SERAPHINA’S POV
The morning felt heavier than usual as if the air itself knew something was about to change. I stood in front of my mirror longer than necessary, staring at my reflection and trying to steady the storm inside my chest. Today was not just another workday. Today was the day everything would be exposed.
The headlines had already started before sunrise. My phone would not stop vibrating through the night. Messages from colleagues pretending concern. Unknown numbers sending screenshots of articles. Anonymous comments questioning my character. Some of them cruel. Some of them calculated. All of them loud.
I turned my phone face down on the dresser.
I refused to let strangers define me before I even stepped into the room.
Alessio had called at five in the morning. His voice
