Sleep did not last long.
May woke with a sharp inhale, her chest rising too fast, her heart pounding as if she were still running. For a moment, she did not know where she was. The ceiling above her was unfamiliar, too high, too elegant. Silk sheets tangled around her legs, and the air smelled faintly of lavender and something expensive she did not have a name for.
Room 999.
The hotel.
London.
She pushed herself upright slowly, pressing a hand against her chest as she tried to calm her breathing. Her thoughts refused to settle. Every time she closed her eyes, her mind dragged her backward, away from chandeliers and velvet curtains, back to the night everything broke.
Her gaze drifted to the window. London glimmered faintly outside, alive even in the late hours.
And just like that, she was no longer here.
Flashback
"You are to be engaged tomorrow and married in one month. Preparations have already been made."
The words had been spoken calmly, almost casually, as if they were discussing the weather.
May had frozen where she sat, her fingers tightening around the edge of the dining table. Her heart had dropped so hard it felt like it struck the floor.
"I… I do not want that," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
It was the first time in her seventeen years of life that she had said no.
The room had gone deathly quiet.
Her mother's head snapped up, eyes narrowing in disbelief. "What did you just say?"
"I said no," May repeated, her hands shaking now. "I am not ready. I do not even know him."
Her father's expression hardened instantly. "You have no right to object. You live under my roof, you go by my words. That is exactly why this is happening now."
"It is my life," May said, tears burning her eyes. "I should get to choose."
Her mother stood abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. "Choose?" she scoffed. "With that face? You should be grateful anyone wants you at all."
May flinched.
"Why?…." She asked, her voice a bit low yet shaky "why me?" Tears streaming down her face. "Why not June or April?" She added, once again she felt like a pawn in a game that is not hers to play.
"You will do this," her father said coldly. "Or do I need to remind you what happens when you disobey?"
He did not need to finish the sentence.
The belt hung in the wardrobe.
Her courage crumbled under the weight of years of fear. Slowly, painfully, she nodded.
"Yes, sir," she whispered.
She escaped to the bathroom before more tears could fall. Locking the door behind her, she turned on the tap and splashed cold water onto her face, over and over, until her skin stung. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, barely recognizing the girl looking back at her.
"This cannot be my life," she whispered.
Later, she slipped out into the backyard and sat on the old swing, the chains creaking softly as she rocked back and forth. The night air was cool against her skin, calming her racing thoughts just a little.
That was when footsteps approached.
She stiffened, then relaxed when a familiar presence settled beside her.
Troy.
He did not say anything at first. He never rushed her. He simply sat there, close enough that she could feel the warmth of him.
"I heard," he said quietly after a while.
Her lips trembled. "I said no," she admitted, her voice breaking. "For the first time, I said no."
Troy's jaw tightened. "I am proud of you."
She let out a shaky laugh that sounded more like a sob. "It did not matter."
He placed a hand over hers. "Are you okay?"
She hesitated, then nodded. "I will be," she lied.
He searched her face, clearly unconvinced, but he did not push. Instead, he pulled her into a hug, holding her the way he always did, like he could shield her from the world if he tried hard enough.
"I am here," he said softly. "Always."
May clung to him, memorizing the feeling, even though she did not yet understand why it felt like goodbye.
That night, back in her room, sleep never came.
She lay staring at the ceiling, Troy's words echoing in her mind, her parents' voices drowning them out. With every passing minute, the weight in her chest grew heavier.
And then, slowly, a decision formed.
If she stayed, she would disappear.
She sat up, her heart racing, and began to pack. Just enough to survive. She opened the loose floorboard beneath her bed and pulled out the money she had been saving for years. It was not much. It would not last long.
So she did the unthinkable.
She crept into her parents' room while they slept, her breath shallow, every step careful. Her hands shook as she searched through drawers, guilt and fear twisting in her stomach. When she finally took the money, she whispered a silent apology and slipped out before she could change her mind.
Back in her room, she grabbed a piece of paper and sat on the edge of the bed.
The pen hovered over the page.
She thought of Troy. Of his arms around her. Of the way he would try to stop her if he knew. Or worse, try to follow her.
"I cannot let you," she whispered.
She wrote the letter anyway. Slowly. Carefully. She folded it when she was done, her hands trembling.
She would not read it again. Not now.
She placed it on Troy's bedside table, hesitating for a long moment before turning away.
"I am not abandoning you," she whispered. "I promise."
****
The front door felt heavier than it ever had. When she closed it behind her, the sound echoed too loudly in the stillness of the night.
A light flicked on upstairs.
Panic surged.
May ran.
She ran faster than she ever had in her life, lungs burning, legs screaming as the bus station came into view. The bus was already there, doors open, engine humming.
"Wait," she gasped, thrusting crumpled notes into the driver's hand.
The doors closed.
As the bus pulled away, May collapsed into a seat, pressing her forehead against the glass as the only home she had ever known disappeared into the darkness.
End of flashback
Back in Room 999, May opened her eyes. The memory faded slowly, leaving behind a familiar ache in her chest.
She curled her knees to her chest, hugging herself tightly. Everything she had done had led her here. Into a world she did not understand. Into the orbit of two brothers who would change her life in ways she could not yet imagine.
"I cannot turn back now," she whispered.
And for the first time since that night, the thought did not terrify her.