Chapter 3
900 Words
The silence in the hallway to her room felt heavier than the words she had just heard.
Each step Selene took away from the study sounded louder inside her head than it did in reality.
She stepped into her room, closed the door behind her, and leaned against it.
Her heart was still racing.
Not from fear.
From disbelief.
The conversation in the study replayed itself again and again inside her head.
The debt.
The agreement.
The marriage.
Ethan Vale.
Every time she thought about it, the walls of the estate seemed closer, tighter, like they were slowly learning how to trap her.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
“Miss Selene?”
A maid.
“Your mother asked if you would like lunch brought to your room.”
Selene closed her eyes briefly.
“No.”
I'm not hungry
Okay, miss.
A pause followed.
Then footsteps faded away.
Silence returned.
But it wasn’t peaceful.
Nothing felt peaceful anymore.
Hours passed.
The estate continued moving around her.
Servants worked.
Doors opened and closed.
Conversations drifted through hallways.
Life continued.
Yet Selene remained inside her room.
Thinking.
Listening.
Trying to find a future that didn’t end with Ethan Vale.
Downstairs, lunch was unusually quiet.
Mrs. Blackwood barely touched her food.
Mr. Blackwood seemed lost in thought.
And sitting across from them—
Amara noticed everything.
“Where’s Selene?”
The question broke the silence.
Mrs. Blackwood looked up immediately.
Too quickly.
“She’s resting.”
Amara frowned.
“Resting?”
Nobody answered directly.
Which felt strange.
Very strange.
Amara glanced toward the staircase.
Normally Selene would have come downstairs by now.
Even angry.
Even frustrated.
Even tired.
She wouldn’t miss lunch for anything.
Something felt wrong.
But nobody seemed willing to explain.
So the conversation ended there.
The afternoon dragged on.
Clouds gathered outside.
The estate felt quieter than usual.
And upstairs, Selene finally stopped searching for another answer.
Because there wasn’t one.
No matter how many times she thought about it.
No matter how many possibilities she considered.
Every road led back to the same place.
The marriage.
The decision was already made.
Just not by her.
A knock came again.
This time softer.
More hesitant.
“Selene?”
Her mother’s voice.
Selene didn’t answer.
The silence stretched.
Then Mrs. Blackwood spoke again.
“Please eat something.”
Nothing.
Another pause.
“Selene…”
Her voice sounded tired now.
Almost pleading.
But Selene remained where she was.
Hands clasped tightly together.
Eyes fixed on nothing.
Eventually the footsteps retreated.
The house fell quiet again.
Evening arrived slowly.
Dinner came.
And Selene stayed in her room.
Downstairs, Amara’s concern finally grew stronger.
“She missed lunch, now dinner.”
Mrs. Blackwood forced a small smile.
“She just needs time to herself.”
Amara wasn’t convinced.
But she didn’t argue.
Not in front of everyone.
Not when the atmosphere already felt strained.
After dinner ended, she headed toward the staircase.
“I’ll check on her.”
Mrs. Blackwood stood almost immediately.
“ But Mom she's…”
Before she could finish talking her mom was close to her
I'll check on her,
Go to bed
The answer came too fast.
Amara stared at her.
Confused.
But eventually nodded.
“Okay.”
And went to her room..
The estate slowly settled into silence.
One by one, lights disappeared.
Doors closed.
Footsteps faded.
And night finally took control.
Selene sat at the edge of her bed.
Waiting.
Listening.
Counting.
Until the house became still.
Completely still.
Only then did she move.
She stood.
Picked up the small bag she had packed hours ago.
And looked around her room.
The room she had grown up in.
The room that had always felt safe.
Until now.
Her throat tightened.
For one brief moment—
she almost stopped.
Almost stayed.
Then the image returned.
A marriage she never chose.
A future already decided.
And suddenly staying felt worse than leaving.
Much worse.
She opened the door carefully.
No sound.
The hallway stretched before her.
Dark.
Silent.
Selene stepped forward.
And kept walking.
Not looking back.
Not allowing herself to hesitate again.
Because hesitation would destroy everything.
Downstairs, the estate remained asleep.
Unaware.
The front entrance was too dangerous.
So she moved toward the back gate instead.
Toward the servants’ passage.
Toward freedom.
Minutes later—
The gate closed quietly behind her.
And Selene disappeared into the night.
The estate slept on.
Unaware that everything had just changed.
Hours later, Mr. Callen moved through the quiet hallways making his final checks before retiring.
Something bothered him.
A feeling.
Small.
Persistent.
Throughout the day, Miss Selene had remained inside her room.
No lunch.
No dinner.
Unusual.
Very unusual.
He stopped outside her door.
He raised his hand to knock, but paused when he noticed the door was slightly ajar.
A crease formed between his brows.
Slowly, he pushed the door open.
The room was empty.
The bed untouched.
The wardrobe slightly open.
And one travel bag missing.
Mr. Callen froze.
Only for a second.
Then understanding struck.
Hard.
Very hard.
He immediately pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Check the estate," he ordered the moment the call connected. "Every wing. Every corridor. Find Miss Selene."
"Yes, sir."
He ended the call, his jaw tight.
Something was wrong.
Deeply wrong.
Without wasting another second, he turned and headed for Mr. Blackwood's study.
Fast.
The panic had finally arrived.
- Writer
