Seraphina
“Oh my god, she’s so adorable” urile at the stage. Loris twirls in her little bear confumma
“And how about that tree,” Deli whispers –
My eyes roam to Dománder standing proudly at the bark with his little arms up as branches.
“Best free I ever saw “I gizele ……
We are at the kids play at school. “There you are, Seraphina” Etors to see Felicity Foot shimmying through the row of ears to get to. The been
Ugh the most annoying woman to ever walk the earth the the head of the PTA of the school. She’s wearing a
her long dark hair is up in a high ponytail She’s gorgeous and immarsilately groomed and the best Soepford wife in Greenville, Except hushand, he ran off a few years luck and she’s been making everyone else’s life in town a living hell ever since
– Vgh,” Deb mutters under her breath.
Felicity force a smile. “How are you?
Tm great.” She drops into the seat beside me. I noticed you haven’t signed up for the hake sale”
“Yes” I shrug. Im just so busy at the moment.”
“We’re all busy. Seraphina,” the replies flatly. But you are going to help on Wednesday, aren’t you?”
Thave to work.
“What do you mean?” she gaps. “But you help every year.” And it’s the worst day of my life.
Yes, but this year I’m too swamped.”
Atotalli, Thave Wednesday off, but I can’t deal with spending an entire day with this woman. I swore to myself that last year was the last.
Can’t you get the day off she craps.
it’s a bake sale, Felicity.” Deb chips in “Not the end of the world”
“Yes, but we need Seraphina berate of “She hesitates. “Well because of the obvious.”
What abou?” Deb asks.
“Well she can’t bake, so she has to serve can bake, “I stap.
com,Seraphina” She rolls her eyes. “We all know you buy your cakes every year.” You do?
“Why else would be forced to throw your cakes our?” “You throw my cakes on? I gap.
It’s a bake sale” She widens her eyes as if I’m pupil. “Not a buy sale. If we wanted
ermarket cakes, we would ask for them” She gives a
condescending smile. “But I know what you’re like by now” I begin to hear my angry heartbeat in my ears.
“What am I like?”
“You know.” She laughs. “All Seraphina Lockrish”
Un fucking believable,” Deb mutters under her breath
PERIS THE ILFF RETRACHLOOD
My Death and Found REAL FREEDOM
Chapter 55
I be the side of my cheek to stop myself from telling her where to p
I hate the woman with every fiber of my being, she thinks she’s so perfect
“Well, I’m very bany and I cant do the stupid bake sale that you are choicely obsessed with, and now that I know you don’t like my cakes, I won’t even Teiber buying them.”
“Oh, how sad for your children that their mother wont support them at school.”
My blood boils as the sky turn red.
*Are you
Deb hits me on the leg to silence nie. “Goodbye, Telicity, were kind of busy right now.”
* The gestures to the
Felicity rolls her eyes and shimmies through the seats again.
s the watches her disappear
If I ever get that boring, shoot me,” Delwhispers as the wate
“Gladly.”
It’s past on 9 pm, the kids are tucked safely into bed, and after working today, cooking dinner, and then washing up, I’ve only just showered and sat down for the first time.
1 flick through Netflix, looking for a new series to watch.
I’ve been so preoccupied since Gabriel came hack that I’ve done nothing but worry.
1 guess that now he’s gone, I can finally relax,
My phone herpa text in the kitchen, who’s texting me at this time of night? I get up and grab it, it’s from Gabriel.
I frown, what does he want?
I text back
ПЕ
My phone instantly rings, and the name Gabriel lights up the screen.
What the bell?
“Hellay Tanswer.
“Hi Yee “En voice is soft, cajoling. He only ever used this voice with me when we were alone in his office.
“Lfrown. “What’s up?”
Tjust
as I wait for him to finish his sentence, he doesn’t
A wind feeling comes over me something is wrong with him
“Where are you?” I ask softly
“In my office.”
I get a vision of him standing at the window and staring out over the view of twinkling lights as we speak.
“Working late?” I ask
Yeah
Chapter 55
I wait for him to elaborate, again he does. I get the feeling he has something to any but for some reason
The kids are in bed,“Hell him.
““Okay, are they alright?–
Him asking if they are all right makes me get a lump in my throat “You“Silence
What the hell is going on here?
“They were in a play this week school. Licia was a hear and Dom was a tree,
“Yeah?” I can hear the smile in his voice. What was the play, when a bear shits in the woods?”
1giggle. “Something like that.”
We fall into an awkward silence again.
You know, Gabriel, Tve been thinking.
“What about?”
“Maybe “I pause. “Maybe I was too over the top.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you ever want to tell them who you are and come and visit fast come home and do it.” Silence.
se as I get another huge bump in my throat
“It’s not up to me if you want them in your life. It was selfish of me to think that it was, It.“I pause:
You what?”
“Maybe I am the most selfish person on earth,” I whisper through tears. “I just got scared you know?” Sance.
We both hang on the line, waiting for the other one to say something, eventually he does.
“Good night, Vee,” he whispers
“Good night.”
The line goes dead and I stare at the phone in my hand.
What the hell was that?
Gabriel
I walk into my penthouse just an 11 p.m.
I’ve had the worst day in history and it’s about to get ten times worse.
I find Ariana sitting on the couch, she looks up at me and smiles. “You must be tired, you work too hard.”
Inod and sit down beside her. “We need to talk
“What about?”
“I can’t marry you”
Chapter 56
Chapter 56
