Serena's POV
My heart constricted painfully as I stepped out of Cecilia's room. It felt as if I were being pulled by an invisible thread—a potent motherly instinct. Cecilia’s gaze, filled with disbelief, pierced through me, and her unusual behaviour screamed her fear that I might vanish from her life, just like her father had.
Watching the uncertainty dance in her eyes, heavy with tears, shattered me completely. I could still feel her tiny hand clenching my shirt, as if she were trying to anchor me in place, using every ounce of her strength to keep me by her side. The desperation on my little angel’s face—her silent plea to stay close, to never let go—was a pain so profound it was hard to put into words.
As I fought to hold back my tears, my hand instinctively curled into a fist at my
