The Seventh Miserable Bride

Yasmine's heart was aching. She hugged Sebastian and said, "I know, I know. It doesn't matter. No matter what you've become, you're the most perfect man in my heart. I'm willing to help you get through this.' All of a sudden, Sebastian's body became as stiff as a rock. He asked in distress, "How did you know?"

"Because I believe that you, who once loved me as much as you love your life, would not hate me to the point where you couldn't even stand to look at me just because I left you two years ago."

Yasmine's heart softened Sebastian's frozen and desperate heart. He slowly buried his head in her chest like an injured child eager to obtain his mother's love.

"Don't be sad. It's not a big deal. It's just some bad memories. As long as we have enough determination, we will be able to free our hearts from the dark shadows in our lives."

Yasmine stroked his hair gently to comfort his wounded soul. "From now on, just give yourself to me. Even though this may be something unspeakable in front of others, there's no need for you to keep your dignity in front of me. I'll be your shadow. A shadow will never hate its own body."

Sebastian said, "Yasmine, can I really do that? I don't have any hopes for myself... It's been two years. No matter how hard I try, it just couldn't..." "You can. Trust me,"

Yasmine gave him a reassuring look. In fact, she did not believe in Sebastian, but she believed in herself. She believed that with her place in Sebastian's heart, she would definitely be able to awaken the most primal instinct that was laying dormant in his body.

"Is it alright if we switch the lights off?"

Sebastian suggested.

"Sure."

Yasmine said, nodding fiercely. She was willing to meet all his requirements, as long as he could return to his past self once more.

Once the lights were off, they were caught in a sea of blurry darkness. Fortunately, the soft moonlight seeping in through the window illuminated the room lightly, and they could see each other's hazy figures clearly.

Sebastian unbuttoned Yasmine's pajamas with his shaky fingers. They sat across each other, like two teenagers who were about to experience their first time. They were slightly nervous about what would happen next.

"Ah-!"

Yasmine let out a scream, but it was a delightful kind of pain. However, at that moment, the pleasurable feeling disappeared as soon as it came. The moment of happiness was so short that Sebastian retreated as soon as he felt it.

The atmosphere became deadly silent. Yasmine stared at the discouraged man beside her and reached out to hug him. "It's okay, it's really okay. It's already good enough. Although it didn't last for a long time, at least it was still erect. This is a good sign. Let's try it again, shall we?"

Sebastian shook his head blankly and said out of exhaustion, "Next time then, I'm tired."

Yasmine knew that he was upset. She did not feel right to keep pushing him.

Both of them fell into a deep silence. After a long time, Yasmine pretended to fall asleep. Sebastian, who was lying against her back, turned over and kissed her forehead gently. He said woefully, "I'm sorry, Yasmine. I let you down."

I'm not disappointed, I'm not disappointed, I'm not disappointed at all!

Yasmine shouted in her heart, but she could not open her eyes to say it to Sebastian. She knew that the more she showed that she did not mind, the guiltier he would feel. If that happened, he might consider pushing her away again.

She heard him sigh. It was filled with helplessness and pain. Then, he got up, walked to the side of the window, and lit a cigarette. In the darkness, even the flickering flame seemed to be extremely dreary and lonesome. Yes, his sexual pride had taken a severe hit. Despite putting in so much effort, he still could not escape from the inevitable failure.

This made him extremely depressed...

Yasmine stared at the lone figure in front of the window and tears slid out of her eyes. She wanted to get up and offer him a hug so that he would not be discouraged but she could not do that. She knew that he needed his space at that moment. She could not deny him the chance to even breathe just because she was keen to help him overcome his predicament.

That night, her gaze did not move away from his figure at all.

That night, the cigarette in his hand burned until dawn. One stick went out and another burned in its place.

After that upsetting night, Sebastian was depressed for the next few days. Yasmine knew that she should not disturb him. It would be better if she gave him some time to sort his emotions out.

One evening, while Yasmine was busy packing up in the office and ready to get off work, Leah came into her office.

"What's the matter?"

Yasmine asked in confusion.

Leah stared straight at her with a stern face. She said after a pause, "Do you know about President Sebastian's hidden illness?"

Yasmine's heart skipped a beat. It was not because of Leah's question, but because Leah knew of Sebastian's secret. Could this girl be very important to Sebastian?

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

Leah went on, "Haven't I warned you before prying into someone's private life? Why are you still doing things according to your whims? Are you happy to see President Sebastian in such a bad mood?" The grievance in Yasmine's heart was unspeakable but she did not want to explain too much to the girl in front of her. "I don't think I need to explain anything to you. This is between me and him." She picked her backpack up and left without looking back.

