Selina could feel it.
The moment she left the living room—
everyone's attention followed her.
Especially his.
Her footsteps remained calm against the marble staircase, but her heartbeat refused to steady. She could still feel Lucian Blackwood's silver eyes lingering on her back even as distance grew between them.
It unsettled her.
No—
it terrified her.
Because she didn't understand him.
And people she couldn't understand were dangerous.
The second her bedroom door closed behind her, Selina exhaled quietly.
Silence wrapped around the room.
She moved toward the window instinctively, fingers tightening slightly against the curtains below.
Black cars still lined the mansion entrance.
Security everywhere.
The Blackwood family clearly wasn't ordinary.
But neither was Lucian.
Her thoughts drifted helplessly back to him again.
The way Damian became cautious around him.
The way the entire room shifted when he entered.
The way he defended her without hesitation.
And most of all—
that look in his eyes.
As though he had already watched her disappear once before.
Selina frowned slightly.
Impossible.
None of this had happened in her previous life.
She would've remembered a man like him.
Wouldn't she?
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
"Selina."
Elara.
Selina's expression cooled immediately.
"I want to talk."
For a moment, Selina considered ignoring her completely.
But eventually—
"Come in."
The door opened slowly.
Elara stepped inside carefully, studying her with obvious confusion.
The tension between them had become impossible to ignore over the past few days.
And tonight only made it worse.
"You embarrassed Dad downstairs," Elara said quietly.
Selina looked at her calmly. "Did I?"
"You've been acting strangely since the accident."
Maybe because dying changes people.
The thought almost made her laugh bitterly.
Instead, she asked softly,
"Why does that bother you?"
Elara seemed caught off guard by the question.
"It doesn't bother me."
"You're here, aren't you?"
Silence.
Selina noticed it immediately—
the subtle irritation hidden beneath Elara's composed expression.
Because Elara was used to being the center of Selina's world.
Used to being prioritized.
Admired.
Supported.
And now?
Selina barely looked at her anymore.
"You've changed," Elara admitted finally.
"Yes."
The direct answer startled her.
No denial.
No apology.
Nothing.
Elara crossed her arms slowly. "Is this about attention?"
Selina's gaze sharpened faintly.
"Attention?"
"Elara," Selina repeated quietly. "Do you hear yourself?"
For the first time, uncertainty crossed Elara's face.
Because the old Selina never spoke like this.
Never challenged her.
Never made her feel uncomfortable.
The room fell silent briefly before Elara changed the subject.
"Lucian Blackwood seemed interested in you."
Selina immediately went still.
Interested.
The word made her uneasy.
"No," she replied calmly. "He wasn't."
Elara studied her carefully.
"You know, he ignored almost everyone downstairs," she said softly. "Including me."
Selina looked away toward the rain outside.
She didn't know why hearing that unsettled her.
Maybe because part of her remembered Adrian.
The way attention slowly shifted.
The way admiration became obsession.
The way love eventually became cruelty.
She wanted no part in any of it anymore.
"Stay away from him," Elara said suddenly.
Selina blinked.
"What?"
Elara hesitated briefly before speaking again.
"The Blackwoods are dangerous."
A strange silence followed.
Then slowly—
Selina looked back at her sister.
"And yet," she said softly, "you still wanted his attention downstairs."
Elara's expression stiffened instantly.
For a second, neither sister spoke.
Then Elara turned toward the door abruptly.
"You really have changed."
Selina watched her quietly.
No.
She had finally stopped pretending.
After Elara left, Selina moved toward the balcony again.
Rain continued falling softly across the city.
And below—
black cars still waited outside the mansion gates.
Her eyes drifted toward one particular vehicle instinctively.
The rear passenger window rolled down slowly.
Silver eyes met hers immediately through the darkness.
Her breath caught.
He was still there.
Still watching her.
And somehow—
that frightened her less than it should have