Under Her Authority

Chapter Two

Athenarie POV

The city had grown quieter as the night deepened, but my mind wouldn’t let me rest. Every shadow felt like eyes watching, every distant sound made me flinch. I needed somewhere safe, somewhere I could catch my breath without the fear of being discovered. Somewhere I could just… exist.

After walking for what felt like hours, I found myself in a quiet part of town, the kind of streets lined with small apartment buildings that looked almost empty at this hour. One in particular caught my eye: a modest, three-story building with a flickering streetlamp outside. Its windows were dark, the door slightly ajar as if inviting me in.

I hesitated. Could I risk entering a stranger’s building? But the cold, the exhaustion, the overwhelming urge to escape my past… I couldn’t stop now. I slipped inside, holding my bag close to my chest, and crept down a narrow hallway. The smell of clean floors and faint perfume filled the air.

At the end of the hall, a small sign read “Furnished Apartments – Short-Term Rentals.” My heart lifted slightly. Maybe this could work. Maybe I could disappear here for a while.

I approached the office door, which was unlocked, and peeked inside. Empty. Perfect. I let myself in, and the receptionist’s desk was abandoned, but a key hung on a hook with a tag labeled “Unit 203.” I didn’t hesitate. My hands shook as I took it, almost trembling with the mix of fear and relief.

The apartment was everything I needed small, tidy, and furnished. A kitchenette with a tiny fridge, a soft bed neatly made, a couch, and a table by the window. The lights were warm and inviting, a stark contrast to the cold tension I’d left behind at home. I sank onto the bed, my bag sliding off my shoulder. My body ached from hours of walking and crying.

For the first time that night, I allowed myself to breathe. The world outside could wait. My family, my responsibilities, the Van Raay heir—they were all locked outside this little sanctuary. Here, I was just Arie. Not a daughter, not a bargaining chip, not someone else’s possession.

I pulled out my phone and sent RC a quick message, letting her know I was safe. Thank you for keeping my secret, I wrote. Her reply came almost instantly ‘Always. Don’t worry, Arie. You’ll figure this out.’

I stared at the ceiling, feeling the weight of everything I’d left behind. The letter to my younger sister, the anger and disappointment in my parents’ eyes, lia’s sharp words they were all still there, lingering like shadows. But for now, they couldn’t reach me here.

The apartment felt like a fragile cocoon, and I wrapped myself in it, letting the warmth sink into my bones. I didn’t know how long I could stay, or what tomorrow would bring, but for tonight, I had a place to rest, a place to think, and a place to simply be.

Tomorrow, I would plan. I would figure out my next move. But tonight… tonight, I allowed myself a small victory: I had escaped, I had chosen my own path, and for the first time in my life, I was free.

I lay on the bed, eyes heavy, letting exhaustion pull me under. The city hummed softly outside the window, indifferent, distant. And in that quiet, I finally allowed myself to hope.

Morning sunlight filtered through the thin curtains, casting a soft glow across the small apartment. I woke with a dull ache in my muscles and a pounding in my chest, the events of last night replaying in my mind like a relentless film.

I sat on the edge of the bed, hugging my knees, letting the quiet of the apartment wash over me. No arguing voices. No demands. No Van Raay marriage looming over me like a shadow. Just silence. And for the first time in a long time, I could think clearly.

But thinking clearly meant facing reality. I couldn’t stay here forever. I needed food, a plan, a way to survive. The panic that had lurked beneath my adrenaline-fueled escape began to creep back in. My family would eventually notice I was gone. They might hire people to find me or worse, pressure the Van Raay heir to locate me.

I grabbed my notebook from my bag and opened it to a blank page. For hours, I scribbled lists, plans, and contingencies. Work where could I find something that paid quickly without revealing too much about myself? Food what shops were nearby that I could safely access? Safety how could I make sure no one followed me here?

Every plan had holes, every idea felt fragile. But I had no choice. This was my life now, and I couldn’t rely on anyone else to protect it.

I paused, staring out the window at the city below. The streets looked calm, ordinary. The world went on, unaware of my small rebellion. And yet, my family, my parents, Lia they would notice soon enough. And when they did… I didn’t know if I wanted to feel the fear of their anger, the weight of their disappointment, or the sting of their attempts to control me again.

I hugged my knees tighter. I couldn’t think about that yet. I had to start small.

Step one: find temporary work.

Step two: gather resources.

Step three: figure out a long-term plan.

Step four… survive.

I took a deep breath, letting the warm sunlight fill my chest. I allowed myself a tiny, fragile hope. I was alone, yes, but I wasn’t powerless. I had choices. I could move, change, adapt. I could fight for the life I wanted.

And I would.

The day stretched ahead of me, full of uncertainty, but for the first time in my life, the uncertainty was mine. My family could make demands, Leona could scold, and the Van Raay heir could loom in some distant shadow but none of that could touch me here, not today.

I smiled faintly, the kind of smile that comes not from happiness, but from determination. I was Arie. And for the first time in my life, I was choosing my own story.