"Come and eat," Natalie said, cing a bowl of rice in front of Sebastian.


    He nced at the trash can before sitting down across from her. His tone left no room for argument. "You''ll eat, too."


    "No, thanks. I''m not hungry," she replied, already full. "And don''t worry about me poisoning you. I have too much respect for food to ever tamper with it."


    On that, at least, Sebastian believed her.


    He picked up the bowl of stew and took a sip. It was the same familiar,forting taste. Looking at the simple, home-cooked meal, he ate two full bowls of rice.


    When he finally set down his utensils, he watched Natalie, who was sipping her tea with her head lowered.


    "Natalie, I was wrong about what happened before. From now on, I''ll try to trust..."


    "There is no ''from now on," she cut in sharply. "I''m quitting my job tomorrow. I refuse to let you threaten me. How dare you think you can shatter me to pieces, say a simple ''I was wrong,'' and expect me toe running back?"


    "I would rather die than stay by your side in this lifetime. That''s my final answer." Threaten me? Dream on, she thought.


    Sebastian''s gaze turned icy, and the air in the room grew cold and suffocating.


    "Natalie," he said, his voice tight. He looked at her indifferent attitude, remembering how for the past two years, she had loved him sopletely, dedicating all her energy to him.


    Could she really just turn that love off like a switch?


    Was that why she didn''t care when their special couple''s mug shattered?


    A wave of intense irritation washed over him, a feeling more potent than any frustration he''d felt when Joanna had gone abroad.


    "Don''t you dare speak to me with that attitude."


    Natalie frowned at his dark


    expression. "What more do you want from me? When you and the Scott family conspired to drive me away, you should have expected treat you like this."


    "I told you, I misunderstood. I was wrong."


    "And I told you, I don''t ept your apology."


    They stared at each other in silence-Sebastian radiating fury, Natalie exuding a calm, unyielding resistance.


    Where the hell is Joanna? she wondered. I posted on Facebook ages ago.


    The unfamiliar look in her eyes sent a strange tremor through Sebastian''s chest.


    He abruptly shot to his feet, strode over, and pulled Natalie up from her chair. She scowled. "What are you doing?"


    "We''re going to buy wedding rings," he dered, pulling her toward the door.


    Natalie stared at him, bewildered. Wedding rings? Now? The man was insane, and she had no intention of joining his madness.


    "Sebastian, let go of me! I''m not buying any rings. We''re over. We have no future, so what''s the point?"


    He stopped short, his voice a low warning. "Natalie, there''s a limit to ying hard to get."


    She blinked, looking at him in utter disbelief. He still thought she was


    ying games? His ego was


    astounding. He must have grown so ustomed to her affection over


    the years that he''d deluded himself


    into thinking she couldn''t live


    without him.


    And once, that had been true. She had been so hopelessly in love, so


    lost in him that her world


    entirely around his. She felt sick


    when she couldn''t see him. She avoided disturbing him when he was busy with work and always made him special herbal broths when she worried about his health.


    But in this new life? Who the hell would want a scumbag like that?


    Just as Natalie was frantically trying to think of a way to refuse, a pair of bright headlights shed across the window. A sly smile touched her lips.