Seraphina's POV
The ashes at my feet still smoldered faintly as Adrian's anger gradually gave way to something that looked unsettlingly like regret.
His eyes, once so familiar to me, seemed strangely distant beneath the fading moonlight filtering through the courtyard trees. He adjusted the collar of his shirt, trying to recover the composure expected of a Don, but I wasn't fooled. The rapid pulse throbbing at his throat betrayed him completely.
Brushing the soot from my hands, I rose to my feet and met his gaze without hesitation.
"It's fine," I said evenly. "I saw bugs crawling through the album. Maybe cockroaches. So I burned it."
Adrian frowned and took a step closer.
"You burned it?" His voice sharpened. "That was ten years of memories. How could you—"
The words died abruptly in his throat as he seemed to realize how dangerous his tone had become.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Are you done?"
The indifference in my voice hit him harder than any accusation ever could.
He exhaled sharply and dragged a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry. I overreacted." His tone softened. "But that album meant a lot to us. Why didn't you wait for me?"
A humorless laugh escaped me.
Us.
There was no us anymore.
Not after Julian.
Not after he chose a woman with no verified name, no family, no history, and somehow found endless patience for her while letting everything between us slowly fall apart.
"You've been too busy with Family business," I said lightly. "Or whatever it is you've been doing with her. I didn't want to bother you over something so trivial."
His jaw tightened instantly.
A ripple of tension rolled through his shoulders, but I didn't care enough to be intimidated.
Let him be angry.
I was past caring.
Adrian took another step toward me, his voice gentler now, almost coaxing.
"I know I've been neglecting you. I admit that. But we can fix this, can't we? Once things settle down, we'll retake the photos. We'll make another album."
There was a time those words would have softened me immediately.
I would have believed every single one.
But not anymore.
I couldn't erase the image of the way he looked at Julian.
I couldn't ignore the lingering traces of her perfume on his clothes.
And I couldn't pretend not to see where his heart had already gone.
"Sure," I replied calmly. "If you really want to make it up to me, then throw me a proper birthday party for once."
The request clearly caught him off guard.
For years, my allergies had made celebrations difficult, and Adrian had always been too busy to put much effort into them.
For a brief moment, hesitation crossed his face.
Then he nodded.
"Of course. Whatever you want."
Before he could say anything else, his phone buzzed.
A familiar ringtone.
The one reserved exclusively for Julian.
His eyes flickered toward the screen, and his expression changed instantly.
"It's urgent," he said. "Family business. I'll be back soon. Don't wait up."
The lie was so obvious it almost made me laugh.
"Go ahead," I said, waving him off casually. "I'm used to it."
For a moment, he lingered.
His hand clenched and unclenched at his side as though he wanted to explain himself.
In the end, he said nothing.
He simply turned and walked away, leaving me alone beside the dying remains of everything we had once been.
The following morning, the compound buzzed with unusual activity.
Party planners moved in and out of the great room, arranging decorations and floral displays. At first, something about it felt vaguely familiar.
By noon, I understood why.
The entire setup was nearly identical to the birthday party Adrian had organized for Julian two months earlier.
Every detail.
Every decoration.
Every arrangement.
It was all the same.
As though even my celebration wasn't worth the effort of originality.
Then, as if summoned by the thought itself, Julian arrived.
She wore a sleek red dress that drew attention wherever she walked. Her signature perfume drifted through the room, a cloying blend of vanilla and flowers that immediately turned my stomach.
With a satisfied smile, she strolled over.
"I hope you like the decorations," she said sweetly. "I designed them myself. I thought they'd fit your style."
My gaze swept over her casually before landing on the necklace resting against her collarbone.
The anniversary pendant.
White gold and diamonds.
The custom piece Adrian had commissioned for me.
The one that had mysteriously disappeared from my jewelry case weeks ago.
Something cold settled inside me.
"A recycled setup for a recycled person," I said calmly. "Seems fitting."
For a split second, her smile froze.
Then anger flashed across her face.
Without warning, she grabbed a crystal ornament from a nearby table and smashed it onto the floor.
Glass shattered everywhere.
A shard nicked her foot, drawing a thin line of blood.
Julian gasped dramatically and clutched her ankle.
Before I could react, Adrian stormed into the room.
"What the hell happened?"
His gaze immediately found Julian's bleeding foot.
Then it shifted to me.
"She did this," Julian whimpered, tears already gathering in her eyes. "I was only trying to help, and she—"
The slap came so suddenly I barely registered it.
My head snapped to the side.
Pain exploded across my cheek.
A low growl threatened to rise from deep within me, but I swallowed it down.
I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me react.
The room fell silent.
Two soldiers near the doorway lowered their eyes.
One of the party planners pressed herself against the far wall, afraid to even breathe too loudly.
"Enough!"
Adrian's roar echoed through the room.
"Julian took time out of her day to help with your party, and this is how you repay her? If you don't like it, then do it yourself!"
He didn't wait for an explanation.
Didn't ask a single question.
Didn't even look at me again.
Instead, he bent down, scooped Julian into his arms, and carried her out.
Just like that, they left.
And I remained standing alone amid the shattered remains of what was supposed to be my birthday celebration.
That evening, no one came.
Not that I expected anyone to.
Over the years, Adrian had gradually driven away the people who once belonged to my life, replacing them with his own allies and loyal followers. No one in the Family would dare cross him.
Especially not for me.
Especially not now.
I opened the cake box and cut myself a small slice despite knowing I couldn't eat it.
Then I placed a single candle into the frosting and lit it.
The compound was quiet.
Somewhere beyond the walls, guards continued their patrols. In the distance, the heavy clang of a closing gate echoed through the night.
I closed my eyes.
For a long moment, I sat there alone.
Then I whispered my wish.
"I wish we never meet again."
The candlelight flickered once.
Then I blew it out.
The next morning, I packed everything I needed.
In the end, it all fit into a single suitcase.
Eight years of love.
Eight years of waiting.
Reduced to one final departure.
My fingers brushed the empty space at my throat where the pendant should have been before slowly falling away.
On the drive to the airport, I sent Adrian one final message.
"Let's end this here."
"Don't contact me again."
"Never in your miserable life."
Then, as the plane lifted into the sky, I switched off my phone and severed the last connection between us.
Including the endless stream of calls Adrian had finally started making.
