Marrying the Man in the Dark

Yolanda struggled to comprehend. “You intend to employ such a young child to settle scores with Damien and Lennon? Isn’t that
a bit extreme?”
“You’re being overly vocal,” Sebastian retorted curtly, his eyes flickering open to fix on her.
“Don’t let the old man catch wind of my plans to adopt a child,” he warned, his tone sharp with urgency.
“Don’t fret,” Yolanda replied, her lips pursed tightly. “Dad pays little heed to your affairs. If he doesn’t inquire, I won’t disclose
anything.”
To Yolanda, her words might have seemed innocuous statements of fact.
Yet to Sebastian, each one pierced like a dagger, stirring unease within him.
His gaze turned cold as he regarded Yolanda. “What exactly is the old man up to in Adania these days?” he inquired, his voice
tinged with suspicion.
“He mentioned reconnecting with old acquaintances and conducting some business on the side,” Yolanda replied with a
nonchalant shrug. “You know I have no interest in his affairs.”
At two o’clock in the afternoon, as Cherise and Damien sat discussing plans to enroll Alexis in kindergarten after finishing their
meal, a sudden intrusion disrupted their tranquility. Mr. Hampson, their household staff, burst in with urgency written all over his
face.
“Sir, Madam, outside... Mr. Weiss has arrived,” he announced breathlessly.
Cherise’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Sebastian?” she echoed, her mind racing with questions.
What could possibly bring him here?
“It’s likely regarding Alexis’s situation,” Damien surmised.
Damien’s gaze narrowed slightly as he spoke softly to Cherise, instructing her to tend to Alexis upstairs. “I’ll go and meet him,”
he declared, taking on the responsibility of confronting Sebastian himself.
“Please, be cautious,” Cherise urged, her concern evident in her expression.

In Cherise’s mind, clouded by amnesia, Sebastian loomed as a formidable villain associated with danger and treachery.
“Don’t worry.” Damien reassured her, giving her shoulder a reassuring pat before settling onto the sofa to await Sebastian’s
arrival.
Moments later, guided by Mr. Hampson, Yolanda wheeled Sebastian, seated in a wheelchair, into the room.
“Are you terrified of him?” Alexis whispered anxiously
As the scene unfolded downstairs, Alexis lay on the second-floor carpet, peering through the railing at Sebastian and Yolanda
below. A sense of unease gnawed at him, prompting him to voice his concerns to Cherise beside him.
Cherise’s complexion paled, her fingers tightening around the staircase railing as her breath quickened. “I...I’m starting to
remember some unpleasant things, she admitted, her voice trembling.
Previously, mentioning Sebastian or glimpses of his photograph elicited only vague apprehension in Cherise.
But now, faced with his presence in the flesh, seated in a wheelchair with a smug smile adorning his features, unsettling
memories flooded her mind, casting a shadow over her thoughts.
In a haunting sequence, Sebastian advanced toward Cherise, each step tearing away at her sense of dignity, stripping her down,
both physically and emotionally.
The vivid imagery.etched into her mind caused her forehead to bead with cold sweat, a palpable manifestation of her humiliation
and shame.
Sensing her distress, Alexis asked, “Would you like to... take a break in the room?”
Cherise clung tightly to the railing, rendered speechless by the flood of memories assaulting her.
Damien had recounted the events leading to her memory loss on numerous occasions, reassuring her that she had never
endured such a violation at the hands of Sebastian.
Yet the images playing out in her mind contradicted his assurances, plunging her into a maelstrom of confusion and self-doubt.
She seemed... she seemed to be truly....

The weight of shame and despair bore down on Cherise, her senses reeling, her stomach churning with nausea.
When Sebastian’s first words echoed through the room, it proved too much for Cherise to bear. She fled to the sanctuary of the
bedroom’s bathroom, overcome by uncontrollable waves of vomiting.
Outside the bathroom door, Alexis stood with a bottle of water, his brow furrowed in concern. “I understand that person is quite
ugly, but how could his mere presence provoke such a violent reaction- from you?” he questioned, his perplexity evident.