Gone Before Goodbye novel Chapter 2

Since Sabrina was heading to a place where nationalities meant nothing, she would need to bring all her solo research data with her. However, those samples and data were all stored in a special place at the laboratory.

Opening that special door required both Cassius' and her fingerprints and passcodes. Hence, they both needed to be present for the door to unlock.

Not long later, Sabrina finally had Sebastian back in her arms again. The young boy's face was streaked with tears, and he swiftly fell asleep due to exhaustion.

Pressing a kiss to Sebastian's forehead, Sabrina asked, "Seb, are you willing to leave with me?"

Sebastian's lashes quivered as he opened his eyes to look at Sabrina. He cried out tearfully, "Mommy, I was nearly thrown into the ocean."

He was only five, yet he already seemed somewhat aware of what was happening. After all, the one who took him away was none other than Cassius' personal assistant.

Sabrina's eyes instantly grew misty. "Seb, if you leave with me, you won't get to see your father ever again. Are you okay with that?"

Wrapping his tiny arms around his mother's neck, Sebastian nodded. "I'll go wherever you go, Mommy."

Sabrina brought Sebastian to Folane Pharmaceuticals, where she used her fingerprint and passcode to reach the highest-clearance-level laboratory.

However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't unlock that door.

Through the glass door, she peered inside at the computer and various test samples. She had conducted one experiment alone and wanted to take the research data with her.

"Mommy, what do we do? Without Daddy, you can't open this door."

The memory of when she and Cassius first built this laboratory surfaced in Sabrina's mind. At the time, they had been saving their fingerprints and passcodes when Cassius hugged her.

He murmured into her ear, "Rina, don't tell me your passcode, and I also won't tell you mine. What lies behind this door is the company's most valuable treasure. Only when we're both here can we open this door and see what's inside. This way, we'll always have something connecting us. We'll never be apart."

When they were in love, this method was a way to rely on one another. But once the love faded, it became the perfect way to protect themselves from each other.

"Cassius, five years ago, did you ever think a day like this would come?" Sabrina wondered.

In the end, she failed to open the laboratory door and could only leave empty-handed.

She brought Sebastian straight to the second floor of the building, where their home was.

For the past few years, she had been living at the company with Sebastian and Cassius. It wasn't until Natalie came into their lives that they bought a villa and actually lived like a family there.

Hence, everything here had been DIY projects completed by Sabrina and Cassius before Natalie came into the picture.

Sabrina went through all of her belongings there, separating them into what Cassius had bought for her, what she had bought for him, and the couple-themed items she had bought for them.

At the same time, Sebastian was also looking through his possessions.

"Daddy bought this for me, so I don't want it anymore. Mommy bought this for me, so I'm taking it with me. This is our family portrait. I don't want it either."

The young boy was quick to separate his items into three different plastic bags.

As Sabrina stared at the way Sebastian categorized his belongings, she could only try to hold in her tears.

"Cassius, you have no idea how smart Seb is. He might not have outright said it, but he's definitely aware that you've abandoned him," she thought.

Sebastian ran over and wrapped his mother in a hug while wiping away her tears with his small hand.

"Mommy, you've always wanted to go to that laboratory, haven't you? You said that the oceans make up three-quarters of our world, so we need to protect them. That's why you've always wanted to become a protector of the oceans, right? You're the best, Mommy! Go make your dreams come true. I'll always support you and be with you!"

Sabrina stared at a painting hanging on the wall.

Cassius was quite adept at painting. When Sebastian was just two years old, he had done an oil painting of the young boy and Sabrina.

Sabrina approached the painting, opened the box of oil paints nearby, and picked up a brush. Then, she started to slowly blot herself out.

When Sebastian saw that, he instantly grabbed a small brush and copied Sabrina, blotting out the image of himself in the painting.

Natalie instantly leaned into Cassius' chest while sobbing, "Ms. Lirrel, the ones who bullied me are all from Zarania. They said that someone paid them to do this to me. You're the one who sent me to that academy, so I'm sure it wasn't you."

Cassius responded with a frosty glare in Sabrina's direction.

"Sabrina, you're allowed to dislike Nat, but as I've said before, I have to take care of her until she graduates at 25, when her uncle returns. However, it seems that my constant backing off has resulted in you bullying Nat again and again."

Their loud voices caused Sebastian to stir awake.

Seeing Sebastian about to turn his head, Sabrina stopped him. "Seb, close your eyes and ears. Don't listen to this."

Sabrina tried her hardest to calm her raging emotions. "Cassius, the Beckley Music Academy is one of the global top three music academies. If there's bullying going on, you can report it to the police or even look into the matter yourself. You shouldn't be questioning me."

Natalie was still weeping. "Ms. Lirrel, I was wrong. I was wrong."

She abruptly fell to her knees and started begging, "Please, Ms. Lirrel, I only ask that I be allowed to study here in Belleron. I can even stay on campus! I promise I'll only come back one day each month. No, even half a day is fine. Just please, don't send me away! Those people will kill me!"

It was as if Natalie's tears had a kind of magic that bewitched Cassius. There, right in front of Sabrina, he scooped Natalie up into his arms before shooting a harsh glare at Sabrina.

"We'll talk more in my study later. I have to comfort Nat first."

Sabrina headed upstairs, feeling numb.

Sebastian, who was leaning against her shoulder, said in a childish voice, "Mommy, can we hurry up and leave Daddy?"

As she gently stroked his back, Sabrina felt utterly heartbroken. "Yeah. Once I've settled everything, we can go. I'll try to be quick."

She continued down to the second-floor corridor with Sebastian. In order to reach his room, she would have to walk past Natalie's room.

As she walked past, she noticed that the door wasn't fully shut and had been left slightly ajar. Through the gap, she could see Cassius pinning Natalie to the bed while a hand slipped under her dress.

Sabrina froze at once, a flicker of pain flashing through her eyes. She bitterly wondered if this was what Cassius had meant by taking care of Natalie.