She returned to the room, and Mariana looked at her with shiny eyes, different from usual. Mariana shrank back slightly, then said, "The water is ready. It's time for your bath…"But instead of heading to the screen as usual, Selena sat at the table, looking radiant as she stared ahead. After a moment, she suppressed her voice and said, "Mariana, are you my most trusted person?""Of course, Miss…""If I were to leave here, would you come with me?""Of course, Miss. I'm your maid…""Good! Pack your clothes and gather the money we have. See what we need for our journey to the capital. Get ready. Once everything is prepared, we'll leave…"With their own shop in the capital, they would never expect Selena to dare to go to the capital, where Lucio worked. After avoiding the wedding in the capital, they could go to a small place to hide for a few years…On the road, a carriage was moving, with two "men" sitting inside. One had his hair tied back simply and his face painted black, but looking
Selena didn't know how much time had passed, but she felt as if her body weighed a ton, with clothes clinging damply to her skin. Her forehead and arms throbbed with pain. As her mind cleared, she noticed the smell of damp earth and the sound of rain dripping onto the ground. Has it started raining outside? When did this happen? She let out a soft moan and instinctively called out, "Mariana…"The moment the words left her lips, she jolted awake. Remembering the chase by those people, Selena scrambled to her feet in a panic. As she rose, she felt a sharp pain in her hand, realizing she had scraped her wrist against the ground. Though it wasn't bleeding much, it stung fiercely. Her knees also throbbed with dull pain, likely bruised from the fall.But she couldn't dwell on her injuries now. Frantically, she looked around. The sky was dimly lit, and she could see raindrops falling outside, yet she seemed to be sheltered from the rain by something above her head. She hurriedly looked up and
Two days later, in the middle of the night in the mountains, a woman cautiously held her clothes, glancing back every few steps until she heard no sound, then she breathed a sigh of relief and hastened her pace. She remembered seeing a shallow forest pool nearby during the day, and after two days without bathing, she felt uncomfortable all over and sticky. The man had been around her all the time, so she had no time to clean herself until she could sneak away while he slept at midnight.The mountain path was difficult to navigate during the day, let alone at night, but luckily the moon was bright that night, so she could see clearly. When she saw the reflection of the lake, Selena's eyes lit up, and she quickened her pace. She regretted her decision to come here instead of hiding in a nearby town. She couldn't believe that after rescuing Mariana, the man had simply sent her away without bringing her along or finding someone to take care of her. She had to travel through the mountains
"Do you think all men are so easily deceived?" His voice was cold and somewhat hoarse as it echoed in her ear. "Why were you rummaging through your clothes, your belt, that day? And why were you secretly hiding the money from me? Huh? Were you planning to run away as soon as we left the mountains? Or did you think I was unaware of your every move?""No, no, no, it's not like that! I can give you money, all of it, I'll go back to Beerspa city with you, just take me back…"Selena felt like a cornered rabbit with no way to escape. No matter how she hunched her shoulders and hugged her chest, she inevitably touched the chest of the person behind her. The man's strong and forceful presence, combined with the shivering sensation of their skin touching, made her heart tremble slightly, and she was almost too scared to speak."No need." The man behind her coldly chuckled, "I suddenly realized another type of guarantee could work too. Today happens to be the day we planned our wedding. Spending
After descending the mountain and crossing two ridges, there were more carriages on the road. Not far from the town, there was a village known for its simple folk. Since it was a route commonly used by merchants entering the capital, many villagers were willing to provide accommodation and food for a f*e.Selena and Lucio temporarily stayed at the home of a widow named Alice. Lucio carefully cradled the sleeping Selena. Alice hurriedly ushered them into the house, which, although a rural dwelling, was surprisingly clean and tidy.Treating the woman as if she were a precious treasure, Lucio laid her gently on the soft bedding, despite being covered in mud himself after spending half a day taking care of her. He hastily left after giving Alice some money and a few instructions.Alice naturally agreed to his requests one by one, feeling quite satisfied with the money she received. However, when she opened the pouch later, she was startled. Oh my goodness, she had never seen gold coins in
In the afternoon, a carriage hurriedly arrived at Alice's doorstep. Jose, with an anxious expression, and Thomas jumped off the carriage. Seeing his daughter standing at the door, Jose finally breathed a sigh of relief. These days, he and Maria had been frantically searching for her. Thankfully, Lucio had sent a message back, and after days of sleepless travel, they finally arrived here.Seeing his daughter pulling on his arm like she did when she was a child, her tears seemed to be on the verge of falling, what could a father say? Eventually, all the worries and hardships of the past few days were condensed into a deep sigh.After leaving Alice's house, despite urging the horse on, it still took six days to return to Beerspa City. From afar, he saw Maria, who was almost seven months pregnant, standing at the door, anxiously looking out. Seeing the carriage, her face became nervous.Upon seeing Selena, Maria's expression changed several times, but eventually she turned and went inside
Her departure from home had been kept secret, with the story being that she was confined to her room with a contagious rash. Luckily, she had returned safely.Initially, everyone in the neighborhood knew about Selena's engagement to Lucio and their impending wedding. However, it was strange that there had been no word from Lucio for two months, and the wedding plans seemed to be falling apart. Now, many people in the town were making fun of Selena, despite her successful business ventures. They speculated that there must be something wrong with Selena, and Mr. Simeone was not pleased.Maria had been looking increasingly worn out and troubled lately. It was understandable, considering her beautiful daughter was now without any suitors, and Lucio had suddenly disappeared. Mr. Selena had visited Lucio's mansion several times, but the gatekeepers always claimed Lucio hadn't returned yet. It had been two months already, and it was clear he was just making excuses. But what could they do?Me
Upon hearing what the young servant girl said, he was stunned for a moment, then turned to the man beside him, Lucio, said, “Lucio, even though I considered you as my elder brother, is this how you treat me? Did you know about the woman I admire, and you just looked by silently?”Lucio, upon hearing this, raised an eyebrow and stared at Hector with his eyes as black as night, then extended his hand and gestured with his finger, “You want to know? Come here, I'll tell you…”Hector, upon hearing this, was taken aback for a moment, then immediately closed his mouth in disbelief and approached Lucio. Lucio smirked and said, “She's… your sister-in-law.” With that, he punched Hector in the stomach with his injured right arm, and a dull thud resounded. Hector immediately screamed in pain and doubled over, clutching his abdomen.Although Lucio remained composed after the punch, blood began to seep from the bandaged area on his arm. He glanced at the piece of jewelry the girl had picked up earl