Chapter 5

Selene's POV

The SUV moved smoothly along the highway.

No one spoke.

The silence wasn't uncomfortable.

It simply existed, settling between us like something neither of us felt the need to disturb.

Outside, trees and open fields slipped past the tinted windows, their colors blending together until they became nothing more than a blur.

I watched them without seeing them.

My body was here.

My mind wasn't.

Every now and then, my chest tightened so suddenly it stole the air from my lungs.

The pain came without warning.

One moment I was staring through the window...

the next, it felt as though someone had reached inside my chest and squeezed my heart until it could no longer beat.

I lowered my eyes.

The diamond was gone.

A pale mark circled my finger where the ring had rested for almost two months.

It looked... wrong.

Empty.

For days, I'd caught myself smiling whenever the light reflected off that ring.

Now my hand looked like it belonged to someone else.

I slowly closed my fingers into my palm.

It didn't matter anymore.

Nothing did.

I had loved someone with everything I had.

In the end...

it still hadn't been enough.

A dull ache settled in my stomach.

I wasn't sure whether it came from hunger or grief.

Maybe both.

I hadn't eaten since yesterday.

The thought of food made me feel sick.

My fingers tightened around the fabric beneath them.

I frowned.

Fabric?

Confused, I looked down.

My heart skipped.

I wasn't holding the edge of the seat.

My hand was still wrapped around the front of Lucien's shirt.

The expensive fabric was creased beneath my fingers.

I stared at it.

Then the memory came rushing back.

Being lifted into his arms.

The world tilting beneath me.

Getting into the SUV...

Somewhere between then and now...

I'd never let go.

Heat rushed to my cheeks.

"Oh..."

The tiny sound escaped before I could stop it.

I let go so quickly it was as though I'd touched fire, pulling my hand back into my lap.

"I'm... sorry."

The apology was barely louder than a whisper.

Embarrassed, I shifted closer to the door, wishing the seat would simply swallow me whole.

Lucien didn't respond.

He didn't look at the creases I'd left behind.

He didn't make me explain myself.

He simply allowed the moment to pass.

A strange sense of relief settled over me.

After everything that had happened...

I wasn't sure I could survive another embarrassing moment.

The silence returned.

Neither of us seemed in a hurry to break it.

I found myself wondering what he was thinking.

Had he always been this quiet?

Or was he simply giving me time to breathe?

I didn't know.

The truth was...

I didn't know anything about the man sitting beside me.

Only stories.

Newspaper headlines.

Business magazines calling him brilliant.

Television interviews describing him as ruthless.

Powerful.

Untouchable.

The kind of man people admired from a distance but rarely understood.

None of those stories prepared me for this silence.

None of them mentioned how... calm he was.

There was no need for him to fill the space with questions.

No awkward attempts at conversation.

No curiosity about why I'd suddenly agreed to marry him after rejecting him years ago.

He wasn't demanding answers.

He wasn't asking me to explain myself.

For reasons I couldn't understand...

I was grateful for that.

Right now, I didn't think I had the strength to explain anything.

The vibration of a phone broke the silence.

Once.

Then again.

The sound came from beside him.

Lucien glanced at the screen for only a moment before turning it face down on the seat without answering.

A few seconds later, it vibrated again.

He ignored it.

The privacy partition slid down.

The driver kept his attention fixed on the road.

"Sir."

Lucien lifted his eyes.

"Mr. Moretti asked me to remind you that the board meeting was scheduled to begin thirty minutes ago."

"I know."

"They're all waiting for you."

"Reschedule it."

The driver hesitated.

"Sir..."

"It can wait."

There was nothing harsh about his voice.

Nothing impatient.

Yet there was something about the quiet certainty in those three words that ended the conversation immediately.

"Understood."

The partition slid closed again.

Silence settled over the vehicle once more.

I turned my attention back to the window, but the passing scenery no longer held it.

He had postponed something important.

Not after thinking it over.

Not after asking how long it could wait.

Simply... without hesitation.

I couldn't understand it.

Everything I'd ever heard about Lucien Drakon painted him as a man who valued time above everything else.

A billionaire whose days were planned weeks in advance.

A man who didn't stop for anyone.

Yet...

he had walked away from whatever awaited him without a second thought.

Why?

I looked at my hands.

The pale mark where my engagement ring had once rested seemed even more noticeable now.

My life had fallen apart less than twenty-four hours ago.

Somehow...

I was sitting beside a man I barely knew.

A man who wasn't asking questions.

A man who wasn't demanding explanations.

A man I understood less with every passing minute.

And strangely...

that unsettled me far more than silence ever could.

The road beneath us changed.

The steady hum of the highway disappeared as the convoy turned onto another road.

I looked outside.

The traffic was gone.

So were the towns.

Towering trees lined both sides of the road, their branches arching overhead until they almost met, casting shifting shadows across the pavement.

The farther we drove...

the quieter everything became.

I frowned.

"Where are we going?"

It was the first thing either of us had said in what felt like forever.

Lucien turned his head slightly.

"Home."

Just one word.

Nothing more.

Home.

The word settled uneasily inside me.

It wasn't my home.

Not yet.

Maybe... not ever.

