Zane Will Be Mine2
601 Words
“I won’t have a disgrace living under my roof,” her father snapped, cutting through her silence. “Get out.”
Her breath caught. “Dad… you’re kicking me out?”
“Call it whatever you want,” he said coldly, leaning back in his chair. “But you will not stay here another night.”
Her knees weakened.
Her mother turned away, refusing to look at her.
Her father picked up his glass, the conversation already over in his mind.
Seraphina swallowed the lump in her throat. “Fine.”
She turned sharply, her heels echoing against the floor.
“Sera, wait.”
Isabella’s voice stopped her.
Seraphina turned slowly, her chest heavy.
Isabella walked up, close enough that only she could hear. Her lips brushed her ear as she whispered.
“Finally,” Isabella hissed, her tone sharp as a knife. “You’re out of the way. Now Zane will be mine, the way he always should’ve been.”
Seraphina’s heart clenched.
But before she could speak, Isabella pulled back, her face glowing with a sweet smile.
“Be safe, Sera,” she said softly, loud enough for their parents to hear. “No matter what they say, this will always be your home.”
Her mother nodded approvingly. “What a thoughtful girl.”
Seraphina didn’t reply.
Her body trembled as she walked out of the house.
The moment the door closed behind her, the tears she had been holding back poured free.
The sky above was dark and heavy, and within seconds, the rain came.
Cold drops pelted her face, soaking her hair, her clothes clinging to her trembling body.
She stood there, head tilted back, letting it all fall apart with the storm.
Everyone had abandoned her.
Her parents.
Zane
Her career.
Her hands shook as she pulled out her phone.
The screen glowed against her wet fingers. She scrolled through her contact list, but it was empty. Every friend she had circled back to Zane. Even though her apartment was owned by Starlight, she couldn’t go back. They would have probably changed the locks by now.
She had no one.
Until her thumb hovered at the bottom of the list.
One number.
Her finger shook as she tapped it.
The phone rang once.
He picked up immediately.
“I was wondering how long it would take,” his voice drawled.
She didn’t say a word.
Only the sound of her shallow, heavy breathing filled the line.
“Seraphina?” His voice shifted, sharp now. “Are you okay?”
Still, no reply.
Her lips trembled.
She couldn’t believe she was doing this.
Calling a stranger.
The man she had met only this morning.
“Seraphina!” His voice rose, urgent. “Answer me. Where are you?”
Her chest shook with sobs. She couldn’t voice.
“Where are you, Seraphina? Tell me right now!” His voice cracked with frustration.
Tears blurred her vision. The cold sank into her bones. Her eyelids grew heavy.
Finally, her voice shook through the line. “I’m… at my parents’ house.”
“Stay there.” His reply was sharp and commanding.
The line went dead.
Seraphina crouched down, curling into herself, her forehead resting between her knees.
Maybe it was all a dream.
Maybe she’d wake up, and everything would be fine again.
But when she lifted her head, the rain still poured.
And standing in front of her was the stranger from this morning.
An umbrella in his hand.
Shielding her from the storm.
She realized it.
This wasn’t a dream.
This was her life now.
- Writer
