"Because if you do..." Seraphine swallowed hard. "I’ll disappear with Esperanza."
The raw honesty behind those words shattered sothing inside him. There was no threat or manipulation in her voice, just pure, honest fear.
The deep fear of trusting soone completely only to lose everything afterward.
Voren rembered the conversation they’d had over a month ago, when she’d refused his second investnt and admitted she planned to vanish with her daughter the mont she found her.
Back then, she’d been preparing for a future completely on her own, protecting herself and her child, never imagining that the little girl she’d been searching for had been right under his roof the whole ti. The irony of it all was almost painful.
Voren gently cupped her face, his thumb brushing tenderly across her cheek. "Sera," he whispered, his voice barely above a breath. "If I knew then what I know now..."
Regret flashed across his face. "You never would’ve gone through any of it. Not a single hardship, not a single lonely night, not a single tear. I would’ve protected you every single ti."
The conviction in his eyes left no room for doubt. Emotion burned in his chest as he continued. "And that’s why I want that spell broken. I want you to rember."
The intensity in his voice made her heart skip. "I want you to rember who I was to you." A sad smile curved his face. "Because I don’t think the pictures are enough. I don’t think the videos are enough. And I don’t think anything I’ve told you will ever compare to the mories themselves."
Seraphine stared at him for a long mont, unsure what to say. Then she slowly shook her head. "It’s not that."
Voren frowned slightly as she reached up and covered his hand with hers. "I believe you."
The certainty in her voice surprised him, because she truly did. She believed they’d loved each other. She believed they’d shared a real life together. She believed every story he’d told her.
The problem wasn’t trust. Her gaze lowered as a much deeper fear crept across her features, sothing far heavier than forgotten mories. Her fingers tightened around his hand. "I’m just afraid of waking up one day..."
Voren didn’t let her finish the sentence. The second he saw that fear creeping into her eyes, he already knew exactly where her thoughts were heading, and he wasn’t about to let them go there.
"Never," he said firmly, the word coming out strong and imdiate. His grip on her hand tightened just a little. "There is no chance of that happening, Sera. Nothing will ever co between us again. I’ll make sure of it."
Seraphine blinked, caught off guard by the absolute certainty in his voice. Voren leaned in closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "I would never let go of you again," he continued, his expression softening as he brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. "Even if you tried to run."
A weak laugh escaped her, but Voren wasn’t joking this ti. The mories of the past still haunted him.
Back then, he’d stepped aside because she’d chosen Ravyn, convincing himself that letting her go was the noble thing to do.
Now he knew better, and the regret from that decision had followed him for years. His jaw tightened. "I made a mistake once," he confessed quietly. "I thought love ant accepting your decision and walking away."
His gaze darkened with the weight of it all. "But now I know it isn’t always that simple."
Seraphine stayed quiet, listening as his thumb traced small, soothing circles over her hand. "When you said those things to back then, I was hurt. Really hurt."
A bitter smile tightened his lips. The mory still stung, even after all this ti. "But after learning the truth, I realized sothing. You weren’t in your right mind. You weren’t yourself." He shook his head, his voice growing stronger. "No. I’ll never allow anything to separate us again."
The raw sincerity in his eyes made Seraphine’s heart ache in the best way. Before she could find the right words to respond, Voren leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.
There was nothing rushed or desperate about it, just pure warmth, comfort, and love. For a mont, everything else lted away: the upcoming tests, the missing mories, the wedding plans, all of it faded into the background.
Then a cheerful little voice shattered the peaceful mont. "Daddy loves Mommy!"
Both of them froze. A second later, tiny hands started clapping enthusiastically behind them.
Seraphine pulled back quickly, heat rushing to her cheeks as her entire face turned bright red.
Across the room, Esperanza sat there grinning from ear to ear, looking like she’d just witnessed the greatest event in history. Corvine looked equally amused, while Voren rubbed the back of his neck and tried hard not to laugh.
"Well..." Voren started, but Esperanza was already pointing at them excitedly. "Daddy loves Mommy," she repeated, sounding incredibly pleased with herself.
Seraphine cleared her throat and quickly tried to redirect the conversation. "Espe, did you finish your pancakes?"
She walked over to the island and stared down at the plate, her eyes widening in surprise. It was completely empty, not even a single crumb left behind.
A warm feeling spread through her chest. The sight made her happier than it probably should have. Bryan wasn’t the only one who loved her pancakes, apparently. Esperanza did too.
The little girl nodded proudly. "I finished all of them."
Before Seraphine could celebrate too much, Corvine chuckled. "That’s not all." Everyone turned to look at him, and he pointed toward Esperanza. "She ate the extra pancakes you left behind too."
Seraphine blinked. "She did?"
Corvine nodded. "Every single one."
The pride on Esperanza’s face was impossible to miss. Voren stared at his daughter in disbelief for a mont before slowly crouching down until he was at eye level with her.
A thoughtful look crossed his face. "So let get this straight. All this ti, Seraphine was the missing piece? You wanted her beside you, and that’s why you never ate properly?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers