Bound by Lies

chapter 3

Isla

I stood frozen in the hallway, my heart racing fast in my chest as my father’s eyes swept over me. He appeared fatigued, run down as if all the world's weight lay on him. His posture was rigid, and there was a hint of something—an emotion. Was that guilt in his gaze?

“Father…” I began, but I felt my voice choke up. I had no idea what to say. I rarely saw him as a child, and even when I did, he was aloof. It was hard to explain how much that hurt.

He looked at me only for a moment, then turned on his heel to face Celeste, and his voice took on a more serious tone. “Give Celeste the jewelry that belonged to your mother.”

I blinked. “What? Why?” I asked, confused.

He sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead. “We’ve run into some debts. I have to pay them off, and the jewelry is quite valuable. Your mother’s things are all we have left to help with that.”

I felt a pang in my chest, but I kept my voice steady. “You’re selling my mother’s things? What happened to all the wealth she left behind? All the inheritance?”

Celeste took a step forward, masking a calm, even phony smile. “It’s nothing to worry about, dear. Just a small matter. We need the money to fix things, that’s all.”

I looked between my father and Celeste, and something about the way they were acting made my blood run cold. “Was it the clothes Lena and Celeste bought that ran us into debt?”

I could clearly remember when they were buying all those fancy dresses on their shopping spree, and I could barely get a scrap of food.

The question hovered there for a second, and then Celeste's expression soured. Dramatically, she approached me quicker than I could defend myself and hit me hard in the face. My cheek tingled with the sting, and I recoiled, eyes bulging in surprise.

“How dare you talk to me like that?” she hissed, her tone dripping with poison. “You don’t know anything about how hard it is to keep this family together!”

I fought to keep my tears back, my heart racing in my chest. “I… I’m sorry,” I said, although maybe I wasn’t sorry for what I’d said, or even for living in this house.

Before I could think, Celeste turned on her heel, her back rigid with rage. “Go to your room. I’ll deal with you later.”

I nodded, afraid of saying anything else. I looked around and turned to leave, but as I walked down the hall, my breath seemed to get caught in my chest.

I needed to get out.

I opened the front door and stepped into the fresh night air. The sky was dark, stars glimmering faintly, but it was relaxing. The moment the door closed behind me, I felt like I could breathe again. I needed to get away from all of them, from the lies, from the cruelty.

I wandered aimlessly, regardless of where my feet led me, until I recognized a sound from afar. A horse’s hooves.

My heart skipped a beat.

Zane.

I swiveled, and there he stood—a young man, tall and commanding, but somehow soft in the manner in which he walked. His keen green eyes recognized me at once, and a change occurred in the atmosphere.

Without a word, he dismounted and approached me slowly. His eyes fixed on mine, as if by an unseen attraction.

I took a step and could not stop myself. My breath was shallow, and my heart beat fast. It wasn’t just his appearance—it was the connection. The pull. The connection hit me like a wave.

“You…” I gasped, the realization dawning on me like the first light of morning. “We’re mates.”

His expression softened, and a strange look flickered in his eyes, something between surprise and happiness. I wasn’t sure. But it didn’t matter. For the first time, it felt like I had discovered a person who could see me for who I really was beneath the surface.

“Yes,” he said, his voice low, like a whisper meant only for me.

A soft smile tugged at my lips. “I never thought I’d be this lucky. I’ve always thought the Moon Goddess had abandoned me, but now… now I know she hasn’t.”

Zane stepped closer, and I could feel the warmth of his presence wrapping around me like a blanket. “Isla… I didn’t know. But I feel it too. From the moment I saw you at the market, I felt a strange pull toward you.”

Before I could respond, I heard a rustle behind us, and my heart dropped.

Lena.

She was standing in the shadows, watching us. Her face was twisted with a mix of jealousy and hatred. Her eyes flicked between me and Zane, and I knew instantly that she’d been listening to our conversation.

“No!” she hissed, her voice sharp and full of venom like her mother. “This can’t be happening.”

Zane turned, his expression hardening when he saw her. “Lena, what are you doing here?”

Lena walked closer, her movements steady, and her gaze fixed on me. “I won’t let you take him from me.”

Her words stung, and I could feel her hatred seeping into the air. But before I could respond, she rushed at me, her hands outstretched, ready to claw at me.

“Lena!” Zane shouted, but it was too late. She was too fast.

Suddenly, I was being yanked away, my body colliding with a hard surface. I tried to push back, to fight her off, but her strength was overwhelming.

But just as quickly, someone else stepped in. It was Celeste. She appeared like a ghost and grabbed me, pulling me away from Zane in one swift movement.

“Enough!” she snapped, her eyes flashing with anger. “You think you’re worthy of him? You think you’re good enough for Zane?”

I couldn’t hold back any longer. I fought against her grip, but she was too strong, and the next thing I knew, the door to the mansion was slamming shut in my face.

“Let me out!” I screamed, pounding on the door, my heart hammering in my chest.

“Stay in there,” Celeste’s voice called through the door. “You don’t belong with him. You never will.”

I heard the click of the lock, and I knew then that they had locked me in.

With the darkness at my back, I fell to the floor, crushed.

However, it was evident that I would not allow them to take Zane. Not now, not ever.