I was stunned when the man said he knew my brother.
I wasn’t ready for that. Not now. Not after everything that had just happened.
I was still at the lowest point of my life, and I was barely able to stand, barely able to breathe. I had just managed to escape that hell, and now... this?
Thankfully, he took me with him. He didn’t push me away. He didn’t drag me back to those people. He said he wouldn’t send me to my brothers.
But then why were they looking for me?
What more did they want from me?
That question kept circling my mind like a storm. I was trying to hold myself together when I heard something outside—shouting, then a loud, heavy thud.
I peeked out the window and froze.
He was beating Jim badly.
My whole body trembled at the sight. His fists didn’t stop—he looked like he had lost control.
I didn’t know what to think anymore.
Would he do the same to me?
Just because he had saved me didn’t mean he was safe. I couldn’t trust anyone. Especially not someone who was connected to them.
And that was more than enough reason to keep my guard up.
I was still lost in my thoughts when the car door opened, and he slid into the driver’s seat.
"Would you like some water?" he asked, his face unreadable and even cold, but his voice held a strange softness. As if he weren’t the same man who’d just beaten someone to a pulp.
"No," I replied quickly. My voice wavered. "P-Please... just take me to the nearest h-hospital."
That’s when I noticed the blood on his knuckles— it was still deep
My eyes were stuck on them.
"What are you staring at?" he asked, then followed my gaze. He looked down at his own hands and scoffed. "Well... it’s still better than yours."
I looked down and froze. My hands... were caked in dried blood.
My breath caught in my throat.
I couldn’t say anything.
"Thank... Thank you," I said in a weak tone. "But can you please drop me off somewhere safe?" I repeated myself. I didn’t want to go with this person as I didn’t know him, and moreover, he knew my brothers.
"You begged me to come with me, and now you want to run away?" he muttered coldly as he started the car. "I am not letting you go anywhere."
With that, the engine roared to life, cutting through the silence of the dark, empty highway.
A part of me thought he was taking me somewhere to lock me away. Somewhere I would never escape from. But I had no strength left to fight or flee. My body gave up, and everything went dark.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in his arms.
And he was carrying me into a place that didn’t look like a prison at all.
It was a vast and shining villa. I was shining like something out of a dream. It looked nothing like what I expected. It almost looked... safe and heavenly.
But I wasn’t ready to believe that yet.
He led me down a hallway into a room that made my breath catch. It was larger than Melissa’s at the Lancaster mansion—elegant, cold, and so pristine that it felt surreal.
I stared, unable to step forward. "Why... why am I he... here?" I stammered, gripping the edge of the doorway as I was still weak.
"You are at my house," he said without hesitation. "You will stay here until you are okay."
His tone left no room for argument. It wasn’t a question—it was a statement.
Then, like it was the most normal thing in the world, he turned slightly and said, "Oh, and I am Lucien De Rossi," before walking away, as if none of this was strange. "Someone will come to take care of your injuries."
The door clicked shut behind him, and I was left in silence.
That name felt strangely familiar.
The third richest man in the world? The one Melissa used to obsess over, like a mad person, and was ready to do anything for him?
What was someone like him doing here? Why was he the one who found me?
And more importantly...
How did he know my brothers?
Several thoughts swirled in my head, making me even more dizzy.
I dragged myself to the bed and collapsed onto it, the sheets felt soft and cool against my skin.
I didn’t have the energy to think about everything now.
What mattered was that I had escaped—that I was no longer trapped in that living nightmare from my past life.
I was never good with people. Conversations, eye contact, even simple greetings—they always felt too big for me. I wasn’t like other girls. I didn’t shine. I was invisible everywhere I went!
"Hah..." I let out a hollow laugh. "I barely escaped, and now... I have no idea what comes next."
Did I just say that... in one go?
A full sentence. Smooth and clear. Without stammering.
My lips parted in shock.
Could I really... speak freely? Just like others?
"W-What...?" I whispered. "I didn’t even realize..." The tiniest smile tried to rise.
Before I could even breathe in that tiny moment of joy, the door creaked open.
A man burst in—his breath uneven, his eyes wide.
"You—how are you here? Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
I stared at him, stunned. The concern on his face didn’t reach me. Not even a little.
Instead, something sharp twisted in my chest.
And who gave him the right to care now?