In Sebastian’s heart, she had always been his childhood sweetheart, though she never knew who he was.

“And then what happened?” Abigail asked, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Then after that one glimpse, you slowly grew up,” Sebastian reached out and gently tapped her forehead.

Abigail hugged her cat and leaned back on the sofa, watching the TV screen. “All these years, you kept it to yourself pretty well,” she said softly.

“I didn’t want to complicate your life,” Sebastian replied.

“Ren told me something. The first time, you developed separation anxiety because of your mother. The second time, it came back when I was sentenced to prison. Is that true?” There was sympathy in Abigail’s voice.

Everything about Sebastian matched what Abigail had always imagined as a partner. Their connection was like a gentle stream, steady and constant, without dramatic ups and downs.

“That’s about right. The day I found out about your sentence, my anxiety suddenly came back. I was still trying to find you a lawyer, but then you were convicted, and you gave up your appeal."

“Everything was final, and I didn’t know what else I could do,” Sebastian sighed deeply.

Abigail said, “Back then, I thought no one could help me. The Gibson family had hurt me so badly that I didn’t see the point in fighting anymore.”

Her voice was full of regret. “If I had known my benefactor was fighting for me, I would never have given up.”

If just one person had told her they were trying to help, she would have kept fighting.

“If only I had met you back then,” Sebastian murmured quietly.

When Abigail was twelve and he was fifteen, something began to stir. By the time she turned fourteen and he was seventeen, he had developed feelings for her that went beyond brotherly affection.

At seventeen, he dreamed about Abigail.

The girl who lived thousands of miles away appeared in his dream, calling him “Seb.” He woke with a start, but her image from that dream stayed with him forever.

It became his secret burden as a teenage boy.

He felt guilty, as if he had somehow violated her innocence. Here was this girl who knew nothing about him, completely unaware that somewhere far away, a guy like him was thinking about her, fantasizing about her.

He watched his high school classmates pair off into couples and felt envious. But Abigail was so far away, and they were practically strangers to each other.

At that time, he believed that Beth was correct. Having Abigail come live with Dorian while he harbored these feelings would have been wrong. So he kept his distance from her.

He avoided her so carefully that when something terrible happened to her, he found out too late to help.

He still hated himself for that.

Abigail stood there now, speechless.

For a long time, the Gibson family had beaten her down so badly that she’d lost all confidence. She would cry in secret, then tell Beth she was doing great with the Gibsons.

She had food, drinks, clothes, and everything else so much better than the orphanage. Sure, her room wasn’t as nice as what Christian, Stephen, or Daniella had, but it was her space with her wardrobe and vanity mirror—nothing like the orphanage where everyone crammed together to sleep.

Abigail had never experienced what a real wealthy heiress’ life was like.

When she first arrived at Gibson Villa, she’d been more than satisfied. Even though she got the worst of everything, she couldn’t tell. Compared to her previous life, it was paradise. The only thing missing was emotional fulfillment.

After crying, she’d tell herself she was asking for too much, being too greedy.

“It’s all in the past anyway. I’m hungry,” Abigail said, not wanting to dwell on it anymore.

“Jim and Ren are coming over soon. We’re having a feast tonight, so just wait to be fed,” Sebastian said.

“Oh,” Abigail responded. “Then I’ll go to your study first. I still have work to handle.”

“About Gibson Group–once your family goes to prison, Ren will help you clean up the mess. You don’t need to rush and rack your brain dealing with it now. You’re just putting on a show for them anyway,” Sebastian reminded her.

As he spoke, they heard voices outside. Soon, James and Warren came in carrying ingredients.

“Oh man! This is killing me. Abby, come help me out and take your fruit cake,” James called out, instantly bringing life to the room.

The cats scattered in every direction, darting under furniture and disappearing into corners. Within seconds, not a single cat remained in the living room.

Abigail walked over to take the fruit cake from him. “What’s wrong with you? They weren’t this scared of you last time.”

“It’s not me they’re afraid of. It’s Ren. This guy’s done so many bad things, even the cats can sense it,” James protested.