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The vehicle comes straight at me, and the next second, it slams into Ethan’s car head-on with such force that the world seems to explode around me.

Metal shrieks.

Glass shatters.

The seat belt cuts hard across my chest as the impact throws my body forward, and the steering wheel disappears beneath a blur of shattered glass and twisting metal.

Ethan’s car spins violently, leaving the road.

I brace for the impact as the vehicle lurches out of control.

For one suspended second, I see nothing but sky, the road falling away behind me, and fragments of glass glittering in the sunlight.

Then Ethan’s car is thrown over the guardrail by another powerful impact.

And everything goes silent.

FIFTY-SIX

Selene

Ding.

The oven signals that the baking program is done as the front door suddenly swings open.

Could that be Zayn? I don’t even know if he answered my last message—a very emotional video, now that I think about it. I also have no idea where I left my phone after coming down from the dressing room and starting dinner.

But it’s definitely too early for him to be home already.

“Selene?” I hear Thalia call out.

“Over here,” I answer from beside the oven, where I’ve been roasting a piece of meat.

I like cooking when I have time, and ever since I got together with Zayn, I cook almost every night we stay home. Well—technically, we cook together, because he always helps me.

Hurried footsteps approach, but there’s more than one set.

I turn just in time to see Thalia, Sierra, and Serena heading my way.

But they’re not alone.

Three bodyguards follow closely behind them.

It’s not unusual for them to escort us—they accompany me everywhere I go. What is strange is that they’ve come inside the house, their eyes sweeping over every corner as if searching for something.

“Ms. Selene, is everything alright?” Ralph asks.

“Selene,” I correct him for the hundredth time. “And yes, everything’s fine. What could possibly be wrong?” I ask, instinctively glancing around the house myself.

“You didn’t hear the explosions a few minutes ago?” Sierra asks nervously, even though she tries to smile. Mostly because Serena is in her arms, listening carefully to every word.

But when I look more closely at both Sierra and Thalia, I realize they’re genuinely shaken. There’s a tension on their faces that neither of them manages to hide.

“I didn’t hear anything,” I explain, taking a few steps closer. “I was organizing the dressing room while listening to music, then I came downstairs and started cooking.”

“About ten minutes ago, there were explosions and gunshots somewhere nearby,” Ralph explains, lowering his voice when he mentions the things we don’t want Serena hearing. “Some of the guys went to check the area, but we want all of you to stay together under supervision—as a precaution—until we figure out what happened.”

Ever since I became part of their lives, I’ve come to understand they live surrounded by security and protection no matter where they go, and every outing is organized strategically. Even though it might seem uncomfortable to constantly have someone watching over you, it never really bothered me when Zayn explained that I’d have two men making sure I stayed safe.