The Barrier Between Us – 1
Thea’s POV
“What did you just say?” I stared at Sebastian in complete shock, my mind going blank. I must have misheard him. The Sebastian I knew would do anything for Aurora, even sacrifice anyone else, including me. My heart pounded wildly as I gazed at his expressionless face.
“You heard me, Thea,” his voice was steady as he repeated himself, “if it truly came down to it, I would let her die, not you.”
Fuck, how could he say something like that with such a straight face? At first, I thought he was lying, not wanting me to feel bad. After all, who wants to know that the man they’ve spent so many years with would unhesitatingly choose to save another woman?
But as I stared hard at him, searching for any sign of deception, his gaze was surprisingly firm, unwavering. And when had Sebastian ever cared about my feelings? He never shied away from brutal truths, so he had no reason to start lying now.
I pulled my hand from his grip, feeling as if his touch had burned me. This intimate contact made me deeply uncomfortable. My head was already a mess; I didn’t need more confusion.
“You can’t be serious,” I finally said after a moment of silence, “Aurora is your first love, your chosen mate, the she-wolf you’ve loved for years. How can you so casually tell me you’d sacrifice her for me?”
His brow furrowed, and he seemed about to argue, but I didn’t give him the chance.
“From the beginning, I was the worthless one to you, remember? You always treated me like a mistake, a disgrace, a useless, wolfless burden. You hated me for seven years because of Aurora, and suddenly I’m your priority? That doesn’t make sense. You can’t suddenly stop hating me and decide I’m more important than Aurora.”
I leaned back against the hospital bed, closing my eyes in exhaustion. I knew Sebastian too well. How could seven years of contempt, hatred, and coldness suddenly vanish? A person can’t completely change overnight. Feelings that run bone-deep aren’t something you can just decide to put aside. I should know this best—hadn’t I been desperately trying to kill and bury my love for Sebastian? That kind of pain is indescribable.
“Thea—”
“I don’t want to hear your made-up stories,” I cut him off, “I don’t need sympathy, and I don’t need fake concern. I just want to go back to how things were before, at least that was real.”
I could imagine his confused expression. Perhaps, in his mind, I should be happy? Finally getting the attention and regard of the Alpha I’d always dreamed of, right? But he didn’t understand that this sudden change made me feel uneasy, even afraid.
Maybe I once wanted all the people who hurt me to realize their mistakes and crawl back begging for forgiveness. But when it actually happened, I discovered that I’d become so accustomed to their cruelty that I had no idea how to deal with this brand-new version of them.
When you’re used to rejection and pain, sudden tenderness feels like a trap. Even if part of me wanted to let go of everything and forgive them, another part, because of these repeated traumas, couldn’t trust the feelings they suddenly claimed to have for me. So I’d rather face familiar hostility than hope for a future that might not exist, only to collapse again.
“You saved me, Sebastian, and I’m grateful,” I took a deep breath, my voice surprisingly calm, “but this doesn’t change anything. You should be with Aurora, not here. She’s the one you truly care about, always have been. Our marriage was a mistake from the start, wasn’t it? We both suffered through that relationship for seven years, and now it can finally end. You have your happiness, and I have my children. Please don’t ruin all of this again.”
He wanted to argue. I could see it in his eyes, those green eyes darkening like a storm brewing. I lowered my head, bracing for an argument, but it never came. He just fell silent for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.
“If that’s what you want,” he said quietly, and I watched in surprise as he slowly stood up, “I’ll give you space… for now.”