When the Wind Brought Clarity

Just then, the sound of footsteps and voices shouting rang out from somewhere close by.

Lucine's expression changed as she swiftly picked up a rock at her feet, bringing it up to slash at her face.

"Dad, Mom, Zach, I'm here!"

When the three rushed over, the first thing they saw was Lucine collapsed on the floor with blood covering her face.

Nearby, Selena stood rooted to the spot, a cold look on her face.

At last, Zachary couldn't stand it anymore. He seized Selena's wrist in a vice grip, his eyes burning with rage.

"Selena Yane! Just what do you want? Haven't I explained things last time? Can you live with yourself while tormenting Lucy like this?"

Martha crouched anxiously beside Lucine, crying as she wiped the blood on Lucine's face away.

"Lucine, what on earth happened to you? Tell me what happened!"

"Mom, I'm so tired. I've been trying so hard to get along with Selena, so why did she still have to do this to me?

"I finally found a way out of the trees and only just stepped out when I bumped into Selena. She used a rock to slash my face, saying there was no way I could use my looks to seduce Zach after this.

"Since my return is causing everyone so much trouble, I might as well just die."

Upon hearing Lucine's words, Martha was heartbroken. She blamed herself for not being able to protect her daughter.

By the time the commotion was over, it was already getting dark.

Liam and Martha departed with Lucine first, leaving Selena and Zachary behind.

Zachary led Selena to his car, not saying a word at all. Likewise, Selena remained silent.

The car crept along slowly, and 20 minutes later, Selena finally realized something was wrong.

Furrowing her brow, she said, "This isn't the way home. Where are you taking me?"

However, instead of answering, Zachary parked the car by the roadside before yanking Selena out of the vehicle.

"I'm letting you have a taste of what it feels like to be abandoned. Otherwise, you'll never learn and change your ways. I'm doing all this for your own good."

Before Selena could say anything, Zachary had already sped off, leaving her to inhale the thick fumes of his car exhaust.

Since this was the middle of nowhere, Selena failed to see even a single car despite walking laboriously for several miles.

The early autumn night breeze was chilly. Dressed only in a dress, Selena was so cold that she was shivering.

The eerie cries of wild animals frightened her terribly, causing her to speed up. However, in a moment of carelessness, she accidentally stepped on a rock and twisted her ankle.

Before she could get up, she spotted something approaching her from afar. Whatever it was had glowing green eyes.

A beat later, she realized what it was—a pack of wolves!

Selena's breathing sped up as she turned to run in a blind panic. Unexpectedly, she lost her footing and tumbled off a cliff.

The wind roared past her ears as she fell. Selena was filled with indignant regret. She hadn't yet gotten to live her own life, so she couldn't accept that she would die just like this.

Yet, as she fell further and further, the speed of her descent increasing, she could only accept her fate and close her eyes.

If she could have a second chance at life, she didn't want to be a daughter born to the Yane family, nor did she want to meet Zachary again.

When Selena opened her eyes, the familiar surroundings caused her to lapse into dazed confusion.

Hadn't she fallen off a cliff? How was she in her room right now?

It wasn't until her forehead throbbed with pain that she realized she wasn't dead.

Sitting up with much difficulty, she heard Zachary talking on the balcony. He was on a phone call.

He wasn't speaking loudly, so all Selena could hear was Lucine being mentioned now and then.

Not wanting to hear about anything to do with them, Selena put on her earphones. That was when she received a message from an unfamiliar number.

"Have you finished packing up? I'll personally come to fetch you on that day."

Puzzled, she texted back, "Who are you?"

The person swiftly replied, "Selena Yane's fiance."

Upon seeing the word "fiance", Selena surprisingly felt her face flush.

She didn't know how Michael had gotten her phone number, but it likely hadn't been hard for him. After all, finding out a phone number was child's play with the Chiton family's influence.

Since Selena was wearing earphones, she didn't hear Zachary's footsteps at all.

