Chapter 2 Returning To The Warren Estate

Wesley's restraint unraveled behind Roselyn, a prickling numbness spreading along her scalp as his movement turned rough.

Knowing she was seconds from giving herself away, panic sharpened Roselyn's voice. "Okay, we'll talk later, Kevin. I'll text you the address," she said into the phone, forcing steadiness she didn't feel.

Without waiting for a reply, Roselyn wrenched the phone from Wesley's hand and killed the call, breath hitching as she set it down.

The instant the screen went dark, she twisted hard and tore free, stumbling a step away from Wesley. Heat still burned across her cheeks as she spun back, anger tangled with a thin thread of fear. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" she snapped, her gaze blazing.

A lazy arch of Wesley's brow answered her. Defiance sat easily on his face as he smirked. "So tell me, how did it feel sneaking around with me while Kevin was on the line? Kind of exhilarating, right?"

Closing the distance, he dipped his head toward her ear. Warm breath grazed her skin, his voice dropping into a slow, taunting murmur. "Admit it, Roselyn. You clearly enjoyed it."

Color rushed to Roselyn's cheeks all at once, betraying her sudden shyness. With a sharp turn of her head, she looked away, jaw locked tight, the urge to argue burning in her chest-yet no sound emerged. The truth of his words pressed down on her like a weight, leaving her defenseless.

Suppressing the turbulent emotions in her heart, Roselyn avoided Wesley's gaze and began pulling on her clothes with stiff, hurried movements. "Doing it in Zoinbury is fine," she said flatly, fingers trembling as she fastened her buttons. "No one there knew about us. But this is Radena. Things aren't the same anymore." She paused, breath shallow. "From now on, we need to stay away from each other."

After fastening the last button, she slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed her suitcase, and stepped toward the door without looking back.

From behind her came Wesley's voice-low, even, impossible to read. "So that's it? You got what you wanted, and now you're walking away."

Her steps faltered for a heartbeat and then hastened, heels striking the floor as she fled the hotel room as though chased by something she couldn't face.

Yet, she was unaware that whether they would truly stop seeing each other was never really up to her.

By identity, Roselyn belonged to the Warren family-not by blood, but by name. When she was eight, Kevin's grandmother, Beth Warren, had taken her from a children's home and brought her into the family. For more than ten years, the Warren family had raised her, and for just as long, she had carefully worn the mask of the obedient, gentle daughter they expected her to be.

Bad blood ran deep between Wesley and Kevin, their rivalry long ago spilling beyond the men themselves and poisoning both families.

Whether out of self-preservation or sheer necessity, Roselyn knew she could never let the Warren family-or Kevin-learn the truth about her entanglement with Wesley. Whatever bound her to Wesley had been condemned from the start, meant to exist only in secrecy and silence.

After hurriedly leaving the hotel, Roselyn deliberately wandered several streets away before finally sending her location to Kevin.

His concise response came swiftly. "Wait there. I'm on my way."

The words on her phone blurred as she stared at them, a muted ache blooming quietly in her chest. Telling her to wait came naturally to him. Years slipped by while she obeyed, enduring silence and distance without complaint. Exile followed-driven out of Radena and left to survive alone in Zoinbury for three long years. Even after that, patience was demanded of her again, right up until the moment she heard about his engagement.

By late autumn, Radena's air had turned cruel, the cold biting straight through fabric and skin. A slicing gust rushed past, prompting Roselyn to clutch her trench coat tighter as she dropped her eyes, masking the disappointment on her face.

Moments later, a sleek black Bentley eased to a stop at the curb in front of her.

The driver stepped out promptly, lifted her suitcase, and opened the rear door with practiced courtesy, waiting in silence.

The moment the car door swung open, Roselyn caught sight of Kevin seated inside the car. Clad in a cool gray suit, he wore his shirt fastened cleanly to the collar, every line of him crisp and restrained. A quiet polish clung to his presence-elegant without being aloof, composed yet unmistakably gentle.

Nothing about that familiar warmth had changed over the past three years. When his gaze lifted to her, a faint smile curved at the corner of his lips, soft and gentle. "Roselyn."

Nearly three and a half years had passed since they last stood face-to-face. In that instant, to Roselyn, he felt achingly familiar and impossibly foreign all at once. Everything she had forced herself to suppress surged upward without warning, emotion crashing into her chest.

Moisture blurred her vision. Afraid she might lose control, she dropped her gaze, stepped into the car, and murmured in a low, unsteady voice, "Kevin."

With a muted purr of the engine, the black Bentley eased forward and disappeared into the street.

Kevin didn't question her sudden return at all; instead, his eyes slid down to her foot, brows knitting faintly. His question came low and careful, unmistakably anxious. "Your ankle-how bad was the sprain?"

With a small, reflexive motion, Roselyn drew her foot back, unease flickering briefly across her features. "It's already better. I just twisted it a little while walking."

"Try to be more careful."

She nodded lightly, answering just as softly, "I will."

The few words they exchanged felt clipped, wrapped in an unmistakable sense of emotional distance.

Kevin looked as though he meant to say more, but the vibration of his phone cut in, and once he took the call, his focus shifted entirely to company matters.

Roselyn stayed still in the seat, hands folded, choosing silence as the car glided forward.

Night was settling in as the car rolled through the gates of the Warren estate.

Warm lights spilled across the grounds, leaving the mansion glowing against the deepening dusk.

After ending his call, Kevin stepped out first and then turned back as Roselyn followed him from the car. "While you were in Zoinbury those three years, my parents mentioned you more than once," he remarked in an even, measured tone.

Unsure whether the words came from real concern or polite obligation, Roselyn curved her lips into a restrained smile. "I missed them as well."

The moment Roselyn crossed the threshold, bursts of laughter floated in from the living room, lively and intimate. Standing there, she suddenly felt like an outsider intruding on a scene that had continued perfectly well without her.

Noticing her arrival, Kevin's mother, Jordyn Warren, paused mid-smile, the expression stiffening for a heartbeat before smoothing back into practiced warmth.

"Roselyn, you're back." Jordyn's gaze swept Roselyn from head to toe, appraising. Then, she rose and reached out, drawing Roselyn closer.

"Sylvia, there's someone I'd like you to be introduced to," Jordyn said, smiling warmly at Sylvia. "This is Roselyn Hayes. She's been living in Zoinbury and only returned today."

Turning back to Roselyn, Jordyn added, "Roselyn, this is Kevin's girlfriend, Sylvia Foster. She'll be joining the family soon."