Chapter 11

The next morning, they emerged from the cave, their bodies aching, their minds weary. They knew they couldn’t stay hidden forever.

“We need to go back,” Sienna said. “We need to face them.”

Rafa nodded, his expression determined. “Alright. But we do it on our terms.”

They returned to the cabin, finding it empty. They knew they were being watched, that their pursuers were waiting for them.

They waited, too, their eyes fixed on the road below. The silence was broken only by the occasional chirp of a bird, the rustle of leaves.

Finally, a car approached. It wasn’t the black car they had seen before, but a sleek, silver sedan.

A man stepped out, his expression calm, his eyes sharp. It was her father’s lawyer.

“Miss Santoso,” he said, his voice smooth. “Your father requests your presence.”

“Requests?” Sienna scoffed. “Or demands?”

The lawyer’s expression didn’t change. “Your father is concerned for your well-being. He wishes to discuss a… resolution.”

“A resolution?” Sienna repeated. “Or a surrender?”

“Miss Santoso,” the lawyer said, his voice laced with impatience. “You are making this more difficult than it needs to be.”

“Am I?” Sienna said, her voice cold. “Or am I finally making it clear that I won’t be controlled anymore?”

The lawyer’s eyes narrowed. “Your father will not tolerate this defiance.”

“Then he’ll have to get used to it,” Sienna said. “Because I’m not going back.”

The lawyer sighed, a hint of frustration in his eyes. “Very well. But I suggest you reconsider. Your father is a powerful man. He will not stop until he gets what he wants.”

“And what he wants is me,” Sienna said. “But I’m not something he can possess. I’m a person.”

The lawyer’s expression hardened. “You’re making a mistake.”

“No,” Sienna said. “I’m making a choice.”

She turned to Rafa, her eyes filled with determination. “And I choose him.”

The lawyer’s eyes flickered between Sienna and Rafa, a hint of surprise in his expression.

“Very well,” he said, his voice flat. “I will inform your father of your… decision.”

He turned and walked back to the car, his expression unreadable. He drove away, leaving Sienna and Rafa standing on the hillside.

Sienna let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.

Rafa glanced at her. “So. That was intense.”

She let out a short laugh, shaking her head. “That was my entire life.”

He reached over, giving her hand a brief, warm squeeze. “It’s over now.”

She looked out the window as the estate disappeared behind them. “Yeah,” she murmured. “It is.”

And it was. She had walked into that house as someone her family could control. She had walked out free.