108 A Debt Remembered
Hazel’s POV
I stared at Sebastian, searching his face for any trace of that wounded boy from my childhood memories. The elegant man before me seemed worlds away from a beaten teenager
“Prove it: I challenged, crossing my arms. “Show me something that confirms you’re that boy
Sebastian’s lips curved into a small smile. He stepped closer and tilted his head brushing back the hair at his temple to reveal a thin, faded scar
“From the first incident,” he explained. “One of the boys had a ring. Split my forehead open right before you found Officer Chen.”
My fingers reached up without permission from my brain, hovering near the mark Sebastian remained perfectly still as I traced the barely-there line with my fingertip
I remember blood.” I whispered. “So much blood. I was terrified.”
“Head wounds bleed dramatically,” he said softly. “It looked worse than it was.
I dropped my hand, suddenly aware of our proximity. “After that day. I never saw you again.”
“My grandfather pulled me out of the program the next day. He was furious about the fight.” Sebastian leaned against the balustrade. “I wanted to find you, to thank you, but by the time recovered enough to look, you had left town.
The night air felt cool against my heated skin. “And the second time? You mentioned there was another incident.
Sebastian’s eyes darkened with memory. “That was the following summer. I convinced my grandfather to let me return to the village
“For me?” I asked, surprised.
He shook his head “For myself. I needed to prove I could stay out of trouble. But I was hoping I’d see you again
“What happened?
Twas swimming in the river with some local boy’s Got a cramp in my leg halfway
across His voice grew quieter. I started gonig under The current was stronger than expected
The memory hit me with startling clarity a boy thrashing in the water, desperate eves locking with mine on the shore
“I was picking berries along the riverbank, I said slowly. “I saw you struggling
Sebastian nodded. “The other boys had already swum ahead. No one noticed but you
You kept going under and coming back up. My heart raced at the memory. I couldn’t swim well enough to help you.
“But you did help” he said firmly. “You found that massive tree root that had fallen partly into the water”
I remembered running along the shore, panic making my legs move faster than 1 thought possible. “I shoved it toward you in the water.
“Just as my strength was giving out,” Sebastian confirmed. “I grabbed it just before going under again. It kept me afloat until the others came back with adults.
The memory felt surreal – that desperate boy and this composed, powerful man were one and the same
“We visited your grandmother’s house that evening,” Sebastian continued. “My
grandfather insisted on thanking you properly.
Heat rushed to my cheeks. “I hid in my room.
Sebastian’s laugh was warm and rich. “I remember your grandmother apologizing for
your shyness.”
was so embarrassed,” I admitted. “Everyone kept calling me a hero. It felt wrong
Why wrong?”
I shrugged ” didn’t do anything special. Anyone would have done the same,
“But they didn’t” Sebastian said, his voice suddenly intense. “You did. Twice
The might breeze niffled my hair as we stood facing each other. The weight of our shared past hung between us reshaping everything I thought I kaks about our
“You really believe I saved your life?” I asked quietly
“I know you did His gaze didn’t waver “Without you. I would have died either from that beating or m that river There’s no question.
His certainty unsettled me. All these years, I’d carried those memories as interesting childhood stories, not life-altering moments
“Is that why you’ve been helping me? Repaying some debt?” I couldn’t keep the edge from my voice
“Initially perhaps,” he admitted. “When I recognized you at the boutique opening, I was shocked. It felt like fate:
“So you orchestrated our meetings? Manipulated circumstances to get close to me?”
Sebastian’s expression remained steady. “I created opportunities to help someone who once helped me, is that so terrible?”
I turned away, staring out at the glittering city lights. “It feels… I don’t know
Calculated.
“It was,” he said simply. “I’ve built my life on calculated decisions. But my interest in
you evolved beyond repayment long ago.”
His honesty was disarming. “Into what?”
“Genuine admiration. His voice dropped lower. “And something more personal
My heart skipped a beat. “You’ve been watching me all these years, haven’t you? After
the river incident”
Not exactly watching” Sebastian clarified. “More like keeping informed. Making sure
you were okay?
The implications crashed over me like a wave. “The scholarship to design school?”
Anonymous donor.” he confirmed without a hint of apology
“My first apartment’s surprisingly affordable rent?”
may have subsidised the building owner
ESADA TO TACskim mk redulous My career Ny k
“Your Talent is cutiuly Yenir own Nebaitu saht Arrth Emerly renewed abistan lex when could
My mind raced though the past decade wondering how much of my he had been subtly mukienced by the man standing befir fr
“What about Alistair Lasked suddenly Did you know about Tom? Abouk uk
Sebastian’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly knew
And you did nothing
“You seemed happy” he said softly, “I wouldn’t interfere with that
“But when he betrayed me
“When he hurt you: Sebastian corrected, a dangerous edge to his voice, I stopped standing aside.
I processed this revelation, emotions swirling too rapidly to sort through Part of me felt violated by his secret involvement in my life, but another part telt strangely protected. Cherished.
“Why now”” I asked finally. “Why reveal yourself after all this time
Sebastian stepped closer, his eyes searching mine. Because I’m tired of watching from the shadows. Because I want you to see me not as a benefactor of a business contact
but as a man
His words hung in the night air between us, weighted with unspoken possibility
don’t know what to say I admitted. “This is overwhelming
don Texpect anything from you, Hasel” His voice was gentle This isn’t abou
coffering on a debt
Then what is it about?”
Sebastian was quiet for a montent before answering “Connection. The kind that spans decades and defies explanation
The Far Destress in his eyes made my breathecatch Nocone had ever looked at me that
Lean my fingers through my hau, Dying to gather my thoughts Ineed time txproepss
Take all the time you need,” he said. I’ve waited twenty years. I can wait longer
His patience only intensified my confusion Estudied his face in the moonligh wondering how much of my life had been invisibly shaped by his hand
Sebastian, Lasked quietly unable to hold back the question burning in dry mind. “have you been Watching me all this time? And if so why didn’t you ever approach me before
THOW ?”
The weight of my question seemed to settle on his shoulders as he took a deep breath preparing to reveal the final pieces of a puzzle two decades in the making
