Chapter 2
Seraphina's POV
I burst through the front door like a woman possessed.
The cool Manhattan air hit my face, but nothing could erase what I'd just seen—Jesse's hands on Isadora's skin, her legs wrapped around him, their bodies moving together on my bed.
'How could you? How could both of you?'
''My feet carried me down empty streets without direction.'' The city's neon lights blurred through my tears. A few late-night stragglers passed by, but I might as well have been invisible.
That's when I felt it—the weight of the Cartier necklace around my throat.
Jesse's promise. His beautiful fucking lie.
My hands shook as I fumbled with the clasp. "Get off me," I whispered, then louder, "GET OFF ME!"
The necklace snapped. Diamonds scattered across the sidewalk like fallen stars, each one a piece of my shattered trust. I watched them roll into the gutter where they belonged.
A homeless man looked up from his cardboard shelter. "Miss, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." The words tasted like ash. "I'm perfectly fine."
Central Park at 2 AM was dangerous. Perfect for someone with nothing left to lose.
I found a bench deep in the shadows. The first raindrops hit my face like cold tears.
'Maybe this is what I deserve.'
The sob that tore from my throat echoed through the empty park, raw and animal-like.
"I trusted you, Jesse." My voice cracked. "I trusted both of you."
The rain soaked through my dress, my hair, my skin. I didn't move. I wanted to drown in it.
Maybe I was never meant to be loved.
Footsteps on wet pavement made me look up.
Through the rain, a tall figure approached—broad shoulders, easy stride, running gear. He slowed when he saw me.
"Hey," his voice was deep, concerned. "You're going to catch pneumonia out here."
I wiped my face, trying to salvage some dignity. "I don't need help from strangers."
He stopped a few feet away, hands raised peacefully. Even in the dim light, I could see his smile—warm, genuine, nothing like Jesse's calculated charm.
"Well, I'm Sebastian Cole." He shrugged off his running jacket. "Now we're not strangers anymore."
Something about the way he said it—no agenda, no expectations—made my defenses crack.
The 24-hour coffee shop felt like stepping into another universe. Warm light, the smell of espresso, soft murmur of night owls.
Sebastian guided me to a corner booth and ordered without asking: "Two coffees, extra hot. And a blanket for the lady?"
"Thank you," I managed, wrapping the fleece around my shoulders.
"What do you do, Sera?" He'd accepted my fake name without question.
"I..." The truth felt too raw. "I create things. Beautiful things that nobody sees."
His dark eyes studied my face. "Sometimes the most beautiful creations are hidden in shadows, waiting for the right light."
'How does he know exactly what to say?'
Hours passed like minutes. We talked about everything—art, philosophy, the way morning light hits Manhattan buildings. Sebastian had this way of listening that made me feel heard for the first time in years.
"You understand things that others don't," I said, surprised by my boldness.
"Maybe because I've been looking for someone who sees the world the way you do."
Heat crept up my neck. "We just met. You don't even know my real name."
He leaned forward, intense but gentle. "Names are just labels. What matters is what's in here." He pressed his hand to his chest. "And I can see you, Sera. Really see you."
When was the last time someone had looked at me—not through me, not past me, but actually at me?
Dawn crept through the windows when Sebastian glanced at his watch.
"I don't want this to be goodbye, Sera." He scribbled something on a napkin. "Can I see you again?"
I stared at the numbers, my heart hammering. "I'm... I'm not sure I'm ready..."
"No pressure." He slid the napkin across the table. "When you're ready, if you're ever ready, call me. I'll wait."
The simple words hit harder than any grand romantic gesture ever could.
The Vincent mansion looked the same—imposing, cold, perfect. But everything had changed.
Jesse paced by the front steps like a caged animal. When he saw me, relief flooded his face.
"Sera, thank God. Please listen to me. Last night was a mistake. I was drunk, and Isadora..."
I stopped walking, studying this man I'd loved since childhood. "Were you drunk when you chose her over me?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, Jesse, some mistakes reveal who we really are."
His mouth opened and closed like a fish. For the first time in my life, I saw Jesse speechless.
I walked past him toward the door, Sebastian's number burning like a secret in my palm.
"Some things were never meant to be yours, my dear sister." Isadora's words echoed in my memory, but they'd lost their sting.