Treacherous

Epilogue

A/N: so many of you asked me to write about the confrontation between the reader and sebastian, and as a little gift for my first thousand followers, I decided to write this little epilogue explaining how I imagine it all went down. In my mind, the reader would simply disappear, leaving Sebastian confused and brokenhearted when he realized what had happened, as he had to watch her and Chris share everything he thought he would have with her without as much as an explanation. This is the story of what happens when they finally see each other again.

The flashes almost made me dizzy, but I kept on my perfectly rehearsed smile as I posed for the red carpet pictures they needed to get from me. In all honesty, I just wanted to go back home and be with my wife and family, but this was also part of the job, and I was used to it by now.

Didn't mean it sucked any less, of course.

Suddenly, a loud commotion was heard as, like everyone who didn't know what was going on, I turned to the side to find Chris and his family joining the event. Oh boy. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my publicist pale, and the press getting ready to have a field day.

Five years had gone by where we managed to avoid each other. Very narrowly, sometimes, but still. Five years without having to talk to one another and address what had happened. It all went to shit tonight.

My eyes met Y/N's, and she looked like a deer caught in the headlights - but only for a second. She quickly managed to hide her nervousness under a small smile, giving me a slight nod in recognition as she tried to contain the enthusiasm of her son, who was already trying to take off running.

"Please, honey, just stay still for a couple of minutes and then you can go play." Damn, it'd been so long since I last heard her voice. I'd managed to spend all this time without listening to any singles or albums, not seeing any interviews or shows. She still sounded just as sweet, but I was surprised at the realization that hearing and seeing her did not hurt me at all.

Deciding to skip the interviews, I entered the building in search of a place where I could hide for a bit, at least until they had gotten to their own seats. Images of a seemingly distant past danced in front of me, but I honestly couldn't care less. That was, of course, until a small knock interrupted my walk down memory lane and Y/N was standing in front of me, playing with her fingers in a clear sign of nervousness.

"Hi," she greeted in a small voice, and I had to suppress a smile at the sight of just how uncomfortable she was.

"Hi, yourself." A tense silence fell between us as she seemed to figure out what she wanted to say. I didn't try to help her. I wasn't the one who went looking for her, and I most definitely wasn't the one with something to say.

"Huh... You look amazing," she tried again, waving to my suit with a short nod of approval. I just had to chuckle.

"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself. Time has treated you well." That earned me a small smile, but her eyes were still sad. I was just about to excuse myself from being found in an empty room with my ex, when she seemingly found the courage to say what was on her mind.

"Look, Sebastian... I don't deserve an apology and quite honestly, that's not why I wanted to talk to you. I just need you to know that although I can't regret what has happened - not when it got me to Chris and my kids - I do recognize that it was wrong of me to have done it that way. You deserved more. And I need you to know that I recognize that, and that there is not a single day of my life where I don't feel guilty over what I've done."

Of all the times I'd daydreamed about this moment, not once I was able to create this precise turn of events. In most of the figments of my imagination, she was begging me to forgive her, sometimes even recognizing that she should have never left me. But this felt right, somehow. She was right in not asking for my forgiveness, because I don't think I could ever give it to her. But it did help to know after all this time that she acknowledged the hurt that she left behind. It allowed me to look over the scars of my heart and see for the first time that they were completely healed.

"Thank you for telling me that. It feels good to finally hear it." I buried my hands deep in my trousers' pockets, and thought to myself that this was it, this was the last time I'd have to speak to her. And then it hit me. I couldn't let her leave without admitting something, at least.

"I'm glad things turned out the way they did. I'm happy with my family, I can see that you're happy with yours. As much as I tried, I wanted to feel something in our relationship, but I didn't really love you. I thought I did, but I didn't. And you deserve someone who does, just like I deserve someone who would never hurt me the way you did." Y/N accepted my words with a final nod and a small smile, leaving me to live my life without the weight of what she had done hovering over me anymore.