The mansion felt too quiet.
Not peaceful quiet.
Empty quiet.
Sebastian sat on the couch in the living room, a blanket loosely draped over his shoulders.
The fire had been left on low, but it didn't do much to soften the stillness around him.
Lillian's note was still in his hand.
He hadn't put it down.
His thumb kept brushing over her handwriting without him really noticing.
Don't work.
Eat properly.
I'll be back soon.
Simple instructions.
Things he should've been able to follow easily.
And yet, sitting here, Sebastian realised something uncomfortable.
He didn't know what to do with himself when there was no work.
No meetings.
No files.
No pressure.
Just time.
He shifted slightly on the couch.
Then again.
Then stood up.
Walked a few steps.
Stopped.
He wasn't restless in an obvious way.
It was more subtle than that.
Like his body didn't trust stillness.
Like stillness meant something could go wrong.
Sebastian exhaled quietly and glanced toward the kitchen.
Where Lillian usually was.
Where sound usually was.
Nothing.
He picked up his phone once.
Unlocked it.
Paused.
Then put it back down again.
Work was there.
Waiting.
Always waiting.
But he didn't open it.
Because he had promised her.
A sharp vibration broke the silence.
Sebastian froze.
The phone on the table lit up.
One name.
Charlotte Wolfe.
Everything inside him stopped before he even processed it properly.
His hand didn't move at first.
Neither did his breathing.
Just his eyes fixed on the screen.
Charlotte Wolfe.
Not a message.
A call.
His grip tightened around the edge of the couch.
For a brief second, his mind didn't stay in the present.
It slipped.
Back.
Not fully.
But enough.
A colder place.
A quieter place.
A place where his name wasn't spoken gently.
Where silence meant expectation.
Where a call from her never meant something good.
His throat tightened slightly.
A thought surfaced before he could stop it.
Is she coming here?
His chest tightened.
Another thought followed, worse than the first.
Is she taking me back?
Sebastian swallowed once.
Slowly, he picked up the phone.
Stared at it.
It kept ringing.
He didn't answer.
His thumb hovered over the screen.
Then stopped.
He turned the phone face down on the table.
The ringing continued for a few seconds.
Then stopped.
Silence returned.
But it didn't feel better.
It felt heavier.
Sebastian stood slowly.
Too quickly.
His body reacted before his thoughts fully caught up.
A small cough escaped him.
He steadied himself on the arm of the couch.
His breathing was slightly uneven now.
Not from illness.
From something else.
Something deeper.
He stared at the phone face down on the table.
Like it might move again.
Like it might demand something.
Charlotte never called without reason.
That was the problem.
There was always a reason.
And reasons always came with consequences.
Sebastian's jaw tightened faintly.
"…It's just a call," he muttered under his breath.
But it didn't sound convincing.
Not even to him.
The front door opened later.
Soft footsteps followed.
Lillian stepped inside, loosening her coat as she walked in.
Her presence shifted the atmosphere immediately.
Like the house remembered how to breathe again.
But then she saw him.
Sebastian still in the living room.
Still sitting.
Still tense.
Not working.
Not resting.
Just… stuck.
She slowed.
"Sebastian?"
He looked up.
And she saw it immediately.
Something off.
Not physical illness.
Something deeper.
"What happened?" she asked gently, already moving closer.
Sebastian hesitated.
Just long enough for her to notice.
"…Charlotte called," he said quietly.
The room shifted.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
Lillian stopped walking.
Her expression changed instantly—not alarmed.
Focused.
"Did you answer?"
Sebastian shook his head once.
Silence stretched between them.
Lillian studied him carefully.
Not pushing.
Not rushing.
Just reading him.
His shoulders were slightly tight.
His hands were still not fully relaxed.
Like his body had stayed prepared for something that hadn't happened.
"You thought she might…" Lillian started softly.
Sebastian didn't respond.
But he didn't need to.
The rest of the sentence filled the space anyway.
Take you back.
Lillian stepped closer and sat beside him on the couch.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Not crowding him.
Just close enough that he knew she was there.
"You didn't do anything wrong," she said quietly.
Sebastian's gaze dropped slightly.
"It's just a call," he repeated, quieter this time.
Lillian didn't argue with him.
She just reached out and gently took his hand.
"You're not going anywhere you don't want to go," she said.
That made him still.
Not fully relaxed.
But still.
His fingers tightened slightly around hers.
Almost unconsciously.
Like anchoring himself.
"…And if she comes?" he asked after a moment.
His voice was lower now.
Careful.
Lillian didn't hesitate.
"Then she leaves."
A pause.
Sebastian looked at her properly then.
Studying her face.
Like he was checking whether she meant it.
She didn't look uncertain.
She didn't look doubtful.
She looked like she had already decided.
That mattered more than confidence.
It mattered more than words.
Sebastian exhaled slowly.
"…Okay," he said quietly.
Not because he wasn't afraid.
But because for the first time—
he didn't have to face it alone.
Lillian squeezed his hand gently.
And this time, Sebastian didn't let go.