough, "who knows how to touch me right. Everyone else is afraid. Everyone else is useless."

"Sir..." I whispered, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst out of my chest.

Before I could say anything else, before I could even understand what was happening, he grabbed my shoulders and pulled me up. I lost my balance and fell forward onto his lap. His hands moved to my waist, gripping me tightly, possessively. And then, his lips crashed onto mine.

It wasn't a sweet, romantic kiss. It was desperate, hungry, rough, and demanding. He kissed me like a man dying of thirst, drinking me in. He kissed me with all the pain, frustration, and loneliness he had bottled up inside for years. I melted completely in his arms. My hands gripped his shoulders, my eyes closing as I surrendered everything to him.

He loves me, my heart screamed. Finally! He feels it too! All these years, he felt it too!

When he finally pulled away, I was breathless, dizzy, and blushing furiously. I looked at him with eyes full of hope and adoration. But Sebastian immediately pushed me away, his face hardening again, his expression turning cold and distant. He turned his back to me, pulling the blanket up to his chest.

"Leave," he commanded, his voice devoid of emotion. "Get out."

I stood there, confused but happy. He is just embarrassed, I told myself. He is proud. He doesn't know how to show it.

I left the room, floating on air. I couldn't sleep that night. I kept touching my lips, replaying the moment over and over. I dreamed of a future where I wouldn't be just the maid, but his woman. I dreamed of the day I could call him my Sebastian.

The next morning, I woke up early. I dressed in my best maid’s uniform, fixed my hair, and practiced what I would say. Doña Solana had gone to the church at dawn, as she did every morning, leaving just Sebastian and me in the dining hall. It was the perfect moment.

I approached him as he sat at the head of the long table, drinking his coffee and reading the newspaper. My hands were shaking, my knees weak.

"Sebastian..." I called softly. Not Sir. Just his name.

He lowered the newspaper and looked at me with raised eyebrows. "What is it? You are blocking the light."

I took a deep breath, summoning all my courage. "Last night... when you kissed me... why did you do it? Does it mean... do you have feelings for me too? Because... I love you. I have loved you for so long."

I waited. I waited for the smile. I waited for the confession. I waited for him to say I love you too, Arya.

But what I got was a laugh. A dry, mocking, cruel laugh that cut through my soul like a sharp blade.

"Love you?" Sebastian repeated, looking at me as if I had just said the stupidest thing in the world. He shook his head, his eyes filled with disgust. "Arya, don't be delusional. You really are foolish, aren't you?"

My smile faltered. "B-but... the kiss..."

"The kiss was nothing," he said coldly, leaning back in his chair and looking at me like I was dirt on the floor. "I was frustrated. I was in pain. I was bored. And you were there, looking at me with those pathetic, puppy-dog eyes, throwing yourself at me every chance you get. You wanted it, didn't you? You always want my attention. So I gave you what you wanted. A moment of distraction."

He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper that was colder than ice.

"Let me make this very clear so you stop dreaming. You are just a maid. You are a servant. You are beneath me, beneath my family, beneath everything I stand for. You are dirt, Arya. You have no value to me whatsoever."

He gestured to his injured leg, his face twisted with arrogance. "Do not think because I am crippled, I am desperate. Even if I cannot walk, even if I am alone for the rest of my life... I will never, ever lower myself to be with someone like you. You are nothing. You are trash. Get out of my sight before I call the guards."

I stood frozen. My heart didn't just break; it shattered into a million tiny pieces. Every memory, every moment of care, every hope I had built... it all turned to dust in seconds. I was nothing. I was trash.