“Ex-husband.” My stomach churned. My bowels feltwatery, like I desperately needed to poop all of a sudden. My old reality kept colliding with my new reality, and it was throwing me off. Just as I got used to one version of myself, I got flipped back to the old version.
“Tell her to fuck off.” Cecil lit a cigarette, took a puff, then blew it out slowly, eyes narrowed against the smoke. “We’ve got work to do.”
“Cecil,” I hissed. “You can’t smoke in here.”
“Of course I can. I’m doing it right now. See?” He inhaled again and blew out another plume of smoke.
“This is a non-smoking building. The super will—” I huffed out a breath. “You know what, I can’t deal with this right now,” I muttered, trying to walk through a sea of tulle, backing away from my gorgeous door. “Donovan, step back. It’s fine. Seraphina is twenty-four and only one-hundred pounds soaking wet.”
“She could still be dangerous, Chosen.”
“She’s not.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wasn’t so sure. I glanced at Bart. “Is she?”
“Seraphina is completely human, as far as I know,” he confirmed. “The jury is out on whether she’s dangerous or not,” he added under his breath.
That was a can of worms I wasn’t ready to address yet. I straightened my shoulders. “Violet, can you please reconstruct my tiny apartment? Just around the door, please.”
Walls slid into place in front of us, rising up effortlessly from the floor. A low ceiling sprouted from the walls, capping off the tiny, boxy apartment. I watched it in wonder, horrified by how tiny my old apartment had actually been, especially in context of the huge vaulted-ceiling drawing room with the glorious, domed stained-glass skylight above my head. My old apartment really was the size of a shoebox. It only cut off one corner of the room we were standing in right now.
There was a sharp knock from within the box. Seraphina was at my front door.
“Thanks,” I said to my House. “Can you please give me a way to get inside?”
A door grew in front of me from a tiny speck, popping up like a pimple.
I turned and narrowed my eyes. “Please stay quiet,” I ordered the others. I bundled up the layers of tulle in my hands, opened the door, and marched inside.
The door shut gently behind me, and I stared at my old apartment. A feeling of intense vertigo overwhelmed me so violently, I stumbled. The apartment was back to exactly what it looked like before—one tiny room, the kitchenette to the side, the slightly ajar sliding door leading to the tiny bathroom. My bed was folded up, the curtain drawn. My soft, cushy green-velvet armchair was waiting for me by the window.
I shook myself. If it wasn’t for the bedazzled bodice and layers of tulle around me, it would be easy for me to think that the last twenty-four hours of my life were a crazy dream.
Knock, knock.
I walked forward and opened the door.
Seraphina stood in the hallway. She was alone. My heart cracked a little. I’d been hoping…
She smiled softly. “Hello, Susan.”
Seraphina always reminded me of a beautiful deer, tall and willowy, reed-thin, with delicate features, long silky strawberry blonde hair, a pointed chin, huge vivid-blue eyes and a smattering of freckles on her button nose. I had a deep appreciation for beauty, and I’d always loved looking at Seraphina. She was stunning—a softly-spoken, fragile, delicate flower.
Myeyes traveled downwards and noted the gentle curve of a bump on her belly.
My throat went dry. “Erachhh.”
Seraphina blinked. A tiny crease appeared in the smooth skin of her brow as she frowned. “Are you okay, Susan?”
I swallowed the enormous lump in my throat. “I’m, um, I’m fine.”
“Can I come in?”
“Of course.” I had to back up all the way to the far wall to let her in. The skirt of my gown was ridiculous.
“I see you’re playing dress-ups.” Her voice, as usual, was so quiet, I had to strain to hear her. “That’s nice. Good for you.” There was no hint of maliciousness in her gentle smile, no trace of bitchiness in her soft tone.
“Uh. Yes.”Come on, Susan. You’re a strong, smart, capable woman. “I’m just trying on a few things.”
Seraphina drifted effortlessly over to the window and glanced out. “I love your apartment. It’s so… uh… cozy.” Her huge, innocent eyes blinked around at the tiny box surrounding her.
