The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 376

Everything about his life right now is a lie—school, his job, all of it. This version of Sebastian is still trapped in those first years after his mother fell ill, when he was penniless and desperate, splitting his days between classes and backbreaking shifts just to scrape together enough for her treatment.

Citrine remembered Sebastian mentioning his mother’s illness. Hearing Phipps bring it up again now, she couldn’t help but ask, “Is his mother… is she still alive?”

Phipps pressed his lips together, pain flickering across his face as old memories surfaced. It took him a long moment to answer. “She passed away. But Sebastian doesn’t know. Please—don’t tell him.”

Citrine nodded silently.

After a pause, she spoke up again. “The Sebastian I met at the party last time… that was his main personality, wasn’t it?” Since Phipps had come to see her, he must know about what happened at the party.

“Yes,” Phipps replied with a nod.

Citrine turned it all over in her mind, then gave a half-smile. “You’re worried if I tell him the truth, it’ll trigger his second personality. And if that happens, the second personality might take over completely.”

Phipps stared at her, astonished. “How did you know?”

She didn’t answer, just continued, “So you want to preserve his primary self.”

“Or, to put it another way, you mean to destroy his second personality.”

Phipps’s faint smile faded away. He didn’t deny it. “That’s right.”

“Sebastian has fought so hard to claw his way out of his past. He built everything he has from scratch—he can’t lose it all now.”

Phipps had always kept an eye on Sebastian, and he knew all about what had happened between Sebastian and Citrine back in Havencrest. Besides, every time Sebastian saw him, he’d find some excuse to bring up this girl. Even if he were a fool, Phipps would still have figured out how Sebastian felt about her.

Sebastian was young, inexperienced in love, probably hadn’t even realized how he felt. But Phipps, who’d lived long enough to know the ways of the world, could see through the confusion of youth. If he couldn’t read a boy’s heart, what had he learned at all?

Citrine, sharp as she was, hadn’t expected this. She stared at Phipps, stunned. “What? That can’t be. We’ve barely even spoken!”

Sebastian liked her? When had that happened? Why hadn’t she noticed?

Phipps’s tone was firm. “I’ve watched him grow up. I know what’s in his heart. He’s never shown the slightest interest in women—except for you.”

“He’s definitely in love with you.”