Love Is but an Illusion

At that instant, my heart was in complete chaos. I quickly stepped in and interrupted their conversation. "Sebastian, Mrs. Ford, what are you two talking about?"

Emily's demeanor changed slightly when she saw me, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Joan, have you been waiting long?" Sebastian's face lit up with a smile once he saw me. "I already asked my assistant to buy soup from your favourite restaurant. Just wait a little longer, okay?"

Nodding, I shot Emily a meaningful look, signaling her to not say anything to Sebastian. I greeted her casually, "Mrs. Ford, are you here at the hospital for something?"

Her expression stiffened for a moment before putting on a calm front. "It's nothing, I just came for a routine check-up."

"Oh." I nodded obediently and fell silent.

However, Sebastian frowned and looked at Emily in confusion. "Mom, what did you say about leaving? What do you mean? Who's leaving?"

"Nothing much. It's nothing important." Emily cut him off before he could ask further. "I'm busy, so I'll be going now."

After saying that, she glared at me before turning to leave. I let out a sigh of relief as I watched her retreating figure.

Fortunately, she hadn't told Sebastian about our deal. At that moment, my phone buzzed with a notification.

I looked down and saw a message from Emily, "Joanna, don't forget our agreement. You'd better leave Sebastian according to our arrangement. Otherwise, I won't let you off."

A grim smile appeared on my face as I simply replied, "Okay."

I put my phone away and gazed at Sebastian's silhouette in the distance. A bitter feeling welled up in my heart. In the past, Sebastian had always been like this. He constantly argued with Emily for my sake.

"Mom, I want to be with Joan no matter what. No one can stop me. If you ever try to hurt Joan, I will never forgive you!" Sebastian used to hold me tightly, his voice unwavering with determination. "Joan, don't worry. No matter what challenges we face, I will never let go of your hand."

Back then, his eyes were filled with hopes for the future and deep affection for me.

However, all this had become nothing more than an illusion now that Cassandra was back in the picture.