Seraphina’s POVAs I began to wake up, I first noticed the biting cold of the air around me. The dampness seeped into my skin, making me shiver. My head throbbed painfully, and I blinked against the dim, flickering light that barely illuminated the basement. Shadows danced eerily on the rough stone walls, creating an unsettling atmosphere.The room smelled musty, like mold and decay, with a faint metallic tang that made my stomach churn. The floor beneath my feet was cold and hard, and I could hear the distant, slow drip of water echoing somewhere in the darkness. The air was thick and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.I could make out the outline of old, rusted pipes running along the ceiling and a few broken, discarded furniture scattered around the room. The only window was small and high up, covered with grime and barely letting in any light from the outside. It felt like a forgotten place, abandoned and neglected, with an almost palpable sense of despair clinging t
Alfred’s POV*Two days ago*Seraphina paced the room, her steps quick and restless. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of determination and frustration. I watched her, feeling worried. She had been relentless in her pursuit of justice, refusing to back down despite the dangers."Alfred," she said, finally stopping to face me. "I can't just sit here and do nothing. I need to find the evidence that proves my innocence. Eric has to pay for what he's done."I nodded, understanding her resolve. "I know, Seraphina. But you need to be careful. Eric is dangerous. Even if you find evidence against him, he won't let you back down without a fight."She sighed, her shoulders sagging. "I don't have a choice. If I don't do this, he'll continue to ruin more lives. But... I feel so alone in this. It's like every step I take, there's a dead end."I walked over to her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You're not alone, Seraphina. I'm here with you. We'll figure this out t
Seraphina’s POVI never thought it would end up like this. Sitting here in yet another janky basement, I felt as if my chest was being slowly compressed, making it hard to breathe. The air was thick with tension, and all eyes were on me, or rather, on Eric, who was about to spill the secrets I'd been desperately hiding.Eric's smug face made my skin crawl. His voice dripped with malice as he recounted my past, each word a knife slicing through the fragile fabric of my newfound life."Mr. Garfield," he began, his tone sickeningly sweet, "do you know where your beloved niece has been all these years? I'll tell you where she was. She spent the last three years in prison." Once full of warmth and kindness, Garfield's face twisted in shock and disbelief. He looked at me, his eyes wide with horror."That's enough," Alfred growled, his hand tightening around mine. His presence was a lifeline, grounding me in the storm.Garfield's voice trembled as he spoke. "You're despe
*Seraphina*When I saw Eric was put in cuffs and arrested, I breathed a sigh of relief. Everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours had transpired so quickly that I wasn’t sure I was processing everything properly. The cop who had been the first on the scene was still talking to me, but it was like his voice was nothing but static, my brain unable to unscramble the muffled words into sentences that made sense. The only thing keeping me grounded was the pair of strong arms holding me and the hands rubbing gentle circles on my back. It was Alfred, who hadn’t let go since I collapsed into his arms. Even during the confrontation with Eric, who exposed my past to his father, Alfred stayed by my side. He’d refused to leave, and I, for one, was grateful because I was certain that if he weren’t holding me up, my legs would’ve given out from under me. Alfred’s protective touch, and his warm and comforting scent surrounding me acted as a barrier between the nigh
*Seraphina*“Are you sure you want to go alone? I could have a security detail escort you.” Garfield’s voice was filled with concern, and even though I still had my reservations about accepting his kindness because I was still technically deceiving him, I couldn’t help but feel warm whenever he treated me like family. “Or I could go with you myself.”Since the end of the trial, I’d been looking for ways to celebrate being free of Eric, and my first thought was to go back and visit the Welfare Institution. It’d been a while since I’d last been there, and now that I had extra money, I couldn’t think of anything better to spend it on. I smiled at him. “I’ll be okay, Uncle. I promise. I want to do this on my own. Besides, having a posse of scary men following me might scare the little kids.”He mumbled his agreement, clearly not happy but willing to respect my boundaries. Beside him, Alfred was silent. Ever since our almost-kiss at the pool, we hadn’t really spoken to each oth
*Seraphina*I couldn’t stop my eyes from traveling the length of his body. I remembered that he was well-built from the time I helped him back at Archeron, but this was the first time I’d seen him without any clothes except the towel around his waist. He was still wet from his shower, his hair dripping and emphasizing the gorgeous features of his face. There was a look of concern in his eyes, a softness in such contrast with the hard lines and planes of his body. My throat went dry as an intense wave of desire pounded through me. “Are you okay?” he asked, taking a step towards me. I couldn’t even remember what I’d come to find him for. My mind was a blank wasteland of nothing but the image of Alfred standing there half-naked. I felt my face heat up and turned around, immediately running to my neighboring bedroom. He called after me, but I shut the door behind me, my heart pounding like a drum. The scariest thing about this whole thing wasn’t that I was afraid
*Seraphina*I stood under the curtain of water, hoping to wash away the humiliation I felt when Alfred ran out of my room. It felt like there was a hollow pit in my stomach where shame and embarrassment curdled in an ungodly cocktail. I’d put myself out there, allowed myself to lose control for a split second, and the only thing that recklessness rewarded me with was a painful rejection. I felt like such a fool, just as I did when I’d forced that kiss on him back at the bar. Accidental or not, I couldn’t deny my reaction after. And now, I felt like I’d well and truly blown it.I sighed, increasing the pressure. I let the hot water slip down my body and soothe the muscles that had begun to ache. Slowly, I could feel myself start to relax as the spool of my mind began to unwind in the steam of the shower. That’s when the electricity suddenly cut out, and everything was plunged into darkness. Startled, I tried getting out to reach for a towel, but because my eyes
*Seraphina*I didn’t even respond at first because I was so taken aback. I remembered what had happened the last time I’d gone shopping and how harsh his reaction had been to all the clothes I had bought. I knew that he took me for some kind of superficial, materialistic person, and it was a thought I didn’t enjoy. There wasn’t any point in trying to explain my reasoning behind why I did what I did, and I didn’t want to feel belittled or judged again for doing the same thing now. ‘Um… is there a special occasion coming up or something? What’s the reason?” I asked, suspicious. Alfred heaved a sigh, as though he didn’t feel like answering the question. “Does there have to be one? If you’d rather skip the offer and spend the rest of the day doing something on your own…”“No,” I said quickly, then blushed at the speed of my answer. “I mean, no, that’s fine. I’d be happy to go shopping with you.”He pressed his lips together before nodding, and the two of us split u