Only when Zachary plucked out her earphones did Selena snap back to reality. She instantly turned off her phone screen.

Naturally, this didn't escape Zachary's notice.

"Selena, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, just chatting with a friend."

Zachary narrowed his eyes at her, knowing she was lying. Nevertheless, he didn't expose her.

"You've been unconscious for four days. How do you feel now?"

Hearing that, Selena was stunned. She snapped her head around to look at the calendar on the wall. Seeing what date it was, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Selena hadn't missed the wedding. If she had woken up a day later, she had no idea what would've happened.

Seeing her fall silent, Zachary continued, "I went to check out the bridal gowns yesterday. Shall we get married at the end of the month? I'm sure you'll be the most beautiful bride."

Selena stared at Zachary, wondering how he remained so calm as if nothing had happened.

"I know you're resentful of me. I didn't actually abandon you, because I was following you in the car. But the wolves targeted you when I was answering a call. Fortunately, I found you in time, or I can't imagine what would've happened."

There were tear marks in the corners of Zachary's eyes as he spoke. "Don't be mad at Lucy. The Chiton family is coming to pick her up soon. Let's go down and see her off, okay?

"Our lives will be back to normal after Lucy marries into the Chiton family. I'll definitely make things up to you.

"Getting married is such an important moment. She wouldn't want to have regrets. I guess she wants you to be there too."

Without hesitation, Selena rejected him. "I'm not going."

"Selena, why do you have to go against Lucy? What has she done to you? She sees you as her closest family, but you keep resisting her.

"It's fine if you refuse to go. I'll go myself. You'd better not regret it later," Zachary said.

Selena chuckled. Why would she regret anything?

She had long since given up on Zachary and the Yane family. From now on, she wouldn't care about anything related to them.

Moreover, she had always been the one getting hurt, not Lucine.

Zachary saw how resolute Selena was, so he could only go downstairs himself.

Just as he headed downstairs, he was shocked to see that the villa hadn't been decorated at all.

The villa looked dull without any traces of celebration. At the same time, Liam was drinking coffee and reading newspapers in the living room while Martha trimmed her plants.

Just then, the butler happened to walk past, so Zachary grabbed his arm and asked anxiously, "Isn't Lucy getting married today? Why is it so quiet?"

The butler was stunned. "Getting married? Ms. Lucine is still sleeping in the room. Who is she marrying?"

Suddenly, Zachary struggled to catch his breath as a sense of foreboding flooded his mind. He hurriedly rushed down to see Liam and Martha.

"Mr. and Mrs. Yane, why hasn't the house been decorated? Where's Lucy? It's time for her to get up. The Chitons aren't an ordinary family. It'd be rude if Lucy's still asleep when they arrive," Zachary said.

Since Zachary had yet to know the truth, Liam and Martha avoided the topic and made up an excuse to distract him. "The Chitons called us and said that they'll be late because of the bad traffic. Go eat something in the dining room, and I'll call you when they arrive."

As soon as they said that, a loud honk rang out outside the villa.

Liam and Martha exchanged looks, and they could sense the anxiety in each other's gazes.

Clad in a suit, Michael walked in. The morning light cast a gentle glow over his sharp nose, adding a touch of aloofness to his graceful appearance.

"Mr. and Mrs. Yane, I'm here for—"

Before Michael could finish his words, Zachary frowned and cut him off. "You can't just take Lucy away like this. The decorations in the house aren't done yet. Please wait for a moment."

Michael leisurely tapped his fingers. It was the first time someone had told him to wait.

Before Michael could say anything, Selena's voice rang out amid the crowd. "There's no need to wait. Let's go."

Michael casually walked up to Selena and took the suitcase from her.

Their intimate interaction made Zachary freeze in place.

He strode forward and held the suitcase. "Isn't Lucy the one marrying into your family? What are you guys doing here?"

Michael flashed a faint smile. His voice was nonchalant, but his words struck Zachary like a thunderbolt. "The person I'm marrying is Selena."