Chapter 24 Running won’t change your fate.

Chapter 24 Running won’t change your fate.
The rain had stopped by morning, leaving the world washed in pale light. The sky hung low and heavy over the sea, the waves rolling slow and gray against the rocks below. Selina stood by the window, wrapped in a blanket, watching the mist creep in from the shore. The night had been restless; she’d barely slept. Every sound of thunder, every shadow had reminded her of Nathan’s message. I’m coming to find you.

Alan was still asleep on the couch, one arm slung across his chest, his breathing deep and even. He’d insisted she take the bed, saying she needed the rest. She hadn’t argued, though rest had never come. Her thoughts were too loud, too dangerous.

She turned back to the window. The inn felt smaller this morning, the walls closing in, the quiet unnerving. Somewhere downstairs, a kettle whistled faintly. The innkeeper moved softly, humming under her breath. It was a world too calm for the chaos waiting beyond it.

Selina pressed her hand to the glass. “He’ll come here,” she murmured to herself.

Alan stirred, his voice low and rough with sleep. “Who will?”

She turned, startled. “Nathan.”

He sat up slowly, running a hand through his hair. “Let him. What’s he going to do, drag you home like a prisoner?”

“You don’t understand him,” she said, her voice trembling. “He won’t shout. He won’t rage. He’ll smile and say everything’s fine, and then he’ll destroy me piece by piece.”

Alan stood, crossing to her. “Then we stay ahead of him. You said it yourself, he’s been watching, hiring people to follow you. That means he’s already suspicious. Running won’t change that.”

Selina shook her head, gripping the blanket tighter. “I shouldn’t have come here.”

“Maybe not,” he said quietly, “but you did. And you’re not going to regret it now.”

The intensity in his eyes made her falter. For all her fear, part of her wanted to believe him, to believe that this moment, this escape, was something more than a mistake.

Alan reached out and touched her hand. “We’ll leave after breakfast. Take the coast road, avoid the main routes. You’ll be home before he even knows where to look.”

“And then what?” she asked. “Pretend nothing happened?”

He smiled faintly. “If that’s what it takes to keep us safe for now, yes.”

She wanted to protest, but the sound of footsteps in the hall stopped her. A soft knock followed. Selina’s heart jumped.

Alan motioned for her to stay quiet and opened the door just enough to see the innkeeper standing outside, her hands folded nervously.

“Mr. and Mrs. Allen?” she asked, voice polite. “There’s a gentleman downstairs asking for you. Says he’s your driver.”

Selina froze.

Alan’s tone sharpened. “What does he look like?”

The woman hesitated. “Tall. Dark hair. Well-dressed. He said his name was Mr. Nathan Allen.”

Selina’s breath caught. Her pulse roared in her ears.

Alan closed the door quickly. “We have five minutes,” he said. “Pack your things.”

“Alan, he’s already here, ”

“I know. But he doesn’t know which room we’re in.”

Selina moved numbly, her hands shaking as she gathered her clothes from the chair, her bag from the corner. Her heart pounded so hard she thought she might faint. Every second felt stolen.

Alan pulled on his jacket and grabbed his keys. “We’ll go out the back. There’s a service road that leads toward the cliffs. He won’t see us.”

She nodded, forcing her body to move even though her mind was frozen. They slipped quietly into the corridor, the old wood creaking beneath their feet. The hall smelled faintly of coffee and damp stone.

From below, Nathan’s voice drifted up, calm and courteous as ever. “I’m looking for my wife. I believe she checked in yesterday.”

The sound rooted Selina to the spot. That voice, the same one that once whispered love, now carrying something far colder.

Alan gripped her hand. “Come on.”

They hurried down a narrow service staircase that led to the back entrance. The rain had left the ground slick, the grass shining with dew. The sea wind whipped at her hair as they ran toward the small parking area behind the inn.

Alan’s car was waiting. He opened the door for her. “Get in.”

Selina hesitated. “What if he follows us?”

Alan glanced toward the main road, eyes sharp. “He won’t. He’s too careful to make a scene.”

She climbed in, heart still racing. As they pulled away, she caught one last glimpse of the inn through the mist. Nathan stood by the entrance, speaking to the innkeeper, his expression composed. But as he turned his head, his gaze lifted toward the road, as if he already knew exactly where she was.

Selina ducked low in her seat. “He saw us.”

Alan’s jaw tightened. “Let him.”

The drive back was silent, tension filling every breath. The coastline blurred by in shades of gray and green. Selina’s phone buzzed once, twice, then again. She didn’t need to look to know who it was.

By the time they reached the edge of town, Alan pulled over beneath a canopy of trees. “You can’t go home right now,” he said.

“I have to. If I don’t, it’ll be worse.”

“Selina, he’s not going to hurt you if you don’t walk through that door today. You don’t owe him that power.”

She stared out the window, her reflection ghosted against the glass. “You think it’s that simple. It’s not. He knows everything about me, my habits, my fears, the way I think. He’ll know I’m lying before I even open my mouth.”

Alan’s voice softened. “Then tell him the truth.”

She turned to him sharply. “What truth? That I ran away with his son?”

His silence was answer enough.

After a long pause, Selina took a breath. “Drop me at the corner near the house. I’ll go alone. If he sees you, ”

“I’m not letting you face him by yourself.”

