Chapter 24: Never act on Impulse

"Sometimes," Selena confided in Ethan as they both toiled in the rustic stables, the scent of hay and horses filling the air, "I yearn to disappear, to escape from everything that burdens me."

Her voice seemed to mingle with the soft whinnies of the horses as she spoke, her words laden with the weight of problems she had carried for far too long. Ethan, beside her, leaned against a weathered post, his eyes reflecting a profound understanding.

As she brushed a horse's fur, Selena's words hung in the air like a delicate promise. Ethan responded with a gentle smile, his hands occupied with a horse's reins, his fingers moving with a practiced grace. "Running away, Selena," he murmured, "rarely solves anything. More often than not, you'd find yourself endlessly chasing an elusive escape, only to return eventually to confront the same troubles."