Chapter 6

The days that followed were an exercise in sheer absurdity.

Ethan showered Serafina with gifts daily—ranging from limited-edition teddy bears to macarons from the French patisserie she had adored as a child—until the hospital room was overflowing. Liam, meanwhile, refused to leave her side, going so far as to test the temperature of her medicine against his own lips before feeding it to her.

They wore expressions of tender solicitude, as if their years of pathological bias toward Mia had never occurred, and as if the devastating trauma they had inflicted upon Serafina was merely a nightmare that could be conveniently forgotten.

Serafina, however, simply watched them in silence. Her gaze was detached, as though she were viewing a clumsy, low-budget Broadway farce. From the moment she learned the truth, the last ember of hope in her heart had been thoroughly extinguished.

Now, her singular focus was waiting for the opportunity that would allow her to rise again—the opportunity promised to her by Aegis Biotech.

...

A week later, Serafina was discharged. Ethan and Liam fussed over her every need, escorting her out of the hospital with an air of protective gallantry.

After settling her into her bedroom at the manor, Liam crouched down before her, his tone gentle. "Sera, you must be exhausted after all those tests. Lie down and rest for a while."

"Ethan and I are going to buy that red velvet cake from your favorite childhood bