Delete My Billionaire Husband

Chapter 8

Lillian Grayson's first social media post cut like a knife. The photo showed Sebastian Kingsley's slender fingers peeling shrimp, the glistening morsel landing neatly in Lillian's bowl. Annabelle Whitmore stared at the screen for three seconds before turning away to pull out an album. The pictures of her and Sebastian crackled in the flames of the fireplace, the glow painting her pale face crimson.

The next day, Lillian posted again—a cinematic kiss beneath a plane tree, so perfect it could have been a movie poster. Annabelle stood in the backyard, watching workers uproot the cherry tree Sebastian had planted himself. As the trunk crashed to the ground, she heard the sound of her own heart shattering.

On the third day came a nine-photo grid. A screenshot of Sebastian confessing his love during a livestream, adorned with pink hearts. Annabelle opened the safe, pulling out stacks of yellowed love letters that still carried the faint scent of ink. Her fingers traced over the words "I'll love you forever," before she fed them, expressionless, into the paper shredder.

The morning light was unusually harsh on the day she left. Annabelle opened her eyes to find Sebastian standing by the bed, her phone in his hand, his brow furrowed.

"Annabelle, this text about identity erasure—" His voice was tight.

She snatched the phone back. The confirmation of her account deletion glared back at her. Suppressing the pounding in her chest, she said, "My account was hacked."

Sebastian exhaled in relief, then produced a small box from behind his back like a magician. "Guess what I got you?"

"Mochi from the east side," she answered without hesitation.

His eyes lit up. "How did you know?"

How could I not? Every time they fought during their relationship, he would cross half the city to buy those sweets as an apology. The sweet aroma had always melted her anger. Back then, he'd tease her for being easy to appease, and she'd poke his forehead and say, "It's not that I'm easy—it's that I still love you."

"Can't fool you," Sebastian said with a grin, leaning in.

Annabelle took the box, murmuring, "No, you can't hide anything from me."

A strange unease flickered across Sebastian's face, but before he could react, she turned and walked into the bathroom. When she emerged, he was already rushing toward the door.

Lillian stood at the villa's entrance, wearing a loose maternity dress, her belly slightly rounded.

"Are you insane?" Sebastian grabbed her wrist. "I told you never to come here!"

Lillian tugged at his tie, her eyes red-rimmed. "I missed you." She pressed his hand against her stomach. "The baby missed Daddy too."

He pulled away. "I'll have my assistant take you back."

"No!" She rose onto her toes and kissed him. At first, he resisted—then he took control. They clung to each other in the garden, lost in the embrace, until he finally broke away, breathless. "Wait in the car."

Annabelle retreated silently inside.

"Work emergency," Sebastian said when he returned, a sheen of sweat on his temple. "I'll come back as soon as I can."

Annabelle lifted her gaze to his. The eyes that had once sparkled with affection were now hollow.

"Go," she said, her voice feather-light.

Relieved, he pressed a kiss to her hair and hurried out. Once the engine faded into the distance, Annabelle dropped the mochi into the trash and wiped away the tears she hadn’t realized had fallen.

Her suitcase was already packed. Taking one last look at the house filled with memories, she sent Sebastian a message: "You can open the anniversary gift now."

He replied instantly: "Wait for me. We'll see it together."

Annabelle laughed softly. She forwarded every explicit message Lillian had sent her, then snapped her SIM card in half. The morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, gilding the edges of her luggage.

From this day forward, Annabelle Whitmore would no longer exist.