Thea’s POV

That threatening note kept circling in my head, impossible to shake off. Every time I read it, a sense of foreboding washed over me. I’d been cleaning like a woman possessed all morning, trying to keep my hands busy while my mind refused to settle. I tossed the mop into the bucket with more force than necessary, water splashing onto the kitchen floor I’d just finished cleaning. Fuck. Now I had to start over.

I considered reporting the note to Chief Hawthorne, but didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. After all, it was just a note. What if Jaxon was right and this really was just some stupid prank?

My phone suddenly rang, making me jump. I dropped the mop and went to answer it, my heart racing when I saw Sebastian’s name flashing on the screen. I almost hung up immediately but ended up answering anyway.

“Hello,” I forced my voice to sound emotionless.

“Hey, how are you?” he asked, sounding uncertain.

I swear, I could never get used to this version of Sebastian. It was so fucking unlike him. Like he woke up one day and became someone else entirely. If he’d actually changed, I needed time to adjust to this new him.

“Did you need something?” I asked, cutting to the chase.

“Yeah. I just wanted to let you know I’m going away for a few days,” he told me, which confused me a bit.

“Oh, okay, so you want me to tell Leo?”

Leo was at school. He’d be disappointed because he didn’t like it when Sebastian went on trips, but he’d understand.

Sebastian paused before answering. “He already knows, but I wanted you to know too.”

I was a bit shocked. Sebastian never used to tell me when he was going on trips. Before, he’d leave in the morning and not come back at night. Usually, it was Leo who’d tell me Sebastian wouldn’t be coming home, after I’d already prepared food for him. He would tell our son, but never me. It was fucking disrespectful. But he’d never cared. He knew every time he did this it hurt me, and that was exactly why he kept doing it.

“I really don’t see how this concerns me, Sebastian. I’m not your anything,” I tried not to make my tone too sharp, but it was hard. Now, every time he did something nice, it just reminded me of everything he’d done before. Those memories branded into my brain were difficult to forget or move past.

“I know, but I thought it was basic courtesy to let you know,” he said slowly, like he was dealing with an unpredictable animal.

Against my better judgment, I scoffed. “Courtesy? You never had any courtesy when we were married, so I don’t understand why it’s necessary now.”

There was silence between us for a moment before I spoke again. “Whatever, it doesn’t matter because I don’t want to argue with you.”

He sighed. “I don’t want to either,” he paused. “Listen, my plane is ready, but when I get back, we need to talk. There’s something I need to tell you, and it’s important.”

My curiosity was immediately piqued. “Can’t you just tell me now?”

“No. This is something I need to tell you face to face.”

I fucking hated waiting. When someone does this to me—tells me we need to talk and then makes me wait before telling me what they want to say—it usually causes serious anxiety. I’d overthink during the entire waiting period, coming up with all sorts of scenarios that might not be true.

I heard other voices on his end. “I have to go. Take care, and we’ll talk when I get back.”

Before I could say anything more, the call disconnected. I groaned in frustration. Damn it. What the hell did he want to talk about?

“Thea!” a shout pulled me from my thoughts.

I sighed in resignation. Great. Now I was going to be in this weird state until Sebastian told me what he wanted to talk about.