When she got home at night, her face was pale and she did not talk much during dinner. Her mother-in-law asked her worriedly, "Yasmine, is something upsetting you?"

Yasmine shook her head. "No."

"Why do you look so upset then?"

Ever since she moved back to the Mansion House, Yasmine would chatter away during meals, somehow bringing some joy to the otherwise sullen family. Although Sebastian seldom said anything, he was always listening to their conversation intently. However, Yasmine barely opened her mouth that night. Not only was Madam Simons not used to it, even Sebastian himself felt that something was odd. After dinner, Yasmine sat in the living room and chatted with her mother-in-law as usual. Two hours later, the duo was still chatting, and Yasmine remained on the lower floor.

At that moment, she received a text message on her phone. "Make me a cup of coffee and send it to the study."

Oh. Yasmine snorted grumpily. Did he take her for a servant?

Although she was discontented, Yasmine still got up to make him coffee. She entered the study without knocking on the door, put the cup of coffee on the table, and turned around to leave. Sebastian asked, "What's with you?"

Yasmine stopped dead on her tracks. She did not want to say it, but she could not hold back the grievance in her heart. She turned around and said angrily, "I know that you had concealed your illness very well, but why does Leah know about such an important matter? You tried your best to hide it from your wife, your parents, and your best friend. However, this girl, whose background we barely know of, knows of this before we do. Is she more important than us? Or do you think that she could understand you better than we do?"

Sebastian looked at her flushed face calmly and asked softly, "Do you mind?"

"Yes, I mind, and I mind it very much. I can't stand seeing you and her having such an ambiguous relationship!"

After Yasmine was done roaring, she stormed out of the room...

The next weekend evening, Sebastian invited Leah out for dinner. Looking at the red wine and the delicacies on the table, a faint smile appeared on Leah's face.

"President Sebastian, why did you take me out for a candlelight dinner tonight?"

Sebastian gestured for her to take a seat, "You're saying as though I'm a stingy person who had never invited you to dinner." He was teasing her.

"We've had dinner before, but it seems the atmosphere wasn't as good as this time." Leah felt a little uneasy in her heart. "You're not going to say something cruel to me in such a place, are you?"

"Let's eat first."

Sebastian changed the subject.

The two of them sat across each other and ate the sumptuous meal as they chatted about some trivial matters in their lives. After dinner, Leah stood up and walked towards Sebastian. She asked softly, "Have you seen Dr. Wadsworth recently?"

"Yes, I did,"

"Well, do you want me to try it out for you? How's your recovery going?"

Sebastian fixed his eyes on her and said seriously, "Leah, I had asked you out today to discuss this matter with you. I don't need your help from now on. Yasmine already knows about this and she'll help me from now on."

Leah's expression froze. "Did you tell her about it?" "No, she found out herself."

"You're lying. If you didn't tell her, how would she know?"

"She went to see Dr. Wadsworth."

Oh? Leah sneered, "Isn't she kind to you? If that's the case, why did she abandon you at the beginning?"

"It was not her fault."

"You're looking for a reason to justify her wrongdoings." "I don't need to do that. You will never be able to understand our relationship."

"What about my feelings for you then? Do you understand it?"

All of a sudden, Leah asked agitatedly.

Sebastian sighed and apologized, "I'm sorry, Leah. I love Yasmine. And it is because I still love her that I still have a slight impulse when I'm with her. However, when I was with you, I feel nothing at all. I just wanted to see the effects of the treatment. This is the difference between love and friendship..." He paused for a moment and added, "Thank you for your company for the past two years. You should pursue your own happiness from now on."

"What do you mean? Do you want me to leave the company?"

There was a layer of mist in Leah's eyes as she spoke.

Sebastian took out a check from his wallet, "Haven't you always wanted to study abroad? Please accept this money as a token of my appreciation and please don't take it as a reward for your hard work for the past two years. I hope you could accept it calmly."

"Did she ask you to do this?"

"No, this is my own will."

"Why?"

"I don't want her to be unhappy because of your presence."

Leah cried. She did not accept the check. Instead, she ran out of the steakhouse in tears. The next Friday, Gabriel Smith arrived at B City. He asked Yasmine to take a day off work to accompany him. Yasmine did not turn him down.

They had not seen each other for half a month. As soon as Gabriel got off the plane, he rushed towards her and reached out to embrace her. "Madeline, I really missed you."

Yasmine struggled in his embrace awkwardly. "Hey hey, there are so many people watching us. Why did you have the time to come over today?"