Chapter 160 Epilogue 2: Selene’s Final Destruction.

Chapter 160 Epilogue 2: Selene’s Final Destruction.
Epilogue 2: Selene’s Final Destruction.

Several Weeks After Court.

It was well after midnight when Selene Clayborne finally returned home.

The ride from the courthouse had been silent. Weeks of hearings, motions, and negotiations had finally ended with the judge granting bail. It wasn't freedom—just a temporary pause before the inevitable.

As the black sedan rolled through the gates of the Clayborne estate, her attorney finally broke the silence.

"Look, Selene, nobody trusts that you're not a risk right now. So please..." Sara Northan sighed. "Just stay out of the way for a while."

Selene stared out the window.

The mansion loomed ahead like a monument to a life that no longer existed.

"Not to worry, Sara."

Her voice was hollow.

"I'll behave."

The car came to a stop.

Without another word, Selene stepped out and walked toward the front entrance.

Sara remained behind, watching with concern before eventually driving away.

For a moment, Selene simply stood there.

The estate had always made her feel powerful.

Tonight, it felt empty.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside.

Darkness greeted her.

The grand foyer was silent, the house seemingly abandoned. Only a single lamp burned in the living room, casting a weak amber glow across the marble floor.

Selene sighed.

She was exhausted.

Exhausted from the court appearances.

Exhausted from the endless headlines.

Exhausted from the memories.

She could still hear the crowd gathered outside the courthouse after her arraignment.

Monster.

Demon.

Murderer.

Someone had thrown a drink at her.

Someone else had spit at her feet.

The footage had gone viral before she'd even reached the police van.

For the first time in her life, Selene Clayborne knew what it felt like to become public property.

To be hated.

To be despised.

To have an entire city celebrate your downfall.

And the worst part was realizing she had earned it.

"So they finally let you out."

The voice shattered the silence.

Selene jumped slightly.

Turning toward the living room, she spotted Lawrence sitting alone in the darkness.

He looked terrible.

His tie was gone.

His shirt hung loose.

A glass of scotch rested in one hand.

Several empty glasses sat on the table beside him.

More than he'd admit to drinking.

"Larry?"

She frowned.

"What are you doing sitting in the dark?"

Lawrence slowly lifted his eyes.

She barely recognized them.

They were empty.

Distant.

"You telling me where I can sit in my own house now?"

Selene closed her eyes.

She didn't have the energy for this.

"No."

She rubbed her temple.

"I'm not doing this tonight."

Turning toward the staircase, she started walking.

"I'm taking a shower and going to bed."

"Do you know this is all your fault?"

She stopped.

Her eyes closed.

A long silence followed.

Finally, she turned around.

Lawrence was staring directly at her.

His expression was flat.

Cold.

"I've had a lot of time to think these past few weeks."

He took a slow sip of scotch.

"And every time, I end up in the same place."

"And where's that?"

His jaw tightened.

"I shouldn't have married you."

The words lingered between them.

Years ago, they would have shattered her.

Tonight?

Selene only laughed.

A short, tired laugh.

"That makes two of us."

Lawrence frowned.

She continued climbing the first few stairs.

"But while you're busy drowning in self-pity, don't forget one thing."

She stopped and looked back at him.

"I never forced you to do anything."

The bitterness in her voice surprised even her.

"Every decision you ever made... every lie... every cover-up... everything involving ICOH..."

She pointed at him.

"You did it yourself."

Lawrence rose from the couch.

The sudden movement sent the glass rattling against the table.

"No."

His voice sharpened.

"No, this happened because of you."

Selene rolled her eyes.

"Please."

"If you hadn't talked me into choosing that untalented little jinx over our own daughter—"

"Oh, fuck you, Lawrence."

The words cracked through the room like a gunshot.

He froze.

So did she.

For a moment neither moved.

Then Selene descended two steps.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

"You talked me into it?"

She laughed again.

This time there was nothing pleasant about it.

"Is that really the story you're telling yourself?"

Her eyes burned.

"You wanted her caged too."

Lawrence looked away.

"You know you did."

"I was trying to protect—"

"No."

She cut him off immediately.

"You were trying to control her."

Her voice grew stronger with every word.

"Qiara terrified you."

Lawrence's face darkened.

"You were threatened by her talent, her independence, her refusal to become the daughter you wanted."

"That's not true."

