Chapter 18 JEALOUSY AND DUTY
POV: Selena
I did not sleep after Adrian left.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his hand on my face. I remembered the warmth of his arms, the way his voice had shaken when he promised he would not let anyone hurt me. And then I heard the phone ring again, sharp and cruel, dragging him back to a world where I did not belong.
When morning came, it felt like punishment.
I stood by the window of the guest house, watching the main estate wake up. Cars arrived. Staff moved with purpose. Somewhere inside those walls, Adrian was with Diana. Entertaining her. Doing his duty.
I told myself it did not matter.
I told myself I did not care.
The lie did not convince me.
A black sedan pulled up near the front entrance. I recognized Diana instantly when she stepped out, elegant and confident, like the world had been built to welcome her. She laughed at something Adrian said, her hand resting on his arm as if it belonged there.
My chest tightened, sharp and unwelcome.
I stepped back from the window as if it had burned me.
What did I expect? He had warned me. He had said he was sorry. That was all I was ever going to get.
A knock sounded at the door before I could sink too deeply into my thoughts.
I opened it to find Bella standing there, holding two cups of coffee.
“I figured you could use this,” she said, lifting one slightly. “Strong. No questions asked.”
I smiled weakly and stepped aside to let her in.
She looked around the guest house, her expression softening when she turned back to me. “Rough night.”
“That obvious?” I asked.
“You look like someone who survived something and then had to pretend it was nothing,” she replied.
I took the coffee and sat down. My hands were still unsteady.
Bella studied me for a moment, then leaned against the counter. “You know Adrian doesn’t love her.”
I looked up sharply. “I don’t care.”
She raised an eyebrow. “That’s not what your face says.”
“I really don’t,” I insisted, though even I was not sure why the words felt necessary. “Whatever he does is his business.”
“And yet you’re watching the estate like you’re waiting for something to break,” she said gently.
I looked away.
“He has obligations,” I said. “I get that.”
“Yes,” Bella agreed. “And he hates them.”
I laughed once, hollow. “That doesn’t change anything.”
“No,” she said. “But it explains a lot.”
We sat in silence for a few moments, the weight of everything pressing down on me.
“I saw her,” I admitted finally. “With him.”
Bella nodded. “She makes sure she’s seen.”
“Why?” I asked. “If she’s so secure in her place, why the performance?”
Bella hesitated.
That was my first warning.
“Bella,” I said quietly. “What is it?”
She sighed and moved closer, lowering her voice. “There’s something you need to know. And you’re not going to like it.”
My stomach dropped.
“I can handle it,” I said.
She looked at me, really looked at me, like she was deciding how much truth I could survive.
“Diana’s family has photos of you and Adrian,” she said.
The room seemed to tilt.
“Photos?” I repeated.
“From the nights you worked late together. Leaving offices. Walking side by side. Nothing explicit, but suggestive enough if framed the right way.”
I stood up abruptly. “That’s ridiculous. We were working.”
“I know,” Bella said. “You know. But that doesn’t matter when people want a story.”
I paced, my heart pounding. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because they’re using it,” she replied. “They’re threatening to release them unless Adrian proposes to Diana this week.”
The words hit me like a physical blow.
“No,” I whispered. “That can’t be true.”
“I wish it wasn’t,” Bella said softly. “But her family plays dirty. Always has.”
I sank back onto the couch, my mind racing.
“This is my fault,” I said.
Bella shook her head immediately. “No. It’s not.”
“If I hadn’t stayed late. If I hadn’t been seen with him,” I continued. “If I had just done my job and stayed invisible like I was told.”
“They would have found something else,” she said firmly. “They always do.”
I covered my face with my hands. The threat. The break in. The photos. It all connected now, tightening around me like a noose.
“He’s going to do it,” I said. “He’s going to propose.”
Bella did not answer.
“That’s why she’s here,” I went on. “That’s why his father called him away from me.”
“Adrian doesn’t want this,” Bella said.
“But he’ll do it anyway,” I replied. “Because that’s what he does. He sacrifices himself to protect the family.”
“And you,” Bella added quietly.
I looked up. “What?”
“He thinks this is protecting you too,” she said. “If the photos never come out, you stay clean. Untouched by the scandal.”
I laughed bitterly. “By ruining his life.”
“He sees it as duty,” Bella said. “And duty has always won.”
The silence between us grew heavy.
“What am I supposed to do?” I asked.
Bella hesitated again.
“Bella.”
She met my eyes. “You need to decide whether you’re going to stay in this world or walk away before it destroys you.”
“And if I stay?”
“Then things will get worse before they get better,” she said. “And there will be blood in the water.”
I swallowed hard.
I thought of my mother. Of the money. Of the warning. Of the intruder breaking through glass to reach me.
“I can’t walk away,” I said. “Not now. Not when I know what I know.”
Bella nodded slowly. “Then you need to be prepared.”
“For what?”
“For the fact that Adrian’s engagement will be announced,” she said. “And when it is, everyone will be watching you.”
My chest ached, not with certainty, but with something unresolved and sharp.
“I won’t interfere,” I said. “I won’t make this harder for him.”
Bella studied me, her expression sad. “You already have.”
I closed my eyes.
Outside, laughter drifted from the estate. Music. Glasses clinking. The sound of people pretending everything was fine.
“Do you think he knows about the photos?” I asked.
“Yes,” Bella replied. “That’s why he’s with her right now.”
The image burned in my mind. Adrian smiling for cameras. Holding Diana’s hand. Doing what was expected.
I stood up again, my resolve hardening.
“Then I’ll do my part,” I said.
“And what part is that?” Bella asked.
“I’ll stay invisible,” I replied. “I’ll finish what I started. I’ll expose whoever is really behind this. And then I’ll leave.”
Bella’s eyes softened. “And your heart?”
I did not answer.
Because I was not ready to name what I refused to understand.
That night, alone again, I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my phone.
No messages from Adrian.
None would come.
I imagined him downstairs, duty wrapped around him like chains, choosing obligation over honesty, over possibility.
I pressed my palm to my chest, breathing through the ache.
Whatever happened next, I would survive it.
But something inside me already knew.
The proposal was coming.
And when it did, nothing would ever be the same again.