Chapter 14: You belong to me.

Morning came quietly, as though the storm had stolen the sound from the world. Selina sat at the edge of her bed, hair still damp from sleep, the note from Alan lying in her lap. She traced the red ink with her thumb until it smudged faintly, her mind echoing the same words again and again: You’re mine, until you decide otherwise. What frightened her most was that she hadn’t decided otherwise. The house was unusually still. Nathan had already left for the city, leaving a note about meetings and dinner engagements. Rosa’s footsteps came and went in soft patterns, and the distant hum of the gardener’s tools reached through the morning haze. Selina rose slowly, her reflection in the mirror unfamiliar, a woman with tired eyes and secrets pressed too close to her skin.

She found Alan in the library, seated with a book open but unread, his attention drawn to the window where sunlight scattered across the carpet. He didn’t look up immediately. When he did, there was something different in his expression, calm, measured, but distant, as if he’d been elsewhere all night. “You didn’t sleep,” he said quietly. She ignored the question. “Nathan almost caught me. That wasn’t part of your game.” He shut the book with a soft thud. “You were never in danger. I wouldn’t let him see you.” She stepped closer, anger tightening her chest. “You act like you can control everything. What if he had come inside?” Alan leaned back against the chair, his gaze unwavering. “Then I would’ve handled it, like I always do. You should start trusting that.”

Selina crossed her arms. “Trust? You left Karl bleeding in the greenhouse, and you call that control?” His eyes flickered, just briefly, something sharp beneath the surface. “He’s not innocent, Selina. You think he’s protecting you, but he’s not. He’s using you to get to Nathan.” “That’s not true,” she said, though her voice wavered. “He cares about me.” “Cares?” Alan rose, closing the distance between them. “Men like him don’t care. They covet. They cling to the scraps of affection they think they’ve earned.” His tone softened. “He’s jealous because he can’t be me.” She turned away, but he caught her wrist gently, his voice a low murmur. “Don’t mistake kindness for love, Selina. It’s a dangerous confusion.”

Her heart thudded painfully. “And what about you?” she asked. “What do you call what you’re doing?” “Honesty,” he said simply. “You wanted to feel alive. I gave you that. Everything else is just guilt trying to rewrite the story.” The words struck her harder than she expected. There was a strange truth in them, one she didn’t want to admit. He released her hand and walked toward the shelves, tracing the spine of an old volume. “You think I’m cruel,” he said after a pause. “But cruelty is just clarity in disguise. The world rewards those who stop pretending.” She hated how calm he sounded, how his certainty both repelled and fascinated her. “You talk like you’re some kind of savior,” she said. “Maybe I am,” he murmured. “Or maybe I’m just what you wished for when you thought no one was listening.”

For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then he looked over his shoulder, eyes darker than before. “You should be careful, Selina. Nathan’s patience isn’t endless. He’s starting to ask questions, about where you go, who you see.” Her pulse quickened. “Did he say something?” “Not to me,” Alan replied. “To one of the staff. He asked Rosa if you’ve been spending more time outside.” Selina’s throat went dry. “And what did she say?” “She lied,” Alan said softly. “But lies have a way of unraveling when repeated too often.” He turned fully now, his expression unreadable. “If you want to survive this, you’ll have to decide whose truth you’re willing to keep.”

The words lingered in her head for hours after he left. She wandered the estate restlessly, each step weighed with unease. The gardener avoided her eyes that afternoon, his movements sharper than usual, his jaw set with quiet anger. When she finally approached him near the fountain, he didn’t stop working. “Karl,” she said, her voice tentative. “Let me explain, ” “You don’t have to,” he interrupted, not looking up. “I saw enough last night.” “It wasn’t what you think,” she insisted. “He, ” “He what?” Karl finally turned, eyes burning. “Protects you? Loves you? You don’t see it, Selina. You’re just another one of his games.” The words hit her like a slap. “And you think you’re any different?” she whispered. “You think this started because of love?” His hands fell still, the clinking of tools fading into silence. “Maybe not,” he said finally. “But it could’ve been.”

That night, Selina couldn’t eat. Nathan returned late, his mood distant but observant, his gaze flicking to her every few minutes at dinner. He asked about her day, her tone, her plans for the weekend. Ordinary questions that felt like traps. She answered each one carefully, aware of how easily truth could betray her. When he finally left for his study, she lingered at the table, staring at the flickering candlelight until Rosa cleared her throat gently. “You should rest, ma’am,” the maid said softly. “You look pale.” Selina managed a faint smile. “Thank you, Rosa. I’ll be fine.” But she wasn’t fine. Every reflection in the hallway mirrors seemed to watch her, every shadow whispered secrets she could no longer separate from lies.

She found herself outside Alan’s door again, drawn by something she didn’t want to name. When he opened it, he didn’t seem surprised. “I was expecting you,” he said quietly. She stepped inside, her hands trembling slightly. “Karl’s angry,” she said. “He thinks, ” “Let him think,” Alan interrupted. “Jealousy makes people show who they really are.” “And what about you?” she asked, searching his face. “What are you showing me?” He smiled faintly. “That I’m not finished with you yet.” Her breath caught. “You can’t keep saying things like that.” “Then stop making them true,” he murmured.

He stepped closer, his tone changing, softer now, almost vulnerable. “You asked me once what I hide,” he said. “Maybe it’s time I told you.” Selina’s pulse quickened. “Told me what?” He looked past her, toward the rain-streaked window. “There’s something you don’t know about your husband,” he said finally. “Something I should have told you the moment I arrived.” Her stomach twisted. “What are you talking about?” He hesitated, studying her face, as if measuring how much she could bear. “Not yet,” he said at last. “You’re not ready to hear it.” “Alan,” she pressed, stepping closer, “don’t play games with me.” He met her gaze, eyes dark and steady. “I’m not playing. But when I tell you, Selina, it will change everything.”

She stood frozen as he moved past her, his shoulder brushing hers as he whispered, “When the truth comes, I need you to choose carefully whose side you’re on.” The door closed softly behind him, leaving her alone in the dim light, her heart hammering. Outside, thunder rumbled again in the distance, faint but growing nearer, like the echo of a storm that refused to fade.