From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 234: Waking Up

She felt like she had just come out of a nightmare.

Sebastian's gaze sharpened. He stopped stepping back and caught Riley's wrist—the one still swinging wildly in the air.

His hold was firm, yet careful enough not to bruise her.

"Riley!" he called out, louder this time.

"Look at me. It's me."

The cool, urgent tone cut through her haze and made her freeze.

That voice...

Slowly, she lifted her head. Her eyes, still red from crying and anger, finally focused on the face in front of her—flawlessly handsome.

It wasn't Devin, and it wasn't his goodfornothing son.

It was... Sebastian?

Riley went completely still, as if someone had hit pause. All her struggling ceased.

She stared blankly at Sebastian's face, now so close to hers, her expression clouded with disbelief.

"Sebastian?" she whispered, testing the name, her voice dry and rough.

Seeing she was coming back to herself, Sebastian gave a slight nod and said in a low voice, "Yeah, it's me."

He released her wrist. Noticing the fear and confusion still lingering in her eyes, something in him softened, and his tone unconsciously gentled.

"You're safe now. No one's going to hurt you."

He reached out and carefully brushed a few stray strands of hair away from her cheek, tucking them behind her ear.

Then he went on, patiently explaining, "Yesterday afternoon, I happened to be in the area on business. Someone from the project team mentioned you'd gone into town to meet with some of the local elders about the relocation terms."

Riley listened in a daze, her thoughts still scrambled.

Sebastian continued, "But later that evening, while I was taking a walk through the neighborhood, I noticed something odd. Those elders you were supposed to be in talks with—they were all sitting comfortably in the community hall playing chess.

"I knew right then something wasn't right. I came over with a couple of people from my team, and we got there just as Devin was about to take you away. We stepped in before he could."

Sebastian's words slowly eased the frantic, angry beat of Riley's heart.

So she hadn't been completely alone when everything went dark.

But right after that relief came a wave of exhaustion and leftover fear, draining what little strength she had left.

Riley was a proud woman.

In business, she could stand in fourinch heels and negotiate all day without showing a trace of fatigue.

In life, she'd grown used to acting like a hedgehog—tucking all her softness away behind a spiky, protective shell.

But in that moment, her most vulnerable, unguarded side had been laid bare before the man she was soon to marry.

She'd almost hurt him.

And that shame cut deeper than anything her body had just been through.

Riley drew a steadying breath and pushed all those feelings down. When she lifted her gaze again, a measure of her usual composure had returned to her eyes.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Then she immediately looked away, already moving to pull the covers back over herself—to retreat and deal with everything alone.

But before she could withdraw completely, a strong arm wrapped around her.

Sebastian had seen exactly what she was trying to do. He'd seen the fragility she was hiding behind all that performed strength.

He didn't give her a chance to slip away. Instead, he drew her firmly into his arms.

"Riley, you don't have to put on a brave face with me."

Riley's eyes widened in surprise. The clean, crisp scent of him filled her senses—unmistakably Sebastian, steady and secure.

Her first instinct was to push him away.

They weren't close enough for this kind of intimacy.

But as her palm pressed against the solid warmth of his chest, the heat and strength radiating from him quietly dissolved every last bit of her resistance.

There wasn't a trace of anything inappropriate in his hold—just pure, solid protection and comfort.

That sense of safety, one she hadn't allowed herself to feel in so long, washed over her, overwhelming and quiet.

Her stiff posture gradually relaxed.

She stopped fighting it. She even let herself be weak for a moment, curling quietly into the shelter of his arms, which felt like they could weather any storm.

Feeling her surrender, Sebastian's deep gaze softened.

He tightened his embrace just enough to hold her securely. His low voice murmured near the top of her head.

"You know, even if I hadn't gotten there, you'd already found a way to call the police yourself."

Riley's body tensed slightly. She tilted her head up. Past the line of his shirt collar, she could only see the clean, sharp edge of his jaw.

Her voice came out soft, confused. "I did? I... I don't remember anything after they drugged me."

"Mm," Sebastian replied gently. He went on explaining, "Last night, I had a doctor I trust come check on you. She said the drug they gave you was a newer blend. Besides causing confusion, it has another nasty side effect—after it wears off and you wake up, it can mess with your memory of what happened. Sometimes you lose whole chunks of time. So it's completely normal that you don't recall."