Chapter 4 Selena's POV

I reached out instinctively, fingertips brushing only cool sheets. My eyes blinked open to soft light spilling across the cabin floor. The fire had burned out, leaving only a faint trail of smoke curling from the embers. The scent of cedar lingered in the air, mingled with him.

Luca.

I sat up slowly, the blanket slipping down to my waist, revealing bare skin and the sharp ache of memory. My entire body still hummed with the ghost of his touch. The way he looked at me like I was more than just a name on a marriage contract, the way he listened like my words mattered. Now, he's gone.

No note, no goodbye. Not even the soft click of the door to wake me.

I wrapped the blanket tighter around myself and stood, wincing at the soreness in my muscles, a reminder of the night we shared. My heart was doing that stupid thing again-hoping. Hoping maybe he'd gone out for firewood or to clear his head. That he'd walk back through that door and say he needed to see me again, that he felt the connection too. But the stillness in the room told me otherwise. Luca wasn't coming back.

I walked to the window and pulled aside the curtain. The clearing outside was empty. His car-if he'd even come with one-was nowhere in sight. The snow was trampled by footprints leading to the trees and vanishing into them.

That was it. A night that had meant something to me and nothing to him. I didn't even know his last name or where he lives, just a first name and a feeling I couldn't shake.

My chest tightened.

I wasn't a romantic, my life has been far too scripted for that. Arranged meetings, polite suitors, conversations filled with rehearsed charm and carefully chosen compliments. I have mastered the art of pretending-pretending to be okay, that I didn't feel trapped or I didn't want more.

But Luca shattered all of that with a single night. And now he's vanished like a ghost, leaving me in the wreckage of my own emotions.

I tried to tell myself he was just being smart. No strings, no complications. Maybe he was never supposed to be more than a passing moment. Maybe the timing wasn't right, he probably has secrets too-baggage he didn't want to share with a runaway bride hiding out in the woods.

He was just a man. A handsome, mysterious stranger who offered escape in the moment I needed it most. I couldn't afford to fall apart over a fantasy, not when I've finally broken free from the gilded prison of my life.

I dropped the curtain and sighed, running a hand through my hair. Get it together, Selena.

I padded into the kitchen, wrapped in a blanket like a makeshift robe, and started a pot of coffee. The silence was too loud. I needed something to occupy my thoughts. Something other than him, because the reality was cruel and sobering: I was alone. I had run away from a wedding arranged like a business merger. My father would be livid, and Damien... I didn't even want to think about what he'd do.

And sooner or later, someone would find me.

I picked up my phone, which had been powered off since I got here. My finger hovered over the power button. Part of me wanted to check in to see how much chaos I've caused, to know if they were looking for me. But another part-the louder, more desperate part-was still clinging to this fragile sense of freedom.

Freedom tasted bittersweet this morning.

When the coffee was ready, I poured a cup and sat on the couch, pulling my knees to my chest. The silence settled around me again, pressing against my ribs.

What now?

I couldn't stay here forever. The cabin has been my sanctuary, but it wasn't real life. Real life was out there-looming, demanding, inescapable. And after last night, I felt more exposed than ever.

I looked down at the coffee trembling slightly in my hands and realized something with an ache that curled deep in my chest: I didn't want to go back to the life I had, the expectations and a marriage that felt like a trap disguised in lace and gold.

I closed my eyes and leaned back against the couch, breathing in the silence.

I didn't regret leaving for a second.

But for the first time, I wondered if I was ready for the storm that would follow.

*****

The afternoon sky was soft and gray, and I still hadn't moved from the couch.

The scent of stale coffee clung to my sweater, and the weight of last night still pulsed quietly beneath my skin. I tried not to think about Luca again.

My phone buzzed violently on the table beside me, jolting me from my thoughts.

Unknown number.

My chest tightened. I hesitated for a heartbeat, then picked it up and answered without a word.

"Miss Selena?" a nervous voice whispered. "It's-it's me. Aaron."

I sat up straighter, breath catching in my throat. "Aaron," I whispered. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

There was silence on the other end-long enough to make me wonder if the call had dropped-then, "Not really. I don't have much time. I borrowed someone's phone. I just... I needed you to know."

My heartbeat pounded in my ears. "Talk to me."

"They're turning the house upside down looking for you. Your father's in a rage like I've never seen before. He's-he's threatening the staff, saying whoever helped you escape will pay." Aaron's voice cracked. "He called it treason. Said he'd make an example of them."

I felt the blood drain from my face. My fingers curled tightly around the phone.

"Someone's going to figure out it was me," he continued, quieter now, breath trembling. "He's watching the staff closely. They'll trace the car logs, the camera feed... I can only delete so much. I tried to cover your tracks, but he's not stopping."

I pressed my palm to my forehead, panic and guilt sweeping through me like wildfire. Aaron has been my driver since I was a teenager. He wasn't just an employee, he was my friend. The only one who ever truly looked out for me in that mansion.

And now he was in danger because of me.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, feeling the sting of tears. "Aaron, I never meant for this-"

"I know, Miss Selena," he interrupted gently. "But they'll come for me. And if they find out... if he finds out-"

The line went dead.

I stared at the screen in horror. Call ended.

I've just dragged an innocent man into my rebellion.

My breath came in shallow bursts. I gripped the edge of the couch, every part of me screaming to stay here, hide and protect what little freedom I have carved for myself. But my conscience wasn't quiet.

Images of Aaron flashed through my mind. Him smiling behind the wheel, looking back at me in the rearview mirror, his eyes kind and fatherly.

He helped me when no one else dared. He risked everything to give me one night of freedom-and I took it like a selfish child, running away while the world burned behind me.

I couldn't leave him to face my father alone?

As much as I wanted to stay hidden, to hold on to this fleeting sense of escape, I couldn't turn my back on someone who had protected me without question.

I stood slowly, the weight of my decision pressing heavily on my shoulders.

I have to go back.

Not because I wanted to, but because Aaron doesn't deserve to suffer for my choices. I wouldn't let my freedom come at the price of his ruin.

I moved with urgency, pulling on jeans and a coat. My hands shook as I packed the little items I brought. I had no plan-no idea how to navigate my father's wrath or Damien's inevitable fury-but none of that mattered right now.

I threw my bag over my shoulder and reached for the keys. The cold air rushed in as I opened the door, and I stepped outside, heart racing with dread and determination.