Third Person's POV
Mortimer left Seraphina's office, his face like stone.
His head was filled with the image of her cold, detached expression—the way she'd looked at him with nothing but pure annoyance. It felt like a physical weight was crushing his chest.
It was suffocating and oppressive, mixed with a flicker of panic he didn't even recognize in himself yet.
He'd just stepped out of the building when his phone rang.
He stopped, a part of him thinking it was Seraphina—maybe she'd realized she was wrong and was calling to apologize.
The corners of his mouth twitched upward for a split second, and the pressure in his chest eased.
Then he checked the screen. The faint smile vanished instantly.
His brow furrowed, but he hit the green button anyway. "Hello, Vivian?"
"Morty... I... my
