Chapter 19
The office screen casts a cold, bluish light across Seraphina’s face as she reviews, for the third time, the same column of numbers. She has a cup of cold coffee forgotten beside the keyboard and a constant tension lodged in the center of her chest that has been there for days. She can no longer remember the last time she slept through the night without waking with a start, her heart racing, thinking about Adrian Beckett, the photographs he showed her, or the sickening fear that everything will blow up before she manages to regain any kind of control over her life.
Before her lie budgets, contract clauses, and authorizations related to the external consulting for the merger. Daphne Mercer’s consulting firm. Every time her signature appears in the lower corner of a document, Seraphina feels an unpleasant twinge in her stomach, even though she acknowledges that Daphne is an impeccable professional. However, she feels jealous that everything has to pass through her hands, that this woman must be fueling the very project that now keeps Daphne settled in the clinic as if she had always belonged there.
Seraphina forces herself to breathe slowly, filling her lungs. Numbers and more numbers. That’s all she has left.
She enters the security password and approves another transfer just as there’s a knock at the door.
“Come in,” she replies.
The door opens, and immediately the air in the office changes completely. Daphne enters, impeccable in a perfectly tailored dark gray suit that elegantly highlights her figure. She stops in the middle of the office. She carries a folder under her arm and exudes a confidence that Seraphina envies right now. However, that is not what takes her breath away.
Nerissa enters beside her, wearing surgical scrubs under her white coat. A few strands of hair brush against her face, and Seraphina stares at her. Before sitting down, Nerissa absentmindedly brushes Daphne’s back with her hand in a small, natural gesture. As if there were no longer any reason to hide anything.
Seraphina feels a void opening beneath her ribs, a hollow that expands rapidly and steals her breath.
“Have they… gotten back together?”
“Principal Chapman,” Daphne greets her politely. “We’re here to review the final validation of the operational entries. We want to make sure everything is in order before the next pre-merger board meeting.”
Seraphina forces herself to look away from Nerissa and focuses all her attention on the information in front of her, though the letters seem to dance before her eyes.
“Of course. Right away. Please make yourselves comfortable,” she replies calmly, gesturing for them to sit down.
Nerissa simply does so beside Daphne and exchanges a brief glance with her as they open the documents on the table.That insignificant detail shatters something inside Seraphina. Because she recognizes that spark. She knows it all too well. It’s as if, right there in front of her, she could relive the look Nerissa used to give her as they walked along the River Dee, believing, for a few absurdly happy hours, that there was still a possible future for the two of them.
Now that look is directed at someone else, and the full realization of what she has allowed pierces her heart. Protecting herself and Nerissa from Adrian Beckett has worked all too well. Definitely. Because now she is painfully aware that she has lost her.
Daphne begins to talk about the budget adjustments, pointing out various figures in the report.
“As you can see, the redistribution of resources will allow us to significantly optimize the surgical area. Staff expansion is also key to the next phase,” Daphne explains, her voice clear and confident. “What do you think? Do you think we should make any further adjustments before signing?”
Seraphina catches only scattered fragments. “Redistribution of resources.” “Surgical optimization.” “Staff expansion.” The words blend together in a thick hum that fills her head as she watches Nerissa nod occasionally at Daphne’s comments.
“There’s no tension between them. No fear,” Seraphina thinks, and the thought hits her like a ton of bricks. “They’re just two women working together in broad daylight.”
The envy she feels is so intense it burns her throat. She shifts slightly in her chair, trying to hide the trembling in her fingers.
“Is there a problem with the figures?” Daphne asks suddenly, with a faint hint of concern that Seraphina doesn’t buy for a second.
She looks up, forcing herself to maintain her composure.
“No. From what I can see, everything is correct,” Seraphina replies, and signs the authorization.
Then Daphne gathers the documents and places them in her briefcase.
“Perfect. This will speed up the next phase of integration considerably. Thank you for your promptness, as always.”
Seraphina barely nods, her mouth dry. Then Nerissa speaks for the first time, leaning forward slightly.
“Thank you,” she says simply.
Just one word. Polite and professional. But the distance in her voice is unbearable for Seraphina.
Before, even in the middle of a meeting, there was always something hidden between them. That delicious electric tension, a glance that lingered longer than usual, a secret language only they understood. And now there’s nothing left of that. Nerissa stands up beside Daphne, and as they both leave the office together, Seraphina watches Daphne tilt her head slightly toward her while they whisper about something she can’t quite hear.
Nerissa smiles. A small smile. Real. Genuine.
