After Czar left for the city, the silence of the mountain estate felt less like a prison and more like a sanctuary. Seraphina didn't waste a second. She grabbed her new laptop and curled up on the balcony, the crisp mountain air fueling her focus.
She spent the entire morning scouring casting calls. Now that her name had been mysteriously cleared, the blacklists that once blocked her were gone. She found a lead for an independent film—a gritty, emotional drama that felt perfect for her. She polished her resume, attached her best headshots, and hit send. For the first time in months, she felt like Seraphina the Actress, not Seraphina the Contract Wife.
By late afternoon, she couldn't keep the news to herself. She dialed a group call, and two familiar faces popped up on her screen: Zoe, he
