Lahat ng Kabanata ng BOUND BY SECRET, BAILED BY LOVE: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

The music didn’t come back on.At first, people assumed it would.A brief pause. A technical issue. Something small.But as the seconds stretched into minutes, the silence began to settle in a way that felt… wrong.Arielle still hadn’t returned.Lucien stood near the center of the garden, his gaze fixed on the entrance to the house. He hadn’t moved in a while, but there was nothing relaxed about him. His shoulders were set, his jaw tight enough that the muscle ticked faintly beneath his skin.Around him, conversations had started again but softer now. Less carefree. People were watching.Waiting.“Lucien.”Mary.He turned.She was already walking toward him, a polite smile still on her face for the benefit of the guests around her. But the moment she got close enough, the smile slipped just slightly.Not completely.Just enough.“What is going on?” she asked under her breath, her eyes flicking briefly toward the crowd before returning to him. “Why has the music stopped?”Lucien didn’t

The air inside the car had gone stale.Too quiet.Too still.Arielle shifted slightly against the seat, testing the restraint around her wrists again. The rope scraped against her skin, rough enough to remind her that this wasn’t something she could talk her way out of in one sentence.Not yet.She lifted her eyes slowly.Roman hadn’t moved.Both hands on the steering wheel, even though the engine was off. His shoulders were tense, like he was holding himself in place.Watching him carefully, Arielle spoke.“Why are you doing this?”Roman let out a short breath through his nose.Not quite a laugh.Not quite irritation.“I told you,” he said without looking at her. “I don’t need a reason.”Arielle tilted her head slightly, studying the side of his face.“That’s not true.”His jaw tightened.Still not looking at her.“You think people just wake up and do this for no reason?” she continued, her voice calmer now, softer. “You’re not that reckless.”That got a reaction.Small.But there.H

The car rolled to a slow deliberate stop.Arielle felt it immediately the difference.Not panic.Not a rushed decision.Roman had meant to come here.Her eyes lifted past the windshield, taking in the quiet stretch of land ahead. A house stood a few meters away, dimly lit, isolated enough to make her chest tighten.No neighbors.No movement.No help.Of course.Beside her, Roman turned off the engine. The silence that followed wasn’t empty it pressed in, thick and heavy, forcing awareness into every breath she took.He didn’t look at her immediately.Instead, he sat there for a second, fingers still resting on the steering wheel, jaw set like he was holding something back.Then he exhaled and finally turned.“We’re here.”Arielle met his gaze without flinching. Her wrists throbbed from the restraint, but her expression didn’t show it.“I figured,” she replied dryly, her eyes flicking briefly toward the house before returning to him. “You don’t drive like that unless you know where you

The words hit fast.“They found the location.”For a split second, the room felt smaller.Like the walls had shifted inward.Arielle’s pulse jumped, but her face didn’t show it. She held Roman’s gaze, watching the change in him carefully.No hesitation now.No confusion.Just sharp, controlled urgency.“How?” she asked, her voice steady despite the tension building in her chest.Roman was already moving and grabbing his keys, scanning the room like he was mentally retracing every step.“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “We don’t have time.”Arielle pushed off the couch slowly, her bare feet silent against the floor.“You said this place was safe.”“It was.”The emphasis made her pause.Was.Her eyes narrowed slightly.“You’ve been here before,” she said, more statement than question.Roman didn’t respond.Which was answer enough.He turned back toward her, his expression set.“We’re leaving. Now.”Arielle didn’t move.Roman frowned slightly. “What are you doing?”She tilted her head just

Chapter 49 — The Ride BackThe car door shut with a dull, final sound that seemed to seal everything that had just happened into the night behind them.Arielle sat still for a moment, her fingers resting loosely in her lap, though the faint sting around her wrists hadn’t faded. She could still feel the rope, even though it was gone like her body hadn’t caught up with the fact that she was free.Beside her, Lucien didn’t speak.The engine came alive, smooth and controlled, and the car pulled away from the isolated house as if nothing had happened there at all.But everything had.Arielle turned her head slightly, watching the darkness slip past the window. The trees blurred together, indistinct, distant… like the version of the night she wanted to forget.She became aware of him before he said anything.Lucien’s gaze.It wasn’t casual. It wasn’t soft either.It was searching.Careful.“Did he hurt you?” he asked at last, his voice low, steady, but carrying something tightly restrained