Seraphina's POV
The restaurant was still buzzing from the slap I'd given Darius, but the tension had begun to dissolve like mist in the morning sun. Waiters whispered nervously behind counters. A couple of diners peeked over their wine glasses, curious but too polite to stare for too long. I could still feel the sting in my palm, and even more than that, the heat in my chest—a mixture of anger, humiliation, and long-overdue closure.
But then came something I didn't expect.
"Hello, cousin," Kaelos said coolly, his voice as composed as ever, though I could feel his energy shift beside me. He stepped slightly forward, brushing his fingers lightly against mine. "Long time no see, Lilith."
Lilith stiffened. Her manicured fingers froze mid-reach toward her wine glass. She slowly tu
