Sebastian had no intention of letting her off the hook so easily. "Try again."

It was an extreme, suffocating need for control.

He needed to break her down until she surrendered completely and utterly.

Until he was entirely satisfied.

Helena clamped her mouth shut.

She knew exactly what he wanted to hear, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

It was the title she had once longed for the most, back when she would sweetly call him "Hubby." Now, the very word tasted like ash on her tongue.

It felt like a cruel mockery of all the love and devotion she had poured into him over the years.

So unless Sebastian pushed her over the edge, she would never say it again.

"Helena." Sebastian's voice dropped into a dangerous, warning octave. "What do you call me?"

His previously gentle pace instantly morphed back into a punishing, aggressive rhythm.

A suffocating wave of discomfort immediately crashed over her.

Helena's breathing turned ragged and shallow.

Sebastian's dark, predatory gaze never left her face.

The old Helena had never shown a single ounce of defiance.

No matter how shy or reluctant she felt, as long as it pleased him, she would always submit.

Every time those soft lips parted to call him "Hubby," an indescribable rush of dark satisfaction shot straight to his core.

It was impossible to put into words.

But Sebastian knew exactly what it was—it was the ultimate proof of his absolute control over her.

Because she loved him, he could do whatever he wanted without consequence. This chapter was copied from nоvelceo.com without permission.

Now that her devotion was gone, he was desperately clawing to get that feeling back.

He refused to give her an inch.

"Hubby—" Helena finally cried out.

Broken by his vicious onslaught, she couldn't hold out any longer.

"Say it again!" Sebastian demanded gruffly.

Helena repeated it over and over, until he was thoroughly satisfied and finally let her go.

She was drenched in sweat, and Sebastian wasn't in much better shape.

For a moment, the room was terrifyingly quiet.

Helena lay there with her eyes closed, completely drained of every last drop of energy.

Suddenly, she felt something cold slip around her neck. Startled, she instinctively looked down.

It was The Cat Pendant Necklace, glittering with diamonds.

Helena adored cats.

But she was never allowed to keep one at the Hayes Estate.

Because Sebastian was allergic to cat fur.

Even though he barely spent any time at home, he had absolutely forbidden it.

She had secretly taken in a kitten once, but the poor thing had mysteriously vanished without a trace.

She didn't dare think about what had happened to it.

But now, with him casually draping a diamond cat necklace over her collarbones out of nowhere, she was completely thrown off guard. This chapter was copied from no‌velceo.com without permission.

In their seven years of marriage, Sebastian had never personally given her a gift.

Even if she did receive something, it was always delivered by Carter Miles, never by Sebastian himself.

It reminded her of the time she cherished a bracelet she thought he had picked out for her, treating it like a priceless treasure.

Only to find out later that it was just an unwanted cast-off from Janetta Ramirez.

Was this the exact same thing?

"I don't want it—" Helena rejected it instantly, moving to take it off.

But Sebastian caught her wrists, pinning her hands down before she could unfasten the clasp.

"I gave it to you, so you wear it," he ordered in a low, authoritative voice.

"Sebastian, did Janetta toss this away, so you're just regifting it to keep me quiet?" she demanded coldly.

The lingering intimacy between them vanished in an instant.

"Helena, what the hell is that supposed to mean?" His tone turned equally glacial.

She wanted to scream and demand answers.

But the words died in her throat. She suddenly realized there was no point.

In his eyes, she was always the guilty party anyway.

Talking to him was a waste of breath.

"Nothing," she muttered, dropping her struggle.

She could just take it off the second he left the room.

Sebastian stared down at her, his eyes dark and stormy. "You really think I just handed you Janetta's garbage?"

She didn't say a word, but her silence was a deafening confirmation.

"Well, you can relax. I wouldn't carve your initial into something I bought for Janetta. Besides, she hates cats," he stated flatly.