e first painting, only the queen’s face showed sadness.
Altair slid another drawing through the crack beneath the door.
This time, he’d used crayons to sketch the queen in a pink dress, hand in hand with her daughter as they walked away from the castle. But now, the queen’s face was radiant, her smile bright and full of joy.
Selene picked up the third drawing Altair handed her.
In this one, the queen and the little girl met a new king, who stood with a small boy at his side. The king was down on one knee, holding out a diamond ring, proposing to the queen.
There was a faint rustling sound–Altair pushed a fifth drawing under the door.
This last picture showed the queen, her daughter, and the new king together as a family. But the queen’s face was lost and distant, her expression blank with confusion.
Altair had a real gift for drawing. With just a few quick strokes, he captured the subtlety of every emotion, each face vivid and unmistakable.
Selene sat on the floor, her back against the door, clutching Altair’s five pictures and the note that read: “I don’t want you to be my mom.”
Her eyes stung, vision blurring as tears welled up.
He didn’t want her to become his mother. He couldn’t bear to see her start over, to
slip into another family, to carry the weight of motherhood for someone else’s child again. But the fact that he drew so many pictures for her–it proved Altair liked her.
He liked her so much, he couldn’t stand the thought of hurting her.
When Altair realized he might be the one to bring Selene pain, his first instinct was to push her away as far as possible.
Maybe if he locked himself in his room, he could keep Selene from repeating the same mistakes.
Selene turned her head at the sound of soft wheels approaching. Leo was rolling toward her, one hand resting on the arm of his wheelchair.
“Why are you sitting on the floor?” he asked, coming to a halt beside her and
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bending down slightly.
Selene showed him the drawings she’d received.
“Little Star is such a smart, heartbreakingly sensitive kid.”
Leo looked over Altair’s pictures. “Liking someone doesn’t mean you have to possess them,” he said.
He met Selene’s gaze, his tone open, honest. “Once, I was wrong about something. You were the best student I ever had, but you’re a woman. I thought if I sheltered you, made sure your husband would cherish you, only then could you flourish, only then would you be safe and cared for.
But life proved me wrong.
People change. Don’t put yourself in a position of weakness, Selene. Don’t hand your future over to anyone.”
Harrison’s angry voice echoed in Leo’s mind:
“You’re not so selfless, are you? Better to keep it in the family, right? You wanted me to marry Selene because you thought she could be useful to Vaughn Enterprises. After all, the strongest partnership is marriage!
You pushed her toward me.
How could I ever fall for a woman who’s calculating everything?”
Leo lowered his eyes, almost like a god carved from marble, extending his hand to Selene–yet, in the end, never touching her.
His gaze was filled with a deep, sorrowful compassion, directed inward.
“I shouldn’t have tried to keep you on my planet, Selene. You belong in the wild, growing fierce and untamed. You should weather the storms life brings. All I can do is give you what nourishment I can.
I want to see you with your thorns again. I want to see you stand out from the crowd, unafraid and unbroken.”
He handed Altair’s drawings back to her. “You don’t have to be anyone’s mother. You don’t have to be someone’s wife, or someone’s daughter–in–law.
Just be yourself. Live for your own feelings.”
The hallway was utterly silent. After Leo wheeled over, Luke Holloway–still worried about Selene–had followed and now stood just out of sight, listening.
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He paused, unmoving, as Leo’s words echoed down the corridor.
Selene’s eyes shone as she looked up at Leo.
She said softly, “I know. I know you care about me too, Professor.”
But it was a care untainted by possession, a pure, genuine admiration and love.
Leo’s throat tightened. The warmth and sincerity in her voice pulled at him, a gravity impossible to escape.
Just then, the door creaked open. Altair, hands gripping the doorknob, poked his head out from the gap, peering at them silently.
Chapter 214
