Kneeling for a Second Chance Novel

---- Chapter 313 Sebastian's body was wound out tightly, determined to bind her in his arms. "T'm already beyond saving, though. I'll never get better." Sebastian grabbed her hand, unfastened the buttons at his chest, and pressed her palm hard against his wound. "I'll never heal in this lifetime, so it's already been decided for you. You'll never be rid of me." "That's twisted logic." Valeria tried to pull her hand away. She felt that her palm was burning so hot that her whole hand trembled uncontrollably. Sebastian reached into the pocket of her coat and found the coin.

Pulling it out, he glanced at it before tossing it upward. As it fell onto the bed, his hand closed swiftly over it. "If it's tails, we get married tomorrow. Do you dare to bet on it?" Sebastian's gaze locked onto her face. Outside, the first pale light of dawn spread across the sky, breaking through the clouds. His stare was intense , forbidding her to look away, and his breathing was heavy and resolute.

He said, "If it's heads, you walk out of this room and we'll go our separate ways forever." Valeria looked at his hand, as if she was trying to pierce through his palm and glimpse at the coin hidden underneath. ---- "I." She gaped for a moment. "Can you promise me that you'll leave me alone if it's heads?" "Tcan't, and I won't promise that. I can only promise to try to keep as much distance as possible. I'll apply for a transfer to the Amaran branch." Sebastian shut his eyes and clenched his teeth hard. "Didn't you want fate to decide for you?

Fine, then let's bank it on this coin." His other hand gripped her wrist. "Fifty-fifty. If you lose, you'll be Mrs. Grant. If you win, you'll stay as Ms. Neal." Sebastian continued, "If you don't want to bet, then take back what you said. You're not willing to let fate decide whether I'll be ignored or not!" "Fine, accept the bet!" Valeria said clearly and quickly, worried that she would regret it. She didn't know which side the coin was showing under his palm. She bet everything on this toss. Slowly, Sebastian lifted his hand. Beneath it, the coin showed tails.

Tails was a hexagram star while heads was the image of a king. Valeria's eyes stung, and her vision blurred as she stared at the six-pointed star etched on the coin. Through her haze, she saw the faint smile curving on Sebastian's handsome face. He had won. ---- Winning once in this lifetime was enough. Valeria said raspily, "You cheated." "Then, shall we toss it again?" Through her teary, blurred vision, she saw him flick the coin upward. It spun in slow motion before their eyes and landed on the bed. Once again, it was tails. Valeria picked up the coin.

Sebastian quickly snatched it back from her fingers, clenching it tight in his palm. He was afraid she would notice if she looked too closely. The coin's weight was uneven. Eight or nine times out of ten, it would land on tails. Valeria didn't play games, so naturally, she didn't know about it. He pulled her into his arms, rubbing his cheek against her neck. Her skin was cooler than his and felt soothing. His chest throbbed with excitement. It was trembling so intensely that he nearly wanted to cry. "Honey, when are we getting married?" Valeria was still dazed.

She was stunned into a long silence. She didn't know how to respond to him calling her that, and he was holding her so tightly that she could hardly breathe. She struggled slightly for air. After a long silence, she lowered her gaze and said softly, " ---- Tomorrow's Sunday..." "Then, the day after tomorrow." Sebastian's voice was resolute. "Valeria, there's no taking it back now."