Darius POV
The room felt smaller than it should have. Not physically.
But the air, it pressed. Thick and unsettling.
Like something inside it had shifted and refused to settle back into place. Seraphine stood by the window when I entered. She didn’t turn immediately. Didn’t rush to greet me the way she usually would. That alone was enough to sharpen something in my chest.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” she said.
Soft.
Measured.
Like she was the one waiting for answers.
I closed the door behind me. Quietly and deliberately.
“I’ve been busy.”
Her lips curved slightly.
Not quite a smile.
“Of course you have.”
Still facing the window.
Still not looking at me. I watched her for a moment. Taking in the stillness. The control. The way her shoulders were held just a little too tight.
I
