Crown Up! From Discarded Wife To Unrivaled Empress

Sebastian offered no resistance, letting Lilliana hover at his side.

He carried himself like a man accustomed to admiration. Calling him merely good-looking fell short. His bone structure was precise and striking, and a quiet refinement shaped even his smallest gesture.

He wore a black shirt, the top buttons undone, a strip of gauze circling his lean forearm. Instead of appearing rumpled, he gave off a faint, unruly charm.

It was hardly surprising that Lilliana remained spellbound by him, even though he was already married.

Sebastian leaned forward and helped Lilliana to her feet. "Sit down for a bit. Don't stay crouched there. You've looked already. I'm alright."

"This is because of me. If you hadn't come to meet me today, you wouldn't have ended up in that crash." Lilliana spoke as she sat down on the bench, settling close and resting against him.

Coralie remained at a distance, unable to step closer. The cold prickling her skin was trivial compared to the icy weight pressing inside her chest.

She had told herself long ago that she no longer expected anything from Sebastian, yet watching him dote on another woman now felt like a dull blade dragging across her heart, slow and merciless.

Between her and Lilliana, who was truly the wife?

A physician walked up to Coralie with two documents in hand and said apologetically, "I'm very sorry. There's been an error. Your husband is unharmed. Another Mr. Spencer is the one requiring urgent treatment. Ten vehicles collided, and the emergency ward has been overwhelmed."

"It's fine," Coralie answered quickly, turning to go, only for her gaze to collide with Sebastian's. His expression was unreadable, stripped of any visible feeling.

Too much time had passed since their last encounter, and the air between them turned stiff without warning.

Coralie tightened her hold on the strap of her purse.

After a brief pause, Sebastian broke the silence with a faint laugh. "So you rushed over because you thought I was on my last breath. Are you let down to see me without a scratch?"

"Whether I showed up or not changes nothing," Coralie replied coolly, her eyes shifting toward Lilliana.

Lilliana met her look with a trace of discomfort. "Coralie, this happened because of me. If Seb hadn't picked me up for work, he wouldn't have been caught in the accident. Rain always makes the roads dangerous."

Though her tone carried a hint of apology, her eyes gleamed with quiet provocation, emboldened by the protection she felt at Sebastian's side.

Coralie pulled her gaze away without acknowledging her and moved toward the exit.

She understood now that such small manipulations had only wounded her before because she had loved Sebastian and refused to let go.

With divorce already decided in her mind, she had no desire to entertain these childish contests with Lilliana.

"Coralie!" Sebastian called after her without warning.

She did not pause at the sound of her name. Instead, she lengthened her stride toward the exit.

Sebastian's eyes narrowed as he watched her walk away, a cold glint settling in them. When had she begun to treat him as though he were nothing?

"Seb…" Lilliana clutched his sleeve.

Her voice came out so faint that he paid it no heed, straightening to his full height.

Lilliana's eyes flushed red at once, and she raised her voice slightly. "Seb!"

Only then did he glance back, brushing her hair lightly in a gesture meant to pacify a child. "I'll head out first. Go to work and behave."

After speaking, he did not wait for her reply. He strode toward the exit, leaving her rooted in place, staring after him with a trace of bitterness in her gaze.

Outside the emergency entrance, Sebastian spotted Coralie just as she reached her vehicle.

He let out a quiet breath and moved quickly to her side. "I'll ride back with you."

Coralie kept her feelings in check and answered icily, "Our routes aren't the same."

He replied as though stating the obvious, "My car's wrecked. You can drop me off."

It dawned on Coralie then that he had followed her solely because he required transportation.

Before she could speak, Sebastian continued, "To Moon Estate."

A humorless sound slipped from Coralie's lips. "Mr. Spencer, more than a year has passed, and you've finally decided to step back into that house."

In the next instant, as she lifted her gaze, the corner of her eye caught sight of Lilliana standing at the entrance, watching them from the steps.