“I’m sorry,” I said eventually, my voice tinged with bitterness. “I should have warned you.”

He shook his head. “You don’t have to apologize for them, Selena. They’re the ones who should be sorry.”

The drive continued, and I began to relax into the soft leather seats, savoring the quiet strength Beau exuded. I had met him under strange circumstances, a whirlwind romance kept hidden from my family because I knew they would never approve. Not that their approval mattered, but avoiding drama had been a priority.

As we approached his home—a sprawling modern estate that stood in stark contrast to the old money grandeur of my family’s house—I realized just how different my life had become since meeting Beau. The gates opened silently, and we drove up the long driveway to the main entrance.

Beau parked and turned off the car, then looked at me. The depth of concern in his eyes was disarming. “You deserve better than how they treat you,” he said softly.

His words warmed something inside me that had long been cold. “Thank you. For everything. For being here.”

He reached over, taking my hand in his. “We’re in this together, remember? And tomorrow, we’ll face them. They’ll finally understand they can’t bully you around anymore. Not with me in the picture.”

We stepped out of the car, and as the door closed behind us, I squared my shoulders, feeling more secure. Tomorrow would come, and with it, the inevitable confrontation. But for now, I was with Beau, and that was all that mattered.

Inside, the house was quiet, a soothing balm after the tumultuous afternoon. He showed me to a room filled with clothes—dresses, suits, outfits of every kind. “I thought you might need a few things,” he said with a hint of a smile.

I laughed, a real, genuine laugh, for the first time that day. “A few?”

He shrugged, grinning. “Just a few.”

As I picked out something to wear for dinner, I realized that my family’s disapproval no longer held power over me. Beau and I were building something new, something stronger than the past I had been trying to escape.

Tomorrow, they would learn who Beau Kingsley truly was. And in time, I hoped they’d understand who I really was, too. But until then, I had a new life to live and a future to embrace.