Whispers Of Chaos | ✓

| 32. 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒂 𝑾𝒂𝒓

So you wanna start a war, war
~ Start a War, Klergy

Chapter 32. Start a War

Selena hadn't spoken a single word.

She had not cried, yelled, collapsed-nothing.

Instead, she calmly walked back to the apartment. Anton watched his little one being eerily calm. A glint passed in his eyes.

"Don't follow me," her voice whispers but carries a wave of command as she looks at Big Brother and Rafael.

An hour passed by.

Finally, Selena emerged from her room, the quiet click of the door announcing her return. Her wet hair clung to her shoulders, and her skin bore the signs of a scalding hot shower-reddened and raw.

Selena's arms bore the marks of her pain and suffering, etched onto her skin like a map of her past. As Rafael, Alaric, and Fabio looked at the rose's arms, they could see the scars in vivid detail-raised and discolored, they snaked across Selena's skin like twisted vines.

Whip marks crisscrossed her skin, the thin lines still visible even though they had healed long ago. Burns had left patches of rough, reddened skin, while the knife scars were jagged and puckered, like miniature valleys etched onto the surface of her arms.

Each mark told a story, a painful reminder of-the trauma that Selena had endured.

A haunting resilience shimmered in her gaze, "This is my truth; I carry it with strength."

Within the span of a heartbeat, the crushing force enveloped Selena's body, a bear hug that threatened to squeeze the life out of her. She involuntary softened as her hand instinctively began to pat Rafael's back.

"And now I want my revenge."

The declaration hung heavy in the air. Selena-appeared calm and collected, yet her mind was already a whirlwind of gears, calculating the path to revenge.

"I got the CCTV footage from Knighthood. Carl was near the factory," she announced, her voice steady as she gauged the reactions around her.

"What are you planning to do?" Anton's voice cut through the stillness, his gaze fixed on Selena.

"Kill him," she uttered, the words hanging between them like a charged current.

Anton, always the voice of reason, intervened, "But you need answers from him. I know you want revenge for Hayate, but you also need answers for your own."

In Anton's eyes, a complex mix of concern and understanding swirled. They remained locked onto Selena, a silent plea for caution. "We'll find a way to get the answers, but we must tread carefully. There's more at stake than revenge, little one."

Selena nodded, a reluctant acknowledgment of her brother's wisdom. Yet, within her, a fierce fire burned brightly-a determination that refused to yield in its pursuit of retribution.

Rafael, who had been silent until now, could no longer contain the surge of protective instincts coursing through him. His usually warm and gentle eyes for her transformed, hardening with determination.

"I'm coming with you," he declared.

Anton glared at Rafael, recognizing the storm brewing within his sister's lover. "Rafael, we need to plan this carefully. Storming in without a strategy could make things worse."

But Rafael was unwavering. "I can't let her face this alone, Anton. Carl needs to answer for what he did, and I won't allow any harm to come to my woman."

"I appreciate both of you," she said, a hint of gratitude softening her determined facade. "But I need answers. I need to face Carl on my terms and greet him nicely."

Rafael's jaw clenched. "We can handle this together, Selena. You don't have to face this alone."

Big Brother intervened with a measured tone. "Rafael, trust Selena to make the right decisions. We'll support her, but we must respect her choices."

The room resonated with the silence of uncertainty, now pulsed with the dynamic interplay.

Sullivan's penetrating gaze bore into Selena, a silent storm brewing within his eyes. No one could decipher the thoughts that danced beneath the surface of his expression. His silence was more unnerving than any spoken threat, an unsettling prelude to a typhoon yet to be unleashed.

His jaw tightened, the muscles rigid as he watched Selena.

Yet, amid the charged atmosphere, Selena remained the epicenter, seemingly unaffected by the clash of these contrasting forces. Her determination radiated, a silent declaration that she would face whatever darkness lay ahead on her terms.

Fabio's phone dinged.

"We have traced Carl."

Word count: 713
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