"Then look me in the eyes and tell me you weren't relieved every single time I made the decisions you were too afraid to make."

That struck home.

Selene saw it.

The hesitation.

The guilt.

The truth.

So she pressed harder.

"You were practically begging me to be the villain."

Lawrence said nothing.

"You hid behind me because it was easier."

She stepped closer.

"Easier to let me punish people."

"Easier to let me make the cruel choices."

"Easier to preserve your image while I dirtied my hands."

Lawrence's grip tightened around the glass.

"I trusted you."

"No."

Selene shook her head.

"You used me."

Silence.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

Inescapable.

For the first time all evening, Lawrence had no answer.

Selene took a slow breath.

The anger faded from her expression.

What remained was something sadder.

Acceptance.

"I've done terrible things, Lawrence."

Her voice was quieter now.

"I lied. Manipulated people. Hurt people."

She swallowed.

"And I'll spend the rest of my life paying for it."

Lawrence's eyes drifted downward.

"But at least I'm finally willing to admit what I've done."

She stared at him.

Waiting.

He never looked back up.

"So here's my advice."

Another long pause.

"Take responsibility for your own choices."

Her expression hardened one final time.

"And stop blaming me for them."

Without another word, Selene turned and walked upstairs.

The sound of her footsteps echoed through the mansion.

Then disappeared.

Lawrence remained standing alone in the darkness.

The scotch glass trembled slightly in his hand.

For years, he had blamed everyone else.

His enemies.

His rivals.

His daughter.

His wife.

Anyone but himself.

Now, for the first time, there was no one left in the room to carry that burden for him.

Only silence.

And the truth he had spent his entire life trying to avoid.

\------

Qiara’s POV

When I received the message that Selene wanted to meet, I didn’t know what to think—or even whether I should go.

In the end, I made my decision.

“And you’re sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

Julius looked at me, his eyes full of worry and doubt. I knew he was concerned—probably more than he was letting on.

Smiling, I reached up and rested my hand against his cheek.

“I’ll be fine, my love. Besides…” I teased, “if anything goes wrong, I’m sure you and Taylor won’t be too far behind.”

A smirk tugged at his lips.

“Call me if you need me. I’ll come running.”

I nodded before turning toward the restaurant.

We had agreed to meet on the outskirts of Novell, at the diner Alex used to frequent.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside.

A young hostess greeted me and handed me a menu.

“Will anyone else be joining you, ma’am?”

I wore sunglasses and a face mask, taking every precaution to avoid being recognized.

“Actually, I—”

“She’s with me.”

Before I could finish, Selene appeared at my side.

A faint smile rested on her lips, but her expression was otherwise unreadable.

The hostess smiled politely, informed us that our waitress would be with us shortly, and led us to a booth in the back.

Not long after we sat down, a waitress arrived to take our orders. We each ordered coffee and a muffin.

Then silence settled between us.

Minutes passed.

“So…” Selene finally said. “How have you been?”

I hesitated, my thoughts scattering in a dozen directions.

“I’ve been good. Just preparing for the Fall Festival.”

After the awards show, BMH had decided to postpone the summer festival by two months, citing the need to reorganize the lineup.

Selene froze.

The reaction lasted only a second, but I caught it.

A flash of guilt crossed her eyes.

I just wasn’t sure who that guilt was for.

Another heavy silence filled the space between us.

I took a sip of my coffee and exhaled slowly.

“Why did you ask me here, Selene?” I asked. “What is it that you want?”

She nearly flinched at hearing me call her Selene.

A bitter smile touched her lips.

“I suppose I deserve that.”

Her voice was quiet as her fingers twisted together nervously.

“Qiara… I originally had this whole speech prepared, but…” She gave a tired laugh. “I’m too exhausted to go through with it. So I’ll get straight to the point.”

She paused.

My chest tightened.

“I never cared about you as a daughter, Qiara. Not once.” Her voice cracked. “In fact, I think I hated you… hated that you were my child.”

My eyes widened.

A humorless laugh escaped me.

So that was why she’d called me here.

To tell me how much she hated me?

Whatever.

I pushed my chair back and stood.

Her hand shot out, wrapping around my wrist.

“Let me go, Sel—”

“Wait!” she cried. “Please. Let me finish.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

After a moment, I sat back down, watching her cautiously as she struggled to compose herself.

“I was jealous.”

