I told myself I only needed fresh air.
Not escape.
Not space from Damian.
Just a moment to breathe without feeling the walls of the mansion watching me.
Security had been tighter since last night. I was not even sure they would let me step beyond the front door. But Mrs. Julia found me lingering near the staircase, pretending to scroll on my phone while really trying to gather courage.
"You need a little sunlight," she said gently. "Go on. Take an hour. I will notify the gate."
I blinked. "You will let me out?"
"You have been locked in this place since you came," she whispered. "Just do not wander far. And do not worry, I will handle the guards."
Mrs. Julia was the only person besides Damian whose word the guards obeyed without question.
So that was how I ended up being escorted to a waiting car. I did not drive, because I did not know how. The estate's chauffeur, Mateo, opened the door for me.
"ms. hale," he said respectfully. "Where to?"
"The coffee shop near the old bookstore," I replied softly.
He nodded, and I slid into the backseat.
A cab would have been too risky. This was already risky enough. I felt exposed even sitting inside a company car, but I needed air. I needed noise. I needed anything that was not silent hallways filled with shadows and secrets.
When we reached town, I told Mateo I would only be a few minutes. He stayed inside the car, scrolling quietly.
I walked toward the outdoor seating of the café.
Then froze when I heard the name Cole slip out of a stranger's mouth.
"You know the Cole family," a woman whispered dramatically. "One of their sons killed a girl and disappeared."
"That boy was trouble even before the crash," her friend replied loudly. "Dark. Reckless. Always doing things behind the family's back."
My heartbeat stumbled.
That did not sound like Damian at all.
"Some say he was pushed out before the accident," the woman continued. "But these families lie for fun, so who knows."
The stories contradicted each other, proving they were nothing more than dangerous gossip. Cruel lies spoken by people who enjoyed pretending they knew the truth.
I backed away quietly and returned to the car, my mind heavy. Mateo watched me from the mirror.
"Home?"
"Yes. Please."
But the moment we pulled onto the main road, something felt wrong.
A black car merged behind us.
Then stayed there.
Too close.
Too steady.
My pulse tightened.
"Mateo," I whispered, "is that car following?"
He checked the mirror once, then twice.
"Stay calm. I will take a different route."
He turned down a side street.
The black car followed.
He turned again.
The black car followed.
Cold washed through me.
"Should I call the mansion?" he asked.
"No. Just get us home."
By the time we reached the long private road leading to the mansion, the black car slowed, then turned into the trees before the security cameras could capture it.
Mateo exhaled shakily. "They did not want to be seen."
Whoever they were, they knew exactly where we had come from.
I stepped out with unsteady legs and walked toward the entrance.
Mrs. Julia was waiting. Her expression was drawn tight with worry.
"Aria," she said quietly. "mr. Cole asked to see you immediately upon your return."
My stomach dropped.
Damian knew.
I nodded and walked through the hall, each step heavier than the last. The air felt thick, like walking into a storm.
The door to the study was slightly open.
Damian was inside.
Standing by the window.
Hands clasped behind his back.
Shoulders rigid.
Jaw tight.
Cold.
Controlled.
Too quiet.
He spoke without turning.
"You left the mansion."
Not a question.
"Yes," I whispered.
"And you did not tell me."
His voice was soft but sharp, like something barely held back.
"I told Mrs. Julia. I did not think…"
"Exactly," he said. "You did not think."
The words cut, not because they were harsh, but because underneath them I heard fear.
"I needed air."
"You needed air," he repeated slowly. "And instead you went into town, exposed, without understanding how dangerous that choice was."
"I was with Mateo."
"And you were followed."
His voice dropped lower.
"You could have led someone straight here. A single mistake is all it takes for everything I have kept buried for two years to be exposed."
"I know. I am sorry."
He exhaled sharply and finally looked at me. His eyes were dark, blazing with a mixture of anger and something far more fragile.
"Aria, you put yourself in danger. You put me in danger. Do you understand that? Whoever was in that car saw you leaving this estate. That alone is enough to unravel everything."
"I was not trying to be reckless."
"That is the problem," he said. "You did not have to try."
Silence settled between us.
Then something in him shifted.
His shoulders lowered slightly.
His voice softened, not warm, but wounded.
"I already lost someone once," he said quietly. "I cannot lose anyone else. Not like that. Not again."
My breath caught.
He had never spoken about his fiancée so openly.
He stepped closer, not enough to touch me, but close enough that the air between us felt charged.
"Stay where I can protect you," he said. "I am not asking twice."
And even though his tone was cold, I heard the truth beneath it.
He was not angry because I disobeyed.
He was angry because he could have lost me.