Chapter 8
Selene’s POV
After leaving the Castellan estate, I took a Greyhound bus back to my hometown–a tiny rural town
in the middle of nowhere.
I’d busted my ass to escape that dead–end place, studying like crazy to get into agricultural college, and eventually landing a job maintaining botanical gardens in the city.
It was backbreaking work but honest, and I genuinely loved working with plants and flowers.
But I never should have met Lucien. Back then, I was seduced by the insane salary he offered, completely blind to the fact that I was walking straight into a nightmare–four years as his personal sex toy and emotional punching bag.
I’d been so fucking naive about love. Now the very thought of it made me sick. I never wanted to be vulnerable like that again.
So I fled that hellish city, used every penny I’d managed to save to buy a small cottage, and poured my soul into turning it into a bed–and–breakfast.
But first, I spent two weeks just trying to put myself back together before I could even think about moving forward.
I planted bluebells everywhere–my favorite flowers–watching them dance freely in the wind. For the first time in years, I felt like I could actually breathe.
A month later, my B&B was officially open. I’d documented the whole renovation process online, and the videos had blown up, so I was booked solid from day one.
loved sitting in the garden with my guests, listening to their stories from all over the country. Their experiences slowly filled the gaping hole in my chest where my heart used to be.
But then one day, I heard a name that made my blood run cold:
‘You hear about that Castellan Corporation CEO? Dude’s completely lost his mind trying to track down some woman! The board was already gunning for him, but now Lucien’s so obsessed he’s etting the whole company burn. Contracts are getting canceled left and right, stock’s in free fall–everyone thinks the board’s gonna boot his ass any day now.”
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When Flowers
Chapter 8
My stomach dropped. I thought my goodbye letter had been brutal enough to get through his thick skull. Apparently, I was wrong.
And what about his precious Lorelei? Why the hell was he hunting me down?
I had to know: “Doesn’t he have a fiancée or something?”
“Nah, they called that off. Word is he tortured the shit out of her afterward. No clue what she did to
set him off.”
“Men, right? They’ll fuck you over faster than you can say ‘I love you,” another guest laughed bitterly
I felt a twisted satisfaction. Yeah, that was Lucien–a master of emotional whiplash.
He’d worshipped me once, then the second his real obsession came back, he’d let her destroy me piece by piece.
Now that I was gone, he suddenly gave a damn and took it out on poor Lorelei instead.
I finally understood the truth–anyone who got tangled up with Lucien Castellan was doomed.
Before I left, I’d been terrified he’d come after me, so I’d taken out some insurance. I’d snuck into his private study one last time.
He used to drag me in there for his power trips, so I’d accidentally discovered where he hid his most
sensitive business files.
That final day, I’d copied everything onto a flash drive–my nuclear option if he wouldn’t leave me
alone.
So when I heard he was still looking for me, I didn’t hesitate. I sent those trade secrets straight to his biggest competitors.
With his empire crumbling, surely he’d be too busy trying to survive to chase ghosts from his past.
But fate had other plans. A week later, my newest guest was the devil himself.
Lucien looked like he’d crawled out of hell–clothes wrinkled and stained, hair greasy and wild, so gaunt I could see his cheekbones. He looked like he’d been driving for days without food or sleep, running on pure desperation.
He was almost unrecognizable from the polished, arrogant bastard who’d owned me for four years.
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When Flowers Turn to Fire:Watch Me Bloom Watch Him Burn
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Chapter 8
But the second his hollow eyes found mine, they blazed back to life, and years of exhaustion seemed to melt away.
“Selene. Jesus Christ, I finally found you.”
Every moment of torture, every humiliation, every broken promise came crashing back. Terror and rage warred in my chest as I stumbled backward:
“Lucien, what part of ‘never see you again‘ didn’t you understand? How many more promises are you gonna break?”
His face twisted with raw anguish, and for a moment he looked like he might actually cry: “Selene, I’ve been going out of my fucking mind without you. I can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t think about anything but you. If I don’t have you back, I’m gonna lose what’s left of my sanity.”
I stared at him with pure ice in my veins, my lips curling into the cruelest smile I could manage: “Good. I hope you do go insane. Better yet, just fucking die already.”
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