712
907%
EPISODE 25%
I didn’t know how I got past security.
Maybe they were too distracted by the flashing cameras and the elegant guests arriving in waves. Maybe I just looked too out of place for them to believe I had any reason to be there. But somehow, I slipped through without any problems.
It was nothing short of a miracle.#
The moment I stepped inside the hall, the warmth from golden chandeliers bathed everything in light, casting long shadows across the polished floor. Laughter floated from one end of the room to the other, glasses clinked, and the scent of expensive perfume danced through the air.
It felt like déjà vu. Just like that time I went home after being kidnapped, everyone was happily partying while I was falling apart.” But this time was so much worse. My clothes clung to me in tattered folds, my skin still burning from rope marks and humiliation.” The way people looked at me, full of questions and barely concealed disgust, made it clear they wondered what someone like me, looking like a beggar, was doing in such a place.”
My heart pounded heavily against my ribs as I scanned the crowd, eyes searching every face until they landed on Ulysses.”
He stood at the foot of the grand staircase, the embodiment of grace and power, dressed in a suit darker than midnight, tailored so perfectly it looked unreal. His presence commanded attention, even among a sea of powerful men. His eyes were sweeping across the crowd, calm and unreadable, until they locked onto mine.”
He blinked, his composure slipping for the briefest moment. Then he was moving, pushing past guests, his brows drawn together as he took in the sight of me. The closer he got, the more intense the concern in his eyes became.”
I saw it then, his genuine worry. Unfiltered. Raw.
“Selene?” he called, his voice cutting through the noise. “What the hell, what are you doing here?“}
His steps quickened until he reached me, his gaze darting to my wrists, my torn blouse, the bruises that must have looked horrific under the lights. He looked horrified.
“God,” he muttered, reaching out for my arm. “What happened to you? Are you hurt? Who did this to you?“}
I stepped back instantly, the reaction sharp and immediate. My body refused his comfort, even as my heart screamed for it.” “Don’t,” I said, my voice cold despite the storm raging inside me.}
He froze, his hand suspended in the space between us. I saw the confusion, the hurt, the panic, all of it flicker through his eyes. But I didn’t care. Not when I couldn’t tell what was real anymore. Maybe this was just an act. Maybe all of it was.”
“Selene, please,” he said, his voice gentler now, softer, as if I might shatter in front of him. “Just tell me what happened. I can take care of this. Let me help you.“}
“Don’t touch me,” I repeated, this time with more edge. I didn’t want to feel the warmth of his hands. I didn’t want his touch to blur the truth I thought I knew.”
His face tensed, but he withdrew his hand. His eyes, however, stayed locked on me.”
“Did something happen to you? The butler told me you didn’t come home that day. You texted that you were going to your friend’s place. I thought you were-”
“Why are you here?” I cut him off, bitterness curling around every word. “What is this?”
He looked genuinely confused, as though he hadn’t expected that question.”
“I’m attending the summit. Didn’t I tell you?” he said. “Selene, this isn’t the time to ask about me. Tell me what happened to you!”
But I didn’t listen to his words, they sounded too much like excuses. Instead, I pulled out the phone Lucas had shown me earlier and
handed it to him.
Ulysses looked down at the screen. As the video played, I watched the confusion on his face morph into something else, understanding, maybe even guilt.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a single word, a new voice sliced through the tension like a razor.”
“Ulysses, there you are,” Catelyn said, gliding to his side with practiced grace.
She walked up to him like she belonged there, her pale silk gown clinging to her like a second skin. She looked perfect. Untouched. Unbothered. She slipped her arm through his like it was hers by right.”
Then her eyes found me. Cool. Amused. “Oh. Selene. Didn’t know you’d be here tonight.“W
She said it with the kind of tone one might use upon finding a stray dog at a formal dinner. My fists clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms.!!
I turned back to Ulysses, waiting, hoping he’d pull away, say something, anything, that would undo the image playing over and over in my mind. But he didn’t move. He just stood there, not even trying to take a step back from her.
He looked at her… as if she belonged.
That was it.”
Before I could stop myself, my hand flew and struck him across the face. The sound rang out in the marble hall, sharp and sudden.
Sono faltarod Clannad in mid air M
TRISODE 25
2/2 92.6%
In my mina. But ne arant move, me just stood there, not even trying to take a step pack from ner.
He looked at her… as if she belonged.
That was it.
Before I could stop myself, my hand flew and struck him across the face. The sound rang out in the marble hall, sharp and sudden.
Conversations faltered. Glasses paused in mid–air.
His cheek turned red from the slap, but he didn’t flinch. He didn’t speak. He just looked at me, completely stunned.
My vision blurred with unshed tears. My breath came in short, shaky gasps. I didn’t even know what I was hoping for anymore… maybe an explanation? A lie I could believe in? Anything to prove the video wrong?”
But nothing came.
Everything collapsed around me… the lights, the perfume, the polished floor. It all blurred together as the weight of it bore down on me.D
I turned, tried to flee, tried to get out before I completely crumbled in front of them all. But my knees buckled before I could even take a step. The dizziness came fast, a crashing wave I couldn’t fight.”
I heard someone shout my name. Ulysses, I think. Maybe more than once.
And then, I fell into darkness.”
4
