All Chapters of Her Choice To Make : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Tessa's POV:When I woke, the first thing I noticed was the soft linen beneath me, the way it smelled faintly of lavender. Then came the strange ceiling above, pale wood beams crossing overhead like unfamiliar ribs. I didn’t know this place.My body tensed immediately. My side still burned with a dull ache, and my limbs felt heavy, unwilling to obey me. I forced myself upright anyway, heart hammering in my chest. Where was I? Who had brought me here?Panic surged through me like a wave crashing onto jagged rocks. I looked around; the room was simple, the walls whitewashed, with sunlight streaming through gauzy curtains that fluttered gently in the breeze. A small table stood against the far wall, a kettle on top still letting out faint wisps of steam.This wasn’t Lucian’s estate.That should have eased something inside me, but it only made everything worse. If it wasn’t Lucian, then who?I swung my feet over the side of the bed, ignoring the wave of dizziness that nearly made me pitch

Tessa's POV:The hush pressed against my skin like a cold hand.My eyes went to the window, to the pale flowers nodding gently in the evening breeze. It should have calmed me, but it only deepened the hollowness twisting through my chest.Lucian.It hurt, just letting his name slide across my mind. A pain so deep it felt carved into my ribs.I had loved him. Against every gut instinct that should have made me run. There had been a moment, many moments, actually, where I believed in us. In our bond. In what the Moon Goddess had fated for me.His touch. His voice, deep and dark, breaking for me.His lips on mine, promising the world.And all of it… a carefully constructed lie.My stomach twisted, grief colliding with rage until it tangled into something sour and heavy. I was a tool. A means to an end. A key to break his chains, not the queen of his heart.I pressed a hand to my chest, breathing through the ache.The worst part was how desperately a piece of me still missed him. Even aft

Tessa's POV:For a heartbeat, the world froze.Benjamin’s words seemed to echo around the candlelit hall, bouncing off every ribbon, every rose petal, until they tangled up around my throat.Be my bride.The ring he held gleamed softly in the lamplight, delicate and beautiful, like something spun out of a dream.Except I felt as if I’d stepped into a nightmare.My heart thundered so hard it hurt, beating against my ribs like a trapped bird. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.Benjamin was still on his knee, his expression so open, so honest. That gentle boy I’d known, all grown up, was looking at me with eyes full of love I wasn’t sure I could ever return.I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.He swallowed hard, his voice shaking just a little.“Tessa, I have loved you since we were children,” he began, the words tumbling out as if a dam had burst. “I tried to forget you, to bury the feelings when we moved away, but I couldn’t. You were in everything I did. Every decision I made.”I tr

Tessa's POV: He rolled up the sleeves of his perfectly tailored shirt, while I tied back my hair with a ribbon.There was something oddly freeing about standing at a polished marble counter, flour in one bowl, sugar in another, without worrying about psychological theories or essay prompts.“Okay,” Benjamin announced dramatically, “tonight, we make pancakes.”I tried not to giggle. “Why pancakes?”“Because they’re impossible to ruin,” he said confidently. “Probably.”The kitchen soon turned into the most delightful disaster.He handed me the measuring cup, but I got the proportions backward, so the batter turned out like soup.Then he tried to flip a pancake, and it went flying halfway across the room, sticking to a cupboard with a comedic splat.I shrieked with laughter.Benjamin laughed, too, laughing so hard he bent over the counter, shoulders shaking.The house staff poked their heads in once, took one horrified look at the flour-dusted war zone, and wisely backed away.My face h

Tessa's POV:If someone had told me, back when I was seventeen, that one day I’d get to stroll through fancy boutique windows without worrying about prices, I’d have laughed in their face.If they’d told me Benjamin would be the one gently tugging me along, promising me anything I wanted, well, I might have cried.But here I was.In the sun-warmed street, watching shoppers hurry by with arms full of packages, I let the moment sink into me like warm honey.Benjamin strolled at my side, casual and confident, as if the entire world existed just to let him spoil me.“Where do you want to start?” he asked, that teasing glint in his blue eyes.I tried to answer, but the words tangled up in my throat. I’d never had options before.I was used to being handed clothes. Told what to wear, what to do, and who to belong to.Now, Benjamin waited patiently, not rushing me, not pushing me, just letting me breathe.I took a shaky breath. “Maybe… clothes first?”He smiled. “Perfect. Lead the way.”I le