“You have to,” she said, her tone firm. “If we both walk in, he’ll know. And then it won’t just be my life he ruins.”

Alan’s hands tightened on the wheel, but finally, he nodded. “Text me when you’re inside. I’ll wait nearby.”

Selina reached for the door handle, but before she could open it, Alan caught her wrist. “Selina.”

She looked at him.

He leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper. “No matter what he says, remember this, you’re not the woman he made you. You’re the woman you became in spite of him.”

Her throat tightened. She wanted to say something, anything, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she slipped out of the car, the wind lifting her hair as she walked away.

The house loomed at the end of the drive, perfect and cold. The curtains were drawn, the front door slightly ajar. Nathan’s car sat gleaming in the sunlight, droplets still clinging to its surface.

Selina hesitated on the steps, her hand trembling before she pushed the door open.

Nathan was waiting in the foyer. He looked calm, almost amused. “You’ve been busy,” he said lightly.

Selina forced a steady tone. “I needed some air. I went to the coast.”

“Without telling me?”

“I didn’t think I needed your permission.”

He smiled faintly, that thin, dangerous smile she knew too well. “Permission isn’t the point, my dear. Honesty is.”

She swallowed hard. “I wasn’t dishonest. I just didn’t want another argument.”

“Argument?” he repeated softly. “Is that what you think this is?” He stepped closer. “You disappeared without a word. I had to make calls, drive two hours, and question strangers to find my own wife. That isn’t an argument. That’s betrayal.”

Her chest tightened. “Nathan, ”

“Don’t,” he interrupted. “Don’t make excuses. You’ve been restless for weeks, sneaking out, avoiding me. And now you expect me to believe you just needed a drive?”

She met his eyes. “You don’t own me.”

For a moment, surprise flickered across his face, then something colder settled in. “You’re right,” he said. “I don’t. But I also don’t tolerate being made a fool.”

Selina’s hands trembled at her sides. “What do you want me to say?”

“The truth,” he said softly. “Who were you with?”

The air seemed to vanish from the room.

She opened her mouth, but before she could answer, a sound came from the hall, the faint clatter of dishes. Rosa, the maid, appeared in the doorway, eyes wide. She froze, sensing the tension, and began to retreat.

Nathan turned his head slowly. “Rosa. How long have you been standing there?”

“N-not long, sir,” she stammered. “I was just clearing the breakfast table.”

He studied her a moment too long, then smiled. “Good girl. Go on.”

As she hurried away, Selina felt the walls close in. Her pulse thundered in her ears. She could still feel Alan’s words echoing: You’re not the woman he made you.

“I was alone,” she said finally, her voice quiet but firm. “If you don’t believe that, nothing I say will matter.”

Nathan’s eyes lingered on her face, searching. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away.

When she reached her room, she closed the door and leaned against it, trembling. The tension broke, spilling into shallow breaths and tears she hadn’t realized she’d been holding back.

Her phone buzzed. Alan.

Are you safe?

She typed quickly. Yes. He suspects, but I think I convinced him.

A pause, then another message. Someone else knows. Be careful. Rosa saw you leave with me yesterday.

Selina’s heart lurched. Her gaze flicked toward the door. Downstairs, she could hear faint footsteps, Rosa moving through the hall, humming softly.

What do we do? she typed.

Alan’s reply came almost instantly. We cover it up. Tonight. Don’t let her talk to Nathan.

Selina set the phone down, her hands cold. The thought of dragging Rosa into their web made her sick, but it was too late. One whisper, one slip, and everything would unravel.

That night, the house was silent. Nathan had retreated to his study; Rosa had retired early. Selina crept downstairs, the floorboards creaking beneath her bare feet.

She found Rosa in the servants’ corridor, folding linens. The young maid looked up, startled. “Mrs. Allen?”

Selina forced a calm smile. “Rosa, may I speak with you?”

The girl nodded, nervous. “Of course, ma’am.”

Selina took a breath. “About yesterday… I know you saw me leaving. I just wanted to explain, it wasn’t what you think.”

Rosa hesitated. “I didn’t mean to, ”

“I know,” Selina said quickly. “But if Mr. Allen asks, please tell him I was alone. It’s very important.”

Rosa’s eyes darted away. “He already asked me this afternoon.”

Selina’s stomach dropped. “And what did you say?”

“I told him I wasn’t sure,” Rosa whispered. “I didn’t want to lie.”

Selina’s pulse quickened. “Rosa, please. If you care about this family, about me, you’ll say nothing more.”

Rosa’s gaze softened. “I don’t want to cause trouble, ma’am. I just don’t understand what’s happening.”

Selina swallowed hard. “Neither do I.”

She left the corridor quickly, her mind spinning. Upstairs, her phone buzzed again, Alan.

What happened?

She already spoke to him, Selina replied.

A moment later, another message. Then we have to act fast. He’ll use her to trap you.

Selina looked toward Nathan’s study, the faint glow of light spilling beneath the door. Her reflection stared back at her from the glass cabinet, tired, frightened, and uncertain.

Outside, thunder rolled again, distant but growing closer.

Somewhere deep down, she knew Alan was right. Nathan wouldn’t rest now. The storm she’d been avoiding for weeks was finally breaking, and this time, there would be nowhere to hide.

Rosa has unknowingly told Nathan part of the truth, and Nathan begins piecing together Selina’s betrayal. The web of lies is unraveling fast.