Chapter 7

The next morning, Sera's mom gently woke her up for breakfast. “Seraphina, it’s time to get up and have some breakfast,” she said softly, her voice filled with concern. “What happened yesterday?”

Seraphina groggily reached for her phone and saw multiple missed calls from Ava. The sight of her name only reignited her frustration, and decided not to call her back. Seraphina wasn’t ready to have any conversation with her.

“Mom, I’m not in the mood for any conversation. Can you please let me eat and go to school in peace?” she said, pulling out a chair at the dining table.

Sensing her mood, Mrs Vanessa decided not to press further. She wanted her to be calm before asking any more questions. As she sat down, she noticed her dad’s chair was vacant. “Where could he be?” she wondered.

“Where’s Dad?” Sera asked, looking up from her plate.

“Your dad has gone to the office. He mentioned he has a business trip next week, so he needs to get things done before the weekend,” her mom explained.