"Alex," she said after a while, her voice hesitant.
"Hmm?"
"Why did you come after me?"
"I had a feeling you might need help," he admitted.
Selena frowned, her brow furrowing. "Why would you think that?"
"Call it intuition," he said, shrugging lightly. "You're headstrong, Selena. You don't back down, even when you probably should. I just... Had a feeling Nicholas wouldn't make things easy for you."
His words struck a chord within her, and she fell silent, unsure how to respond.
"Thank you," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.
Alex glanced at her, his brows furrowing slightly. "For what?"
"For... Coming to get me," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't expect you to, but I'm glad you did."
Alex's expression softened a hint of warmth in his eyes. "You don't have to thank me, I couldn't afford to lose my partner. Do you know how hard it is to find a noblewoman crazy enough to hire me?"
Selena shook her head and chuckled. She leaned back slightly. This man was huge and it was comforting to lean back into his chest, a big warm wall was how she would describe it.
As they rode in silence, the rhythm of the horse's hooves steady against the dirt path, Selena's thoughts spiralled into an unrelenting storm.
No matter how much she tried to focus on the present—the sound of the wind brushing through the trees, the warmth of Alex seated behind her—her mind kept drifting back to the manor and the man she had left behind.
Zhiyuan.
Her heart felt heavy, tangled with emotions she didn't want to acknowledge. How could this even be possible? He had called her "Yue'er," a name she hadn't heard since her previous life. That alone was enough to shake her to her core.
But how? How could he be here, in this world, in Nicholas's body? Had he transmigrated the same way she had? Was this some sort of cosmic joke, fate tying their paths together once again after all the pain he'd caused her?
She clenched the reins tighter, the leather biting into her palms. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. If he truly knew who she was, if he knew she was Ming Yue, why had he treated her so cruelly as Nicholas?
And if he loved her... Why did he kiss Liying?
Her grip on the reins started to affect the way the horse was reacting. His hands moved and covered hers. He slowly pried them open and saw how the reins hurt her soft hands.
"Sorry," she muttered, loosening her hold.
Alex didn't let go immediately. His hand lingered, warm and reassuring. "Whatever's going on in that head of yours, don't let it take over. We'll deal with it when we get back."
Selena didn't respond, but his words did little to calm the storm inside her. Deal with it? How could she deal with this when nothing made sense?
She stared ahead, her thoughts racing. Zhiyuan's presence in this world raised too many questions, each one more confusing than the last.
Did he transmigrate like I did? If he did, why was he with Clara?
That thought sent a pang through her chest. She hated how much it still hurt, even after everything. She had thought she'd left those feelings behind when she became Selena.
She wasn't Ming Yue anymore, not truly. Ming Yue was dead, and so were the love and trust she'd once had for Yu Zhiyuan.
He doesn't deserve a second chance, she told herself firmly. Not after what he did to me.
Her mind replayed the worst of it, the way he had betrayed her in their past life. She had loved him deeply, and believed in him, only to find out he had been unfaithful. He had shattered her, leaving her with nothing but regret and heartache.
And yet...
Her chest tightened as she remembered the look in his eyes back at the manor. There had been no disdain, no mockery. Just surprise and something that looked almost like... hope.
No, she thought, shaking her head slightly. I'm not going to fall for that again. I won't let him manipulate me.
But then there was the engagement. He had torn up the annulment papers without a second thought, his actions deliberate and decisive. Why? Why would he refuse to let her go? Was it because he truly wanted to hold onto her, or was it some twisted game?
I'll make him sign it if I have to, she vowed silently. I won't let him trap me in this engagement.
Nicholas—or Zhiyuan, whoever he was—had no right to dictate her future. Selena was determined to live life on her own terms now, free from the shadows of her past and the people who had hurt her.
As they rode on, Selena found herself clinging to that thought. She had been through enough heartbreak and betrayal. Whatever lay ahead, she wouldn't let her past define her future.
"I won't let him win," she said aloud, more to herself than to Alex.
Alex's brow furrowed slightly. "Nicholas?"
Selena nodded, her resolve hardening. "He thinks he can control me, but he's wrong. I'm not going to let him—or anyone else—decide my life for me."
Alex didn't say anything at first, but she could see the flicker of approval in his eyes. "Good," he said finally. "Because you deserve better than that."
His words lingered in the air between them, a quiet affirmation of everything she had been fighting for.
As they approached the town, Selena felt a sense of clarity she hadn't had before. There were still so many questions, so many things she didn't understand about Zhiyuan's presence in this world.
But one thing was certain: she wouldn't let him—or anyone else—pull her back into the pain of her past.
She was Selena Whitlock now, and she would forge her own path, no matter what it took.