I looked back out of the window.

Several minutes later, another set of towering black iron gates appeared ahead.

Carved into the stone pillars on either side were two simple words.

DRAKON ESTATE.

The gates opened before we reached them.

The convoy continued forward without slowing.

As we crossed the entrance, I glanced behind us.

The gates closed silently.

The world outside disappeared.

The road stretched endlessly ahead, winding through acres of perfectly kept grounds.

Ancient trees stood like silent sentries along the roadside.

Flower gardens bloomed in careful symmetry.

Stone fountains glittered beneath the afternoon sun.

Then...

I noticed the houses.

No... not houses.

Mansions.

One after another, they appeared between the trees, each sitting on its own stretch of land.

No two looked the same.

Some were built from pale stone with towering columns.

Others had sleek glass walls reflecting the surrounding gardens.

Every one of them was breathtaking.

Every one of them looked as though it belonged on the front cover of an architectural magazine.

The roads branched in different directions, leading toward each residence.

Luxury vehicles passed us occasionally.

People walked along shaded pathways.

Children laughed somewhere in the distance before disappearing behind rows of hedges.

It wasn't what I'd expected.

This wasn't simply someone's private property.

It was an entire world hidden behind a pair of gates.

My eyes drifted from one mansion to the next.

Just how wealthy was the Drakon family?

The convoy continued deeper into the estate.

Gradually, the other homes became fewer.

The road began to climb.

Then...

I saw it.

At the highest point of the estate stood the largest residence of them all.

It overlooked everything beneath it.

Commanding.

Elegant.

Timeless.

Without a single word, it announced exactly who lived there.

The convoy slowed as it approached the circular driveway.

My fingers curled against my lap.

I hadn't even stepped inside...

yet somehow...

I already felt as though my old life was slipping farther and farther out of reach.

The convoy came to a gentle stop.

For a heartbeat, no one moved.

Then Lucien stepped out.

I reached for the door handle.

Before my fingers touched it, my door opened from the outside.

He stood there, one hand resting against the frame above me.

Waiting.

Nothing more.

I stepped out of the SUV.

The afternoon breeze carried the scent of fresh flowers through the courtyard.

From here, the mansion looked even more imposing, standing proudly above the rest of the estate like it had watched over this place for centuries.

I found myself staring.

Not because it was extravagant.

But because it felt... untouchable.

Behind us, one of the bodyguards removed my suitcases from the vehicle.

Instinctively, I reached for the smaller one.

"I can carry—"

"It's alright, Miss."

He offered a polite smile before lifting both suitcases with ease.

"I've got them."

Before I could argue, he was already climbing the steps.

Everything here happened so effortlessly.

No shouting.

No rushing.

Everyone simply seemed to know exactly what they were supposed to do.

The massive front doors opened.

Several members of the household stood waiting inside.

An elegant woman in her late fifties stepped forward with a warm smile.

"Welcome home, sir."

Lucien gave a slight nod.

"Prepare the east wing."

"Right away, sir."

He started walking again.

Then, without slowing...

"Have the chef prepare grilled salmon with lemon butter, roasted baby potatoes, and asparagus."

"Of course, sir."

I stopped.

My heart skipped.

Grilled salmon...

roasted baby potatoes...

asparagus...

My favorite.

Not one of my favorites.

My favorite.

Slowly...

I turned to look at him.

He hadn't even looked in my direction.

It was as though he'd simply asked someone to bring another cup of coffee.

"...How do you know that's my favorite?"

The question escaped before I could stop it.

Lucien stopped walking.

For a long moment, he simply looked at me.

His expression didn't change.

Then, in that same calm voice that never seemed to rise or fall, he said,

"You need to eat."

Nothing else.

No explanation.

No attempt to answer my question.

He simply turned and continued toward the entrance.

I remained rooted to the spot.

He hadn't told me how he knew.

He hadn't denied it either.

Instead...

he'd answered a question I hadn't asked.

Whether I'd eaten.

A strange warmth spread through my chest before I quickly pushed it away.

No.

I wasn't going to misunderstand kindness again.

I'd made that mistake once already.

I wasn't foolish enough to make it twice.

Drawing a quiet breath, I followed him inside.

The entrance hall was breathtaking.

Sunlight poured through towering windows, spilling across polished marble floors that reflected every step we took.

An elegant staircase curved gracefully toward the upper floor while crystal chandeliers shimmered overhead.

Everything was beautiful.

Yet somehow...

it didn't feel cold.

It felt lived in.

As though this place had been a home long before it became a mansion.

Lucien slowed slightly, allowing me to catch up.

I looked up at him.

Perhaps it was because I was exhausted.

Perhaps it was because I hadn't slept well.

Or maybe...

my mind was simply playing tricks on me.

For the briefest heartbeat...

his golden eyes changed.

The pupils narrowed.

Thin.

Vertical.

Like...

a serpent's.

I froze.

Every hair on my body stood on end.

I blinked.

His eyes were normal again.

Golden.

Calm.

Watching me.

"Is something wrong?"

I stared at him for another second before forcing myself to shake my head.

"...No."

My voice sounded distant.

"I'm just tired."

That had to be it.

It was the only explanation that made sense.