All Chapters of Selfish Romance : Chapter 21 - Chapter 28

Serena stepped into her temporary studio apartment with nothing but a duffel bag, an exhausted heart, and the kind of silence that made your thoughts too loud to bear.The place was modest—just a kitchenette, a bed shoved against the wall, and a canvas by the window she'd started painting weeks ago but hadn’t touched since. She sank down onto the mattress and stared at her phone, lying face-up on the nightstand.No calls. No messages from Damien.She wasn’t sure which hurt more—that he hadn’t reached out or that she hadn’t wanted him to.The man she saw on the street still lingered in her mind. Had she imagined him? A trick of light and anxiety? Or was someone really watching her?Either way, she didn’t tell Ava. Didn’t tell anyone. Some fears were easier to carry alone.Still, the world refused to pause for her grief.Her inbox had exploded overnight—emails from reporters, bloggers, and influencers. Her name w

Selena stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, fingers gripping the cold porcelain sink as if it could anchor her. The face looking back was unfamiliar—flushed cheeks, wide, glassy eyes, lips slightly parted, caught between words left unsaid. She’d stormed out of the party nearly an hour ago, heart pounding and pride in pieces, but Damien hadn’t come after her.Not this time.She told herself it was all just a game. A contract. A favour. Nothing more.But when he looked at her like she was the only woman in the room… when he gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek, a tenderness she hadn’t expected… when his voice lowered and he whispered her name like it was sacred—How was any of that fake?“Selena?” Lexi’s voice, hesitant, came from the doorway.Selena didn’t turn.“Do I look okay?” she said bitterly.Lexi stepped in, closing the door quietly behind her. “You left like you were on fire. Damien’s still at the party. People are asking.”“Let them,” Selena snapped. “I’m do

Serena Vale didn’t sleep.Not really. She lay awake, the city lights casting restless shadows across the penthouse walls, her mind replaying the same image on an endless loop — her sixteen-year-old self frozen in time, standing outside her old home, clutching a sketchbook to her chest like it was armor. A stranger had taken that photograph. A stranger who, years later, turned out to be Damien Drake.And scrawled on the back, in his sharp, deliberate handwriting, were two words:Never again.Every time she closed her eyes, the questions clawed their way back.Why did Damien have that photo?How long had he been watching her?And what happened that day — what had she forgotten — that made him write those words?She wanted to be furious, to march into his room, and demand answers. But beneath the anger, a quieter, far more dangerous thought whispered:What if it means he cares?It was ridiculous. Madde

The black SUV rolled through the wrought-iron gates, gravel crunching beneath the tires as the countryside estate came into view.It wasn’t like Damien’s penthouse with its gleaming skyline or glass-and-steel walls. This place looked like it belonged to another era — a fortress of weathered stone wrapped in ivy, tall arched windows glowing against the dark. The surrounding hills rolled out endlessly, cloaked in mist.It should have felt safe. Untouchable.Instead, Serena felt like she was being tucked away. Hidden. Like a problem Damien needed to stash somewhere while he dealt with everything else.The car stopped, and Damien finally broke the long silence. “You’ll be staying here until I find out who’s behind the threats.”Serena turned toward him, arms crossed tightly over her chest. “We will be staying here. You said you wouldn’t let me out of your sight, remember?”His sharp gaze slid to hers. “I won’t. But I can move if I need to. You, on the other hand, aren’t leaving these grou