Torn Between Destinies

The moment I was out of sight, I ran.

I didn’t care who saw me or what they thought.

I didn’t care that my dress tangled around my legs, or that stones bit into the soles of my feet.

I just needed to get away—from Darius, from Father, from everything that was pressing down on my chest until I couldn’t breathe.

The woods welcomed me like an old friend.

Branches slapped against my arms. Leaves scratched my face.

I didn’t stop.

Not until I reached my place.

The clearing.

It wasn’t much—just a ring of trees and a patch of worn grass by the creek—but it had always been mine.

The one spot where the world couldn’t find me.