Maya's POV
The question lingered in the air between us, impossible to ignore. Sebastian stared at me for what felt like an eternity, as though calculating exactly how much honesty he owed me. When he finally smiled, it wasn't his usual polished expression but something more genuine, tinged with defeat.
"Some wounds don't heal quickly." He turned my earlier words against me, and the impact stung deeper than any outright rejection could have.
My attention shifted to the intricate carpet beneath us, anything to avoid his penetrating stare. Sebastian moved nearer while maintaining a careful boundary between us.
"Not the way you're imagining," he added quietly. "Love isn't what I feel for her anymore. But the damage she inflicted remains." His fingers raked through his dark hair, that familiar tell I'd learned meant he was struggling. "Her deception didn't just devastate our company. It destroyed my capacity to believe in people."
