Chapter 144

Sebastian Evans spread his hands, admitting candidly, "I've been focusing on self-cultivation lately. I really shouldn't drink."

Ethan Roscente felt his punch land on cotton, all its force dissipated.

His chest felt tight and uncomfortable.

"Sebastian Evans, is that all the guts you have? Are you even a man?"

"Drinking has nothing to do with guts. Whether I'm a man or not is obvious to anyone with eyes."

Ethan sneered coldly. "Do you reason with Sophia Sullivan like this when you pursue her?"

"No," Sebastian raised an index finger and gently shook it. "She understands reason. There's no need to explain it to her."

"Then what do you talk about?"

"Experiences. Interesting anecdotes. Professional knowledge. Poetry and literature. Even philosophy of life. And sweet nothings. There's too much to talk about. I can't list it all right now."

Ethan felt a lump in his throat.

Sebastian added fuel to the fire. "Want to hear? I can give you a special lecture another day?"

"..."

Unable to gain the upper hand verbally, Ethan could only drown his sorrows in drink.

Two shots of tequila later, he was slightly tipsy. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned his top two buttons.

Sebastian frowned. "Is your stomach condition better?"

"...No."

"With Sophia gone, no one is around to care for you, so you're just letting yourself go completely?"

Mentioning Sophia made Ethan's eyes sting.

He refused to acknowledge it was emotion. He blamed it on the alcohol.

Suddenly, he said in a low voice, "Twelve boxes."

"...What?"

His head was bowed. Sebastian couldn't see his expression. "After she left, I took twelve boxes of stomach medicine."

Sebastian's eyes darkened. "Trying to die? You think torturing yourself will make her soften and come back?"

"Why wouldn't it?!" Ethan's head snapped up, his eyes bloodshot.

"Thinking that proves you don't understand Sophia Sullivan at all." Sebastian signaled a waiter. "Take the alcohol away. Bring two teas."

The waiter was stunned. "Sir, our bar doesn't serve tea..."

Sebastian's gaze turned cold. "Then two glasses of plain water. Do you have that?"

"Yes, yes, right away."

The waiter quickly removed the alcohol and brought two glasses of warm water.

Ethan gave a twisted smile. "I don't understand her? I was with her for six years! Six years!"

"No need to shout. I'm well aware how long you were together. Not understanding her after six years only proves your negligence and failure."

"To put it bluntly, you didn't love her enough."

"Bullshit—" Ethan shot to his feet. "I loved her more than anyone!"

Sebastian looked up, his gaze calm. "If you loved her, why did you break up?"

"..."

"See? Every sentence contradicts itself. Every action digs your own grave. Love isn't about who shouts the loudest. Those six years are just the time you took to lose her."

The fig leaf was torn away, revealing the bloody truth.

It was cruel as a knife.

Sebastian: "You kept saying you loved her, but everything you did trampled on her."

"You trampled her will, her dignity, even her body."

"So a girl like Sophia Sullivan, no matter how much she loved, would leave. It was only a matter of time."

Six years...

Sebastian thought it was far too long.

So long he thought that dazzling girl had truly become a love-crazed marionette.

So long he once doubted and nearly gave up.

Fortunately, she finally took that step and became herself again.

Sebastian: "Six years. She gave you countless chances. Such blatant favoritism..." It was truly enviable!

"Unfortunately, you let her down. So she left decisively, leaving no way back."

This was the real Sophia Sullivan!

When in love, she charged forward fearlessly, betting everything.

When love was gone, she withdrew gracefully, walking her own path alone.

Before, Julian Winston called her "love-struck" and "sick." Now he blames her for being "too ruthless" and "too heartless."

But Sebastian knew Sophia never lived by others' judgments.

Love deeply.

Or leave cleanly.

"The moment she decided to leave, your stomach, your well-being... none of it concerned her anymore."

Ethan swayed slightly and slumped back into his seat.

He opened his mouth. The aggression was gone from his voice. "How much do you think... you understand her?"

Sebastian smiled.

"Women are like books. Who dares claim to have read them thoroughly? Different ages, different circumstances reveal different things."

"I don't need to understand Sophia Sullivan completely in a short time. I only ask to hold her in my hands for this lifetime, day and night as my companion, finding something new with each reading."

"So, to your question, my answer is: I don't understand her much. But you? You don't understand her at all!"

Stung, Ethan grabbed his glass and gulped its contents.

But it was only bland water.

The alcohol had long been taken away.

"Can't win the argument, and now you won't even let me drink?" He smiled bitterly.

Sebastian's expression was blank. "For old times' sake, a word of advice: a little drink pleasures the mood, heavy drinking harms the body. You only have one life. Don't joke with it."

Ethan paused, then tilted his head back and drank the water.

"Sebastian Evans, I shouldn't have asked you out for drinks. This is pointless."

"Yeah," Sebastian sighed, his hand reaching for a cigarette but then putting it down. "I'm not drinking anyway."

Ethan scoffed. "Gave up drinking, fine. Quit smoking too?"

"Trying to. Haven't succeeded yet."

Ethan was stunned. A decades-long chain smoker suddenly quitting?

"Why?"

Sebastian gave a light laugh, his eyes holding mockery and pity.

"I told you you don't understand Sophia, but you wouldn't believe it. She has allergic rhinitis. She's sensitive to smoke. It's not severe, but she always frowns whenever someone lights up."

Ethan was speechless.

Sebastian stood up and patted his shoulder. "Give up early. You won't get her back."

With that, he picked up his jacket and strode away.

"I paid the bill. Don't invite me next time. We're rivals in love now. Not suitable for chatting."