Compassion and Oblivion

I'm Running Behind :((

Hi friends!!

I have been working all day to get this chapter done in time. Unfortunately, the likelihood of that happening is getting less and less by the minute. I wanted to at least give you a heads up that I'm behind schedule, and that I'm actively working on it as we speak!

This is the final chapter before the epilogue. I will not release it until it is perfect, as I am sure you would prefer it that way. If I'm not happy with it, it's not coming out until I am. I refuse to mess this up!

That being said, I'm not giving up yet. It's about 9:15 PM where I'm at, and I told my husband to pick up an energy drink for me on his way home this evening. So, as long as I can get this cranked out and proofread before I go to bed tonight, I'll put it up as soon as I'm done. If not, I don't work tomorrow, so that's likely when it will come out.

My original plan was to release the final chapter and the Epilogue together. So, if you're willing to wait a teensy bit longer, then I will do so. Saturday or Sunday at the latest for both, as I'm off of work this whole weekend and have no plans to leave my house. (Fun fact, I live in a town that is home to one of America's most popular amusement parks, and this is their opening weekend. On top of that, there are half a dozen local high school proms taking place on Saturday, so traffic is going to be hell all weekend. I'm going to park my ass in front of this computer and work on this until it's finished! Lmao)

Truth be told, aside from having a very busy and tiring weekend, I'm not sure what's taking me so long. Part of me wants to believe that I'm just exhausted, and the other part of me thinks that I'm procrastinating because I'm sad that things are coming to an end. Regardless, I truly do apologize for running late at SUCH AN IMPORTANT TIME.

Alright, enough stalling. Time for me to get back to work.

In the meantime, please enjoy this UNEDITED excerpt from this chapter. Given that I haven't had it proofread, it may change greatly before the final cut is released, so keep that in mind.

I am so grateful for all of you, and I can't wait for you to see what I have in store for the last chapter and epilogue. I'll see you as soon as I can!

-YonderPupper

~~~

Sebastian barely managed to fit around Kent and Jodi's table along with (Y/N), Sam, Penny, and Vincent. Even so, this was one of the happiest meals he's ever gotten to share with a group of people. Everyone was laughing and sharing stories, genuinely enjoying each other's company. It was like something out of a cheesy Hallmark movie. He felt like a part of their family.

After the meal, (Y/N) and Penny offered to help Jodi straighten the kitchen. Kent invited Sam and Sebastian to come sit in the living area with him, and Vincent opted to sit on the living room floor and play with his toys. At first, Sebastian thought they'd just sit around and flip through the TV, and Sebastian could zone out and think about his future with (Y/N).

Lately, he's been spending more and more of his free time planning out his future with her. He can't wait for the day that he'd be able to call her his wife, and the mother of his children. He never even thought he wanted to have kids, until he met her. Seeing how well she gets along with Vincent always makes his heart feel funny. The more he thought about it, he realized that he would call that feeling yearning. So, he's been spending his spare time thinking seriously about their future together, starting off with when he would propose. He assumed he'd have plenty of time to think about it while sitting here with Sam and Kent.

Apparently, Kent had other plans for their evening.

"So, Sebastian," he grunts coldly. "Let's chat."