The old Janetta Ramirez had just been putting on an act.

As long as she played the victim, Sebastian Hayes's heart would soften, and she would always come back to him.

But now—

Helena Wallace slightly furrowed her brows. She couldn't explain why, but a wave of anxiety washed over her, a suffocating feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

She forced herself to stop overthinking.

The baby in her belly was restless. After Helena gently soothed her stomach, she leaned against the edge of the bed and drifted off to sleep.

At .

A commotion echoed through the villa.

Helena was a light sleeper to begin with, and her senses had only heightened since becoming pregnant.

She opened her eyes, threw off the covers, and walked out of the room.

She froze in her tracks.

Beau Sterling had brought Sebastian home.

A heavy stench of alcohol filled the living room, and the butler was already awake.

Her mind flashed back to the recent media reports.

Helena let out a self-deprecating scoff in her mind, though her expression remained completely detached.

Beau shifted his gaze toward her. "Helena, Sebastian had a bit too much to drink. I'll have to leave him in your hands."

Regardless of what Beau actually thought of her, on the surface, he at least maintained a baseline of respect for Mrs. Hayes.

For the past seven years of their marriage, whenever Sebastian came home drunk, Helena was always the one to take care of him.

Because in moments like this, Sebastian only wanted Helena. New chapters come out on novelceo . com first.

Anyone else getting close would only trigger his violent resistance, making the situation far worse.

Understanding this unspoken rule, the butler tactfully stepped aside, knowing better than to ask for trouble.

But this time, Helena merely gave Beau a flat, indifferent look.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sterling. I'm pregnant, so I really can't look after him. The butler will have to handle it." She refused him flat out.

The rejection caught Beau off guard.

For a split second, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

He looked at Helena quietly, his mind drifting back to earlier that night.

Sebastian had called him out to a private club for drinks. By the time Beau arrived, Sebastian was already heavily intoxicated.

He had assumed it was solely because Janetta had left.

But that wasn't the entire truth.

Part of the reason was Helena.

When Sebastian was dead drunk, he had let something slip.

His words had been slurred but revealing.

It seemed Helena wasn't entirely insignificant in Sebastian's heart after all.

They had been married for seven years. Even a dog would develop an attachment over that amount of time, let alone a human being.

Not to mention, they shared the same bed.

But as an outsider, there were many things Beau simply couldn't say.

Right now, looking into Helena's eyes, all he saw was absolute resolve and finality.

She had given up on this relationship.

He fell silent, deciding not to push the issue.

Hearing her response, the butler quickly stepped forward. "Mr. Sterling, please let me take Mr. Hayes. I'll take good care of him." Read the latest chapters at novelceo . com.

Beau gave a slight nod.

But the moment the butler's hand touched Sebastian, he was violently shoved away.

"Get the hell out!" Sebastian roared, his breath reeking of liquor.

Caught off guard, the butler stumbled backward.

The furious shout was deafening in the dead of the night.

A heavy silence instantly fell over the room. Even Beau had no idea what Sebastian was going to do next.

"Helena, get over here." Sebastian's wrath was aimed squarely at her.

Beau frowned slightly, and the butler tensed.

Helena remained rooted to the spot, completely unmoving.

Why should she go over there?

Sebastian had spent the entire night drinking himself into a stupor over Janetta Ramirez, yet he was bringing his madness back home to take out on her.

Did he really think she was that worthless?

Even if she was, she refused to let Sebastian trample all over her anymore.

She flashed him a cold, bitter smile. "I'm not going over there. I'm not in any condition to help."

With that, Helena turned on her heel and headed straight for the master bedroom on the second floor.

A loud crash erupted from behind her.

Helena jumped at the noise, but she didn't look back.