~ Seraphina ~
The morning air in the penthouse felt thin and cold. Usually, the silence of this place was heavy, like a thick blanket that made it hard to breathe. But as I stood in my dressing room, the quiet felt sharp. It felt like the moment right before a storm breaks.
Last night, Lucien had been a shadow in his own home. We had stood close, the air between us thick with a "negotiation" that never quite ended. He wanted to protect me. He wanted his legal team to file the motions and his security team to watch the doors. He wanted to be the shield between me and Adrian.
But as I looked at my reflection, I realized that being protected by Lucien was just another version of being owned. If he held the shield, he held the power. And as long as he held the power, I was still just a priz