The words came out as a whisper, as though she were admitting it to herself for the first time.

“I spent years trying to find my place while I was with Lawrence. I kept telling myself that it didn’t matter that I wasn’t some musical prodigy. That musicians weren’t inherently special. That talent didn’t define a person…”

Her voice broke.

“I didn’t realize that over time, I began resenting my own family. My husband. My sons.” She swallowed hard. “I knew. I knew they looked down on me because I wasn’t musically gifted. Talentless. Useless.”

I said nothing.

“When I finally had a daughter…” Her eyes lowered. “Do you know what I prayed for after giving birth?”

Shame flooded her expression.

“Please don’t let her be a Clayborne. Let her be like me. Just let me have this one thing.” A sob escaped her. “I wanted someone who was like me.”

I remained silent, staring at the woman I had once thought was the most beautiful person I had ever seen.

Memories surfaced.

Not just of this life, but my previous one.

The desperate longing for her affection.

The endless desire to be acknowledged, loved, chosen.

To build some kind of relationship with her.

Looking at her now, all of it felt meaningless.

She wasn’t a tragic figure.

She was an insecure, selfish, painfully weak woman.

“Well,” I finally said.

“It seems the gods answered your prayers.”

Selene looked up.

“Angelina truly was just like you.” My gaze hardened. “And I’m not just talking about her lack of musical talent.”

She froze.

I let out a slow breath.

“Do you know what you are, Selene?”

Her fingers clenched around her napkin.

“You’re pathetic.”

The word landed like a slap.

“You spent your entire life envying people with musical talent, yet you married Lawrence Clayborne anyway.” I leaned forward slightly. “Because the truth is, your jealousy was never about them having something you despised.”

My voice remained calm.

“It was about wanting it for yourself.”

She stared at me in stunned silence.

“That’s why you crushed Charlese’s hands.” My tone was flat, unwavering. “Not because you believed Lawrence wanted her.”

I held her gaze.

“It was because you wanted to be her.”

Before she could respond, I slid a folded document across the table.

Her expression immediately drained of color as she unfolded it.

A hospital record.

Dated seventeen years ago.

“Recognize it?”

Her hands trembled.

“Where did you—”

“The Pierres have a lot of influence,” I interrupted. “Very little is beyond their reach.”

My eyes never left hers.

“You’ve known since Angelina was five years old that she wasn’t your daughter.”

Silence.

“And yet you said nothing.”

I leaned back in my chair.

“At first, I thought it was because you genuinely wanted a child who resembled you. But then I realized something.” I tilted my head. “Why would you push Lawrence so hard to turn her into a singer?”

Selene’s breathing became uneven.

“It was because you hoped that if he succeeded with her—if he accomplished what you had always dreamed of accomplishing—then maybe there would be hope for you too.”

I took another sip of my coffee.

“You lived through Angelina. Every success she had became yours. Every step she took was another attempt to prove that someone without natural talent could still become a star.”

Her lips trembled violently.

“Because if that were true,” I continued, “then talent wouldn’t be special anymore, would it?”

She lowered her head.

“If talent could simply be manufactured, then you wouldn’t have to spend your entire life believing that the people who possessed it were better than you.”

Her face had gone completely pale.

She looked as though the ground beneath her had vanished.

Slowly, I rose from my seat.

“I’m sure you came here hoping for some kind of redemption.”

I placed a tip beneath my coffee cup.

“But redemption only works when you're honest with yourself first.”

Selene didn’t respond.

She simply sat there, staring at the table.

Tears streamed down Selene's face.

"I am sorry."

I paused.

The words I'd spent two lifetimes wanting to hear.

The words that should have meant everything.

They meant nothing.

"I know," I said.

Selene blinked.

"You do?"

"Yes."

Her eyes filled with fragile hope.

I crushed it.

"But you're apologizing for yourself, not for me."

The hope vanished immediately.

"You don't regret hurting me."

My voice remained calm.

"You regret that it didn't make you happy."

“Don’t worry, Selene.”

My voice softened—not with kindness, but finality.

“I don’t need your apologies anymore. I don’t need your regrets. And I certainly don’t need your love.”

I turned toward the exit.

“That need died a long time ago.”

Without another glance back, I walked away.

The faint sound of her sobs followed me as my heels echoed against the floor.

But for the first time, they meant nothing.

This chapter of my life was finally over.