Chapter Five
1513 Words
Back to the present.
In the courtroom.
…this court grants the petition for divorce in favor of Mr. Garrett Blake, breach of marital trust, and defamation of character.”
“In addition, Mrs. Seraphina Blake shall vacate the Blake residence within seventy-two hours and relinquish all claims to shared assets, as outlined in the prenuptial agreement.”
With these words, the divorce decree was official.
Seraphina stood looking blank as the courtroom gradually became empty.
Everyone left except her. They all had somewhere to go.
After some minutes, she decided to just walk, anywhere her legs could carry her.
She had only 72hours to vacate the Blake mansion…. This echoed continuously in her ears.
Her marriage had ended. And she had only 72hours…
…72hours to move to where exactly?
Seraphina kept thinking as she walked…
The clouds began to gather and it started raining, everyone on the streets were hurrying to seek shelter, but Seraphina kept walking, she was so lost in thought, the rain was the least of her worries.
Unfortunately, her legs carried her to the mansion.
Seraphina stood at the doorway. She looked lost like she didnt know how or when she got there.
To her utmost surprise, Maureen had already packed her things and had it waiting just by the door. Ivy was at the top of the stairs watching with arms folded, amusement in her eyes.
Garrett was seated on one of the sofas as if waiting for her to come carry her things so he could shut the door behind her.
“But the deadline is still 72hours, can I just wait and gather myself with that time please?” Seraphina asked quietly, her voice coarse from the cold. She was drenched to the bones.
Maureen’s smile was cold. “Deadlines are for people with rights, darling. You forfeited yours the moment you spread your legs wide open for a stranger.”
“You must have enjoyed it, or didn't you?” Ivy spoke, as she strolled down the stairs. “Just pick up your suitcase and leave.”
Seraphina’s chest tightened. “This was a setup. You drugged me.”
Maureen handed her a brown envelope. “Your papa’s last will. He left you a beach house and upkeep funds. But you signed them away when you married Garrett. Read through the lines next time.”
She shoved the envelope into Seraphina’s hands.
Her heart sank. It was a plan that had been going on for so long, it was already a finished work since the day she got married.
Henry Hart, her papa, the only man who had shown her real kindness, he had even tried to provide for her. And they had erased his final act of love.
She picked up her suitcase and left the mansion. She left the mansion like a ghost.
No family. No friends.
Not a single place she could go to.
She kept wandering about until she found a small motel where she could pass the night. Thankfully, she had some cash in her account which could still carry her for just a few days.
But she needed a place to rest her head first.
………..
She stayed at the motel for two days. The little funds in her account is almost gone. She needed to plan. She needed to survive.
And then it struck. She could leave the city completely to a new place where nothing would remind her of this part of her life. She could have her name changed, get a new look, probably dye her hair or cut it short.
She thought of everything possible she could do so that when she looks into a mirror, she sees a totally different person.
Because her life is about to take a new turn.
No matter what. She needs to survive.
This just cannot be the end for her.
Seraphina picked up her suitcase and left the motel. She had made a few research for small towns where she could start up her life again.
Forward she moved.
---
Few weeks later…
Seraphina crouched by the gate of a simple but elegant building. She needed to catch her breath. She was feeling nauseous. She had just gone to check a few stores down the street where she could start working to keep body and soul together.
Over the past weeks, she'd been doing whatever she could lay her hands on as long as it provides a few cash for her. She did laundry for people, cleaned houses, baby sat for a few families and all. But she needed something stable, with a consistent income.
But, all of a sudden, she felt sick. Something wasn't right. One minute she's nauseous, another minute she's so weak and it kept going on and on.
This time, her head was spinning, it was as though she would pass out any moment. She stood and rested a little on the gate of the building.
Just at the same time, a car horn blared at her…. It was so sudden that her heart skipped, she lost her balance and went down that way. She passed out.
Few hours later, she opened her eyes.
“Where am I?” She thought as she looked around. She grabbed the sheets to her body. It felt like a past incident was replaying itself again.
An elderly woman hurried to her side of the bed, placed her hands on Seraphina's shoulder and tried to calm her.
The woman handed her a warm glass of milk.
Seraphina sat up slowly, she still felt very weak. Her head still pounded, and the nausea bubbled again in her chest.
“What happened to me, please tell me where I am and why I am here.” Seraphina asked quietly, wanting to know. Suddenly waking up in an unfamiliar room made her so uneasy.
“You looked so pale,” she said gently. “I didn’t want to take you to a hospital immediately—you kept muttering… sounded like you were scared. I decided I'll just bring you in first.”
Seraphina blinked back tears. It had been so long since someone showed her kindness.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
The woman smiled. “My name is Aurora. I live here alone with my driver and cook. You're safe. You can rest here for as long as you need, alright?”
Seraphina nodded slowly, touched by her warmth, but uncertain if she could trust it.
The next morning, Aurora insisted Seraphina visit the clinic nearby for a check-up. She had been too weak and she barely ate all she had been given. She still looked pale.
Seraphina went to the clinic, and came back home with a paper in her hand.
Two words stared back at her: "Pregnancy. Positive.”
She dropped onto the bed.
“No… no…” she whispered. Her heart pounded. Her throat tightened.
Pregnancy??
Not Garrett’s. He never touched her.
The baby was from that night.
That stranger.
That man whose name she didn’t know.
She remembered the hotel. The man. The betrayal. The photo. Garrett’s voice. Maureen’s insults. Ivy’s intimacy with Garrett.
She thought she had successfully left her past behind…. But No.
She was pregnant with a stranger's child.
Aurora found her that night crying in the guest room. She didn’t ask questions. She simply held her.
“You don’t have to tell me anything now, child” Aurora said. You can stay here as long as you want, until you are fine.”
“If you want, you can give me someone's contact I can call to let them know you are safe. But, I can't let you leave until I am sure you are doing okay.” Aurora said as she patted her back.
Seraphina let herself cry. She cried so hard.
Not for anything.
But for herself.
For the life stolen from her and for the one just beginning inside her.
She leaned forward to take off her necklace, the only thing she’d ever had from before the Harts. It slipped from her fingers and landed on the floor with a soft clink.
The woman reached to pick it up—then paused.
She held the pendant up to the light.
Silver. Simple. With the initials:
S. A. H.
The woman’s hand trembled. Her eyes opened wide. She blinked her eyes severally to be sure she was seeing correctly.
She looked at Seraphina—really looked at her.
Seraphina looked up, startled. “Is something wrong?”
“Where did you get this?” Aurora whispered, voice shaking.
Seraphina blinked. “I… I’ve always had it. Since I was a baby.”
Aurora clutched the pendant as if it were a lifeline, then handed it back.
She turned away quickly and left the room. Her steps were faster than usual.
Seraphina watched her leav
e the room, with puzzled look.
She had worn that necklace for as long as she could remember.
She never thought much of it.
Nobody ever paid any attention to it.
Until now.
- Writer
