The door clicked shut behind him, and for a moment neither of us spoke.
The curtains in my room were half drawn, letting in thin ribbons of evening light. Dust floated lazily in the air. I kept my back to him at first, pretending to rearrange the books on my shelf, pretending my eyes weren’t swollen from crying.
I didn’t know what to say.
I didn’t know how to exist.
If he had something to tell me, he should just say it. I didn’t have the strength to perform today. I was already barely holding myself together.
I felt his gaze on me—steady, observant, patient.
“Seraphina.”
His voice was softer than usual.
I turned slowly, schooling my features into something calm. Something controlled. Something that did not resemble the girl who had just sobbed into her pillow.
He studied my face c
