Chapter 111

Selene:

My fingers won’t stop fidgeting, and my heart feels like it’s trying to break out of my chest.

I keep sneaking glances at Maximus — his jaw is locked tight, and his grip on the steering wheel is like a vice. He hasn’t said a word, just staring straight ahead as we drive toward Maya’s place.

I know exactly what’s running through his mind. After I told him Kylie is Mason’s… he’s probably imagining all the ways to tear Jess apart.

God, what have I done?

I can’t remember the last time I felt this anxious. Maybe I should’ve kept it to myself. But I couldn’t. Mason? Really? Is that why he suddenly came back? For Kylie?

And where even is he now? It’s been so long since I last saw him.

Honestly… part of me is relieved. I don’t think I could handle having him near me again.

“Stop staring at me, Selene. You’re kinda making me lose focus…”

Maximus’s voice cuts through my racing thoughts, snapping me back to reality.

I blink. “W…what?”

“You keep sneaking glances at me,” he says.“I’m this close to staring right back, but the last thing we need is me losing focus and crashing into someone. The only person I want dead right now is Jess.”

He shifts his grip on the wheel, guiding it smoothly with his left hand as his right reaches over and gently wraps around my arm.

A shiver runs straight through me.

“If I can’t look at your pretty face,” he murmurs, “I’ll settle for holding your hand.”

I swallow hard. My heart flutters..just a little.

He’s right. I probably should stop staring.

For the rest of the ride—maybe five, seven minutes—I glue my eyes to the scenery outside. Trees blur past. Houses. The street signs I’ve seen a thousand times.

Then, finally, we pull up in front of my father’s house. The police car behind us rolls to a stop too.

This is where Jess has been hiding all this while, ever since the divorce with Maximus. I spot her blue car parked out front, just where I thought it might be.

“Selene,” Maximus says, finally turning to face me, his eyes steady. “Go on inside. I need a quick word with the officers before we head in together, alright?”

I nod silently. Then I push the door open and step out.

Surprisingly, none of Maya’s maids stop me as I move through the entrance and into the house. The silence inside is almost too calm..until I reach the living room.

And there she is.

Jess.

She’s pacing like a madwoman, running a hand through her hair, muttering under her breath. She doesn’t even notice I’m standing there.

Then, with a sharp hiss of frustration, she snaps,

“Mum, can you hurry up already? I’m running out of time! You don’t want me missing this flight, do you?”

I blink, startled by the urgency in her voice. My eyes flicker toward the staircase..and that’s when I notice them.

Three large suitcases, neatly packed and lined up beside the stairs.

I scoff quietly to myself.

She must be a fool thinking she can just pack up, flee this city, and escape without facing the consequences.

Jess keeps pacing, totally unaware.

I don’t know if she’s genuinely that dense or just so lost in her thoughts that the world around her has faded out completely.

I’ve had enough of just standing here, watching.

I open my mouth to speak, but before I can get a word out, voices echo from the stairway..followed by Maya’s familiar voice.

“Jess, I figured you could—”

She cuts herself off the moment she reaches the last step.

Her eyes land on me. She blinks. Once. Twice. Like she’s staring at a ghost.

Her mouth falls open slightly, and then, barely audible, she whispers,

“S…Selene?”

That gets Jess’s attention.

She whirls around, and when she sees me, her eyes go wide in horror.

“What the hell?!” she shrieks. “How long have you been standing there, you freak?!”

I just laugh, slow and low. Then I begin to walk toward her.

“I see you’re heading somewhere, little sister,” I say, my gaze flicking to the luggage stacked neatly by the stairs. “Mind telling me where exactly you’re going?”

She scoffs, crossing her arms like I don’t intimidate her. “That’s none of your business.”

“Oh, really?” I scoff. “How funny of you to be planning your escape when all you’ve ever done is try to kill me. Not once. Not twice.”

“Oh, yes. And trust me,” she sneers, “I’d still kill you if I ever get the chance. You and those little brats of yours. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow..but someday. For now, I’ll let you bask in your fantasy marriage with Maximus. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

“You’re a bold one, Jess,” I say, tilting my head. “It’s almost amusing, watching you act like you’re going to spend the next few years as a free woman.”

Her face drains of color. “W-What do you… what do you mean by—”

She doesn’t get to finish.

The front door slams open behind me, hard enough to make the walls tremble.

“What she means,” a deep voice cuts in, “is that you’ll be spending the rest of your life in jail.”

I don’t even have to turn. I know that voice.