After You Betrayed Me, I Never Looked Back

Chapter 9 Never See You Again

Sebastian's men grabbed Whitney before she could even explain.

Valerie didn't wait. She slapped Whitney twice. "You poisonous bitch... Evil woman. You lost your own baby, so you had to go after someone else's."

Her eyes were wild with rage. "If anything happens to my grandson, I'll kill you myself. No wonder your baby didn't make it. You don't deserve children."

Each word hit Whitney, piercing a heart that was already full of holes. She looked at Sebastian. He just stared back, disappointment written all over his face. Then he lifted Brenda into his arms and rushed her to the waiting ambulance.

They took Whitney to the hospital, too.

She stood there, numb, watching doctors and nurses rush in and out.

Time crawled. Finally, the doctor came out. His face said everything. "We couldn't save the baby. The patient is anemic..."

Before he could finish, Sebastian's cold eyes landed on Whitney. "They have the same blood type. Take hers."

Whitney tried to pull away from the guards. "No. I won't do it."

She wasn't going to save the woman responsible for Arielle's death.

Sebastian slapped her face, hard. "You owe her this. You don't get a choice. Take as much as you need. I don't care what happens to her."

The doctor hesitated, but Sebastian's glare made him move. He slid a massive needle into Whitney's arm and started drawing blood.

"That's it? Take more," Sebastian ordered.

"Mr. Cole, the patient is stable now. We don't need..."

"I said, take more. Brenda doesn't take any risks."

The doctor's hands shook. He kept going until he'd drained 600cc from Whitney.

Her vision blurred. Her lips went white. Only when the doctor begged did Sebastian finally call it off.

"Remember this. You owe Brenda." He then walked into Brenda's room without looking back.

Whitney could hold on no longer and fainted.

When she woke up, she was in ice-cold water. Chains bound her arms and legs; she couldn't move.

Sebastian sat across from her, looking like a king on his throne. The cold in his eyes made her shiver.

"You know why you're down here?" He stood up, whip in hand, and walked toward her slowly. "Brenda never did anything to you. Why do you keep going after her baby?"

"I didn't." Whitney's voice was strained. "I never hurt her baby. She..."

"Who else would have pushed her?" Sebastian's patience snapped.

The whip cut into her shoulder. Blood seeped through her clothes.

"Still lying. Brenda told me everything. You pushed her. You said she needed to pay for Arielle." He heard Brenda's sobs echo in his head. It made his chest ache. "Admit it."

The whip kept coming, soaked in salt water, again and again. Whitney's back was shredded, raw meat showing through torn skin. She bit down hard. Not a single sound escaped. The hatred in her eyes, the defiance—it just made Sebastian angrier.

He was about to throw the whip down when Brenda stepped out of the shadows. A knife glinted in her hand.

"My baby's dead." Her smile was cold and empty. "Happy now, Whitney?"

Before Whitney could react, Brenda lunged forward. The knife sank deep into Whitney's thigh. She screamed.

Brenda pulled the knife out, then stabbed Whitney's other thigh again. Whitney's vision went dark. She was drowning in pain.

Blood poured from the wounds, mixing with the water below. It spread like a river.

Brenda roared, "That one's for my baby. This one, too."

Whitney's face was deathly pale. She shook her head weakly, desperately, and looked toward Sebastian. He stood there, hands in his pockets, his eyes like ice.

"I'm avenging my child. I have to avenge my baby!" The blood drove Brenda crazy.

She stabbed four more times—Whitney's legs, back. Each time the knife came out, the sound was sickening.

"Why couldn't you just let me be happy?" Brenda's strength gave out. The bloody knife clattered to the floor.

She buried her face in her hands and sobbed. "Why did you kill my baby?"

Through it all, Sebastian never moved, never stopped her.

He walked over and wrapped his arms around Brenda. His voice was soft and gentle. "You okay, sweetheart? Tired? Don't look at her. She's dirty."

Then he picked Brenda up and carried her out, leaving Whitney covered in blood, barely conscious, watching them fade away.

*****

When Whitney woke up again, she was wrapped in bandages. Sebastian sat nearby, carefully blowing on a spoonful of soup. "Finally awake?"

Whitney looked at him. Her whole body hurt, but her voice was calm. "Where did you find the blood for me this time?"

The question caught him off guard. "If I want to find something, I find it."

So the backup blood before had always been a lie, just something he told her.

Sebastian said, "Whitney, I'm sorry. But I couldn't stop Brenda. You did something wrong. You had to pay."

Whitney smiled. Her voice was quiet. "I only did one thing wrong. I loved you."

Sebastian went quiet. He didn't know what to say. "But still. This was your fault. Brenda was upset, but she didn't hit anything vital. Just apologize to her. Then we're done with this."

Whitney looked down, thought about it, then nodded. "Okay. But first. I have one condition."

Sebastian frowned. "What?"

Whitney said, "Get me some creamy mushroom soup. From the place on the east side."

He relaxed. "That's it? Fine. I'll go."

The moment he left, Whitney checked herself out of the hospital, ignoring the pain.

On the road, her taxi passed Sebastian's car going the other way.

On the plane, she snapped her SIM card in half and dropped it in the trash.

'Sebastian, whoever you love now, it doesn't matter to me anymore. Goodbye. No... I hope I never see you again.'