My eyes reddened at once.

All my hurt seemed to dissolve before that thin sheet of paper.

Just then, the phone on the bedside table vibrated.

Uncle Xavier flashed on the screen.

Sebastian's gaze chilled immediately, but he didn't lose control as he once would have.

He handed me the phone, watching my eyes closely.

I drew a deep breath, answered in front of him, and switched on the speaker.

“You didn't reply last night. Are you all right?”

Xavier's gentle voice couldn't hide his anxiety.

“Did Sebastian hurt you again?”

“Uncle Xavier.”

I interrupted, calm and firm.

“I'm fine. Sebastian and I... we've made up. I'm still going to Paris, but he'll come with me.”

The other end of the line fell completely silent.

Sebastian's arm tightened, pressing me closer in a wordless claim.

After a long while, Xavier sighed bitterly.

“You're certain? Even after the way he hurt you?”

“Yes. I've decided.”

I turned to Sebastian, whose eyes were slightly red with nerves, and spoke quietly.

“Thank you for looking after me all these years.”

“But in my heart, you'll always be the uncle I respect. Only my uncle.”

“...I understand.”

Resignation and acceptance mingled in Xavier's voice.

“As long as you're happy. If he hurts you again, I'll come to Paris and bring you home whenever you need me.”

The call ended.

Sebastian could no longer hold back. He pulled me into a tight embrace and lowered his voice.

“What did you call him just now? Your uncle? I like the sound of that.”

“Tell me. What am I to you?”

His breath moved closer, carrying a dangerous trace of jealousy.

I pushed at him and answered hastily.

“You're Sebastian Hale. My boyfriend. My future husband!”

“That's enough. Get up!”

“No. You've been so good, sweetheart. You deserve a reward...”

...

Two years later, in early-autumn Paris, I finished my last class in the advanced international perfumery program.

The moment I left the academy, I saw the tall man leaning against a black car.

Sebastian wore a beautifully tailored long black coat over a crisp white shirt.

His silver-rimmed glasses, that familiar emblem of reason, gave him his usual aloof, unapproachable air.

Young French women glanced back as they passed. Some seemed tempted to approach, only to retreat beneath his cold presence.

But the instant he saw me, the ancient iceberg melted.

He strode forward, pulled me into his arms without caring who watched, and bent to kiss me.

“There are people looking, Sebastian...”

Blushing, I pushed lightly at him.

“Let them look.”

His voice was husky.

“Let them know you're mine. Your training is over, Miss Sutton. It's time we went home and got married.”

Two weeks later, back in the United States, a small, intimate wedding took place on the lawn of an estate east of Boston.

We hadn't invited many people.

Apart from our families and Tessa, there were only a few of Sebastian's colleagues from cardiac surgery.

In the dressing room, I wore a bespoke white wedding gown that followed every curve of my figure.

Beside me, Tessa clicked her tongue in amazement.

“What spell did you put on Dr. Hale?”

“The way he looks at you now, it's like he wants to devour you. What happened to the ice prince?”

I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled.

Only I knew how clingy and obsessive that untouchable man became once he took off his mask.

Just then, the door opened.

Sebastian came in wearing a custom-made white suit.

It only emphasized the cool elegance of his appearance.

“Someone's looking for you outside, Tessa,” he said evenly.

Understanding perfectly, she rolled her eyes, gathered up her skirt, and hurried out, closing the door behind her.

The moment she left, he locked it.

He came up behind me and braced his hands on the dressing table, enclosing me in his arms.

Through the mirror, his gaze traced my face with undisguised hunger.

“Mrs. Hale. You're beautiful today.”

He lowered his head and held me.

“Behave. You'll ruin my makeup.” I tried to dodge him, teasing.

He refused to relent.

“I've changed my mind about the wedding. I want to hide you away so no one else gets to see you.”

Knowing his obsession was acting up again, I gave him a look.

“Stop it, Dr. Hale. You've already claimed me. I'm not going anywhere.”

During the ceremony, when we exchanged rings, his hand trembled slightly around the custom diamond ring.

He looked at me.

The hands that held a scalpel so steadily betrayed every feeling now.

“I once thought that if I didn't express myself, if I kept you at a safe distance, you would never leave. I disguised myself with indifference because I was afraid the madness inside me would scare you away.”

His voice carried through the microphone, low, rough, and utterly exposed.

“That box in my study held all the love I was afraid to bring into the light.”

“After the Rain, Unraveled was the only thing that kept me alive through all those nights without you.”

“Thank you for not being frightened away. You're what unravels me after the rain. There will never be anyone else.”

He lowered himself onto one knee and slowly slid the ring onto my finger.

“Here's to our life together, Mrs. Hale.”

Tears streamed down my face as I pulled him up and held the man whose love for me had become an incurable obsession.

...

Late that night, in our wedding suite, warm decorations glowed in the low light.

Sebastian emerged from the shower holding the bottle of After the Rain, Unraveled.

He came to the bed and, in front of me, sprayed it along the side of his neck.

Cool woods mingled with the untamed scent of his skin, scattering my reason.

He knelt on one knee, took my hand, and lowered his head, his lips brushing my fingers.

“Mrs. Hale. Happy wedding night.”

The End