Our Love

Chapter 25

HAYDEN'S POV

For months, I stayed away from home, drowning myself in endless work—not that I got much done.

It was all for one reason.

To avoid Seraphina.

My little wife, I must admit, was quite the enchantress.

It had taken only one look at her for her to completely capture my attention. No matter how hard I tried to push her from my mind, somehow, she always found her way back in.

For days, I would sit behind my desk, staring blankly at the papers before me. The words blurred together because, instead of seeing numbers and contracts, I saw her face.

That dazzling face that gives me a b***r without actually doing anything.

I hated how easily she distracted me without even trying.

So I kept in touch with Mrs. Millburn, asking her to keep an eye on Seraphina. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving her completely unsupervised.

For days, Mrs. Millburn's reports were simple.

"She ate breakfast."

"She went gardening."

"She cooked dinner again."

Those little updates became enough to keep my mind at ease.

Until one day, a different report came.

"She's staring out the window."

My first thought was that she must have had something on her mind. I assumed it would pass, so I instructed Mrs. Millburn to give her some space.

But it didn't pass.

One day became two.

Then three.

Some days, she even skipped meals.

That was when it finally hit me.

The mansion was too big, too luxurious, and perhaps too empty for one person.

She had everything she could possibly need, yet somehow, she was completely alone.

That was when my concern outweighed my resolve to stay away.

I called her father and asked him to visit his daughter.

He gladly agreed.

And when the report finally came that Séraphina was smiling again, I found myself releasing a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

That was enough for me.

She was smiling.

She was eating.

She was okay.

And somehow, knowing that made staying away a little easier.

At least for now.