Chapter 3 Chapter 3
SERA
Cassian's betrayal stings harder than a thousand bees ever could.
I walk away from the cemetery with tears streaming down my cheeks.
They might not have buried my body in that grave, but my name, my very existence and my dreams are stuck in that same grave.
It feels like a part of me lingers there as I walk away, a part of me my own daughter will never get to know.
I scoff bitterly, my chest tightening as the thought recurs in my head.
My child that I had almost died for in the labor room believes another woman is her mother.
Camille doesn't understand what it took me to birth Elara. She has no idea what it felt like for a part of me to grow inside me all those months, only to have her stolen from me so cruelly.
How long have I waited to see my child and husband again?
Eight long, dreadful years.
I remember the horrid smell of the fish tanker that had smuggled me out of that gruesome prison. I had almost passed out from the claustrophobic, putrid atmosphere but each time I reminded myself that I have a home waiting for me.
But, my own husband has treated me like a stranger and my daughter, whom I had wrestled against death to see, will never know who I am.
The tears are not enough. It feels like my insides are being ripped to shreds by the pain slamming through my chest.
I find it difficult to breathe and just by the road side, my knees buckle and crumble to the hard, hot coal tar.
The harsh sun beats down on my pale skin, adding salt to my wounds. My mind tortures me with the memories of every sour food I had eaten, the bullying, the things I had to do to survive that prison—and it was all for nothing.
My tears form two puddles on the coal tar but are quickly dried up by the sun.
My chest feels empty by the time I cry out my heart. A huge hole burrows into my heart, tingling with a devastated hollowness each time I remember Elara's beautiful smile.
But my daunting memory doesn't just stop there—it travels way back to when this had all begun.
I was an orphan who had grown up in an orphanage. I never heard a word about who my parents were from the caretaker.
Eventually, I stopped asking questions. My curiosity had slowly morphed into a determination to succeed and with that, I had managed to get a scholarship to college.
That was through the Ariston family foundation partnering with the orphanage home.
It felt like a blessing from above—hell, it was!
I was one of the three that was selected and I was so elated not knowing that my future would take an unexpected turn in the blink of an eye.
At the dinner of the foundation the following night, I met Cassian.
God! I fell in love with him instantly!
He was a Greek god in human form, draped in a tuxedo costly enough to feed the orphanage for a year.
I had no idea what I was thinking, but his sexy eyes had lingered on me all night and when he'd finally flirted with me, I lost my mind and all virtue.
I had no idea who he was at the time, but dressed up like that, I should have guessed.
In a reckless moment of infatuation and lust, I found myself naked in bed with Cassian that same night!
I can never forget the shame that drenched me when I had woken up and realized what just happened. I had left before he even woke up, in the freezing cold of the dark morning.
When I discovered that he was the Cassian Ariston, I wanted to bury myself and never be dug up again, but Cassian reached out to me again.
He wanted me, but I couldn't bear to look him in the eye. I had avoided him like a plague, even though my body yearned to hook up with him too.
Two months later, I received the worst news that altered the entire course of my life.
I found out that I was pregnant for Cassian and wouldn't be able to hide it for much longer.
I struggled for weeks but finally confessed to him.
To my surprise, he remained composed, professional even. He treated the news I had broken to him like a business proposal.
He wanted to prevent a public scandal and despite being engaged to Camille, he got married to me.
Cassian professed his love to me and treated me like a gem. I had expected to come back and see that, but I was just a fool for believing any of it was real.
He has always wanted my child and not me…
I spend the night at the cheapest hotel I can find and the following morning, a call comes in from the reception desk.
My body feels like it has been put through a shredding machine. My bones ache and snap as I reach for the phone.
“Mrs…Ariston?” A hesitant voice says—that is the name I had checked in with. “A call from the Ariston office came in for you. Mr. Ariston wants you to come in at midday.”.
Cassian wants to see me? I frown, wondering why and feeling a tingle of hope nonetheless.
Perhaps he has had a rethink and changed his mind after all.
I head to the bathroom, and try to look as presentable as possible. I leave the hotel an hour to the specified time and arrive at the massive building a few minutes later via a cab.
A secretary frowns and walks up to me, “Miss Seraphina, yes? Your meeting isn't due until thirty minutes.”
“I know. I can wait.” I reply.
She nods indifferently and leads me to a conference room. Its walls are transparent and from the corridor, I spot Octavia and Camille.
Octavia is frowning at her, and they seem to be having an argument. Through the soundproof walls, I can't hear what they are saying and just as the secretary pushes the door open, their conversation dies instantly.
But Octavia's last sentence doesn't escape my ears.
“She wouldn’t be a problem right now, if you had let me—”
My heart clenches suddenly and an ominous air hovers around me. Without a doubt, I know she was referring to me, but what does she mean by that?
What was Camille supposed to have let her do to me?
My heart races.
