paranoianovel Chapter 252: Ch 251: Control - Part 1
Chapter 252: Ch 251: Control - Part 1
Chapter 252: Ch 251: Control - Part 1’It’s a beautiful explosion. Somehow, my heart feels lighter seeing this building burning down in flames. I wish I could see more of it.’
Selene felt her heart give a familiar relieved thump as she watched the re
Zara asked, voice unusually soft.
Selene hesitated. For a moment, she considered telling them. About the voice. The change. Everything.
But she looked at their faces—tired, relieved, scared—and couldn’t do it. Having Ethan know about it was enough.
She shook her head.
"No. Nothing I couldn’t handle."
Zara, who’d been standing silently near the kitchen doorway, finally stepped forward and clapped her hands.
"All right, kids. Help me set the table. It’s dinner time."
The twins groaned but obeyed, disappearing into the kitchen with Orion trailing behind them.
Once they were gone, Zara turned back to Selene and Ethan, her expression shifting into something more serious.
"There was a message while you were gone. From the Government. Some secretive stuff. They’re requesting your help."
She said.
Selene raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of help?"
"They didn’t say. I didn’t respond yet. Figured it was better to wait for you two."
"You did the right thing. I’ll reach out to them after I’ve had time to breathe."
Selene said, rubbing her temple.
Zara frowned, clearly unconvinced.
"Are you sure you’re okay?"
Selene didn’t answer. But Ethan met Zara’s gaze and gave a subtle nod, as if to say I’ve got this.
Zara sighed.
"All right. I’ll trust you."
Dinner was quieter than usual.
The twins chattered on and off, but Selene barely touched her food.
She couldn’t taste it.
Her mind was drifting again—Aldric’s words, the look in Ethan’s eyes, the near loss in the collapsing facility. And that file she never got to open—Project X-09344.
Later that night, she excused herself early and headed toward her room. She didn’t get far before Ethan followed.
"Selene! Wait."
He said behind her.
She turned at the door.
Ethan looked nervous.
"You okay being alone right now?"
"I’ll be fine."
"I don’t think it’s a good idea."
She blinked at him.
"I’m not going to snap, Ethan. You don’t have to hover."
He looked away for a second, then met her eyes again.
"It’s not just that. I... I’m just worried."
Selene softened a little.
"Thanks for worrying. But I need space. I need to think."
She paused, then added.
"About everything. Including what you said earlier."
Ethan’s face went red instantly.
"I—I didn’t—That wasn’t me! That was the... other me."
Selene raised an eyebrow.
"Still your body."
"That’s not fair,"
He muttered, cheeks burning.
But it worked. The panic in his eyes faded as embarrassment took over. And for once, Selene smiled faintly at his expense.
She stepped inside and gently closed the door before he could say anything else.
From behind the wood, she heard him sigh. Then silence.
Once alone in her room, Selene let herself fall backward onto the bed.
Her muscles ached. Her mind raced. She closed her eyes but couldn’t rest.
Ethan’s words echoed in her head.
"I’ve always loved you."
He hadn’t said it. Not really. Not the version of him she knew best. But it was Ethan. The part of him she never got to meet in her past life.
’Do I feel the same? I think I do. But which one do I love?’
Selene covered her face with her hands. Her chest tightened.
Everything was moving too fast. Between Aldric, the voice in her head, and the government message, there was no space left in her mind to process something as human and fragile as love.
But...
The warmth of his hand on her shoulder. The softness in his voice when he called her name. The bittersweet look in his eyes when he said sorry.
She wanted to hate him for how he left her behind in that past life. But she couldn’t.
The voice in her head stirred again, low and purring.
[You care for him. Dangerous.]
Selene ignored it. Just this once, she let her heart ache freely.
Tomorrow, she’d fight again.
But tonight, she’d think about the boy who said he loved her—and the part of her that didn’t want him to run away again.