I reached them without slowing down, my steps uneven now, my breathing shallow and fast as I crossed the threshold and left the suffocating warmth of the hall behind.
The night air hit me instantly.
Cool.
Sharp.
It filled my lungs in a way that almost hurt, but I welcomed it, clinging to it as if it could steady me, as if it could wash away the chaos inside me.
But it didn't.
Nothing did.
I kept moving.
Down the grand steps, my heels striking against the stone, the sound echoing loudly in the quiet outside. My vision blurred again, the tears falling freely now, no longer held back, no longer hidden.
I didn't wipe them away this time.
I couldn't.
My hands trembled too much.
The guards at the gates turned as I approached, their expressions shifting instantly as they took in my state—the hurried steps, the tear-streaked face, the clear desperation in my movements.
"Miss—" one of them started, confusion evident in his voice.
But I didn't stop.
I didn't slow down.
I passed them without a word, without even looking at them, crossing the gates like they weren't even there.
And then—
I ran.
I didn't think.
I didn't plan.
I just ran.
My heels pounded against the ground, uneven at first, then faster, more desperate as the distance between me and the mansion grew. The night stretched out around me, dark and open, the lights of the estate fading slowly behind me with every step I took.
People turned as I passed.
Strangers.
Drivers.
Guards.
Their eyes followed me, their expressions shifting into something questioning, something uncertain, as if they were trying to understand why someone dressed like me—someone who had clearly come from a place like that—was running through the night like they had nothing left to lose.
Maybe I didn't.
The thought hit me suddenly, harsh and unfiltered.
Maybe I really didn't.
My breath came in short, uneven bursts, my chest aching with every inhale, but I didn't stop. I couldn't.
Because if I stopped—
If I slowed down even for a second—
Everything would catch up to me.
The pain.The confusion.The realization of what I had just seen.
And I wasn't ready for that.
Not yet.
Tears blurred my vision completely now, streaming down my cheeks without pause, unstoppable no matter how hard I tried to steady myself. They fell freely, carried away by the wind as I ran, leaving behind nothing but the raw, exposed feeling in my chest that refused to fade.
My hair came loose around me, strands sticking to my damp skin, the carefully styled look from earlier falling apart with every step. The dress that had once felt so perfect now felt heavy, restricting, like something that didn't belong to me anymore.
Nothing about that night felt like it belonged to me anymore.
I ran faster.
Further.
Away from the lights.Away from the voices.Away from him.
The image of him standing there, in the spotlight, beside her, flashed in my mind again, sharp and vivid, and it only pushed me harder, forcing my legs to keep moving even when they began to ache.
I didn't know where I was going.
I didn't know how far I would go.
All I knew was that I couldn't go back.
Not now.
Not after this.
The night swallowed me slowly, the mansion disappearing completely from view, leaving me alone with nothing but the sound of my footsteps and the quiet, broken rhythm of my breathing.
And still—
I ran.
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE
I told myself I was fine.
That the worst of it had already passed.
That the tightness in my chest, the trembling in my hands, the way my thoughts still felt scattered and fragile—it would all settle if I just kept moving, if I just kept breathing.
So I walked.
Slowly now.
Carefully.
Each step more controlled than the last as I crossed the quiet road, the faint glow of distant streetlights stretching shadows along the pavement. The night air brushed against my skin, cool and steady, a sharp contrast to the suffocating warmth I had left behind.
I tried to focus on it.
On the air.
On the silence.
On anything that wasn't him.
My breathing began to even out little by little, though it still hitched every now and then, like my body hadn't quite caught up with the fact that I had stopped running. My chest rose and fell slower this time, less frantic, but still heavy, like something was sitting there, refusing to lift completely.
I tightened my grip on my bag, grounding myself in the feeling of it against my side. The notebook was still there. Safe. Real. Something that hadn't betrayed me, something that hadn't looked me in the eyes and made me believe in something that wasn't mine to believe in.
I exhaled shakily, my steps slowing as I reached the middle of the road.
Just breathe.
In.
Out.
In—
Something shifted.
It was faint at first.
So faint I almost ignored it.
A presence.
A feeling.
Like something had changed in the air behind me, something subtle but wrong, something that didn't belong to the quiet stillness of the night.
My body reacted before my mind did.
A small pause in my step.
A slight tension in my shoulders.
But I didn't turn.
I didn't want to.
I told myself it was nothing.
Just my imagination.
Just leftover nerves.
Just the echo of everything I had been through tonight finally catching up to me.
So I kept walking.
One step.
Then another.
But the feeling didn't go away.
If anything—
It grew stronger.
Heavier.
Closer.
My heartbeat began to pick up again, slow at first, then faster, my chest tightening in a way that had nothing to do with running this time.
Something was wrong.
The thought flickered through my mind, sharp and instinctive.
I should turn around.
I should look.
But before I could—
Something hit my knees.
Hard.
The impact came out of nowhere, sudden and forceful, knocking the breath out of me before I could even react. A sharp gasp escaped my lips as my legs gave out beneath me, the strength in them disappearing instantly as I stumbled forward.
"What—"
The word barely left my mouth before everything tilted.
The ground rushed up too quickly, my balance completely gone as pain shot through my knees, the shock of it freezing me for a split second. My hands barely had time to move before I fell, the world spinning in a blur of dark pavement and scattered light.
My bag slipped slightly from my grip.
My breath hitched.
And then—
Nothing felt steady anymore.
The sounds around me faded strangely, like someone had turned the volume down on the world. The faint hum of the night, the distant rustle of wind—it all blurred into something distant, something unreachable.
My vision flickered.
Dark.
Light.
Dark again.
My thoughts tried to catch up, to make sense of what had just happened, but they felt slow, heavy, like they were sinking instead of forming.
What just—
Another wave of dizziness hit me, stronger this time, making it impossible to focus. My body felt weak, unresponsive, like it no longer fully belonged to me.
I tried to move.
Tried to push myself up.
But my arms didn't listen.
My fingers twitched faintly against the ground, but there was no strength behind it, no control.
My breathing turned uneven again, shallow and unsteady, panic beginning to rise somewhere deep inside me—but even that felt distant, like it was happening behind a thick layer I couldn't break through.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
My heart pounded, but it felt slower now, heavier, like each beat was dragging instead of pushing.
My vision blurred again, more than before, the edges darkening in a way that made everything feel smaller, narrower.
I couldn't think clearly anymore.
I couldn't—
My head felt light.
Too light.
The strength drained out of me completely, leaving nothing but a hollow, floating sensation that made it impossible to hold onto anything—thoughts, movement, even awareness itself.
The last thing I felt was the cold of the ground beneath me.
And that strange, lingering presence behind me.
Close.
Too close.
Then—
Everything disappeared.