章 1: The News
Seraphina felt her head spin and her heartbeat escalated as she heard the name of her worst nightmare escape from her father's lips.
Ethan Sullivan.
She felt her body begin to quiver where she sat, her mind clouded with so many thoughts that she couldn't hear her father's words anymore.
She sternly watched his mouth move but she couldn't hear anything of what he was saying.
She was lost in the chaos of her thoughts.
"Seraphina!" Her father's voice pierced through her illusions, as he noticed his daughter drifting away.
"Focus on my words, Seraphina, do you understand?!" His sudden outburst snapped
Seraphina back to reality.
"Oh take it easy on her, Thomas," Seraphina's mother, Olivia, intervened, entering the room.
She settled herself next to her daughter, who still appeared lost in her thoughts.
"Seraphina, my dear, are you okay?" Olivia inquired with a concerned tone.
"She's fine," Thomas replied sharply.
"Now, listen..." Thomas began, pointing a finger at Seraphina.
"The wedding will take place before the end of this month, so you need to..."
"What wedding?" Seraphina cut in, her eyes widened as her mouth opened slightly.
"The wedding with Ethan, Seraphina. Aren't you excited about it?" Olivia tried to explain.
Seraphina's body jolted upright, but her strength betrayed her, causing her to collapse back into her seat, her eyes dizzy, her body weak and her mind fuzzy.
"What...what...marriage?" Seraphina stammered, her voice was now so silent that even no one else around her could hear, but see her lower shaking lip.
"Why would I be forced into marrying that monster? When did I ever agree to such a fate?!" Water filled in her eyes,
blurring her vision once again, she was shaking.
"What's wrong, Seraphina?"Olivia inquired, with lowered eyebrows on her face.
"Everything is wrong, Mom. Everything," Seraphina's voice broke down immediately.
"Everything is perfect!" Thomas declared. "You two were so in love back in high school.
You're meant for each other, and this marriage will happen, end of discussion."
Seraphina fought to rise from her seat, her eyes blazed with determination, her hands
clenched tightly into fists.
"Ethan bullied me. He raped me. He used me and you were both fully aware but did nothing,
are you both just going to pretend like any of those never happened and let me get married to that monster." She paused and took another deep breath.
"I dropped out of school because of him, because his family saw me as a threat to him even after everything he put me through and you both didn't even try to stand up for me,
I dropped out of school Dad…" Seraphina placed her hands on her cheek and wiped down the falling pearl.
"They also made sure no school accepted me. The police people also ignored all of my complaints. It's been Six years and I still haven't figured out my life, I still don't have a job even after six years and my life is a mess. And now you're telling me about a marriage with that same monster?!!.
Seraphina's world descended into chaos, tears streaming down her face.
"We're only trying to help," Olivia insisted.
"Help? How is forcing me into a marriage with my worst nightmare and the source of my suffering helping me?!" Seraphina's voice trembled with pain.
"Please, I'm your daughter. Show me some mercy!" Her words were filled with hurt and
desperation.
Seraphina turned away, she started to slowly walk away but suddenly she paused, she
turned back, her eyes were fixed upon her father, who appeared as if his voice had been
silenced and his eyes couldn't meet hers.
"I understand that your marriage to Mom was arranged, but that doesn't grant either of you the right to force a marriage on me,"
Seraphina's emotions felt
mixed now. With that, she finally turned away, walked towards the door, and left.
"Seraphina...!" Her mother's voice called out faintly.
"Let her go. She'll come back. She's completely dependent on us and won't survive a day without us," Thomas declared, causing his wife to sigh.
"But what if she refuses the marriage? Do we have to return the money they gave us?"
Olivia asked in a hushed tone.
"No," Thomas replied firmly. "That money is ours, and Seraphina belongs to Ethan."
Outside, Seraphina stood stagnant, contemplating where to go.
She had to get out of here somewhere far away but she was broke and had only one choice, the house next to hers, her neighbors, a family who were fond of her.
She sighed loudly, slowly strolling over to their home.
With a loud sigh, Seraphina stood before the door, pressing the doorbell. The door swung
open swiftly, causing her to jump slightly in surprise.
"Hi, Sera," Catherine greeted, waving with one hand while holding her phone to her ear with the other, engaged in a conversation.
Seraphina mustered a faint smile in response.
"Yeah, she's here. I'll take care of it, Mr. Steele," Catherine relayed into her phone.
Seraphina's smile faded away.
"So your parents claim you've lost control again. What's the matter this time?" Catherine inquired, and it all felt so unpleasant to Seraphina.
With an obvious frown, Seraphina took a few steps back, creating distance between herself
and Catherine.
"Please, stay out of it," Seraphina said, her voice tinged with frustration. She turned and began to walk away, wanting to leave the unpleasant conversation behind.
"I will, but only if you stop dragging me into your family's issues!" Catherine shouted, her voice echoing as she forcefully closed the door.
Seraphina stopped walking, feeling a huge surge of emotions welling up inside her.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes, but they escaped.
Overwhelmed by her emotions, Seraphina fell to the ground on her knees, covering her face
with her trembling hand, as she let out a loud cry, the sound filled the thick air.
"Wait... hold on a moment," Sebastian exclaimed, rising from his seat in front of his laptop,
one ear still occupied by an earpod.
As he glanced out of his window, his eyes widened at the sight of an unfamiliar girl openly crying in his yard.
"Hey, this girl is crying in my yard. What should I do?" Sebastian asked, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips.
"Give me a second," he replied, swiftly removing the earpod from his ear and placing it on the table beside his laptop. He rushed out urgently.
Seraphina's loud wailing abruptly came to a stop as she heard a voice calling out from
behind her. Startled, she swiftly rose to her feet and attempted to walk away, but Sebastian Pursued her, reaching out to gently grasp her arm.
"Are you okay miss?." Sebastian asked softly, it got to Seraphina and she sprawled out
crying again, slightly startling Sebastian.
クリエイターの想い 
BibiRah
BibiRah Thank you to all my amazing readers for joining me on this journey. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and that it left you wanting more. Stay tuned for the next chapter, where the story continues to unfold! Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below—I'd love to hear your feedback. Happy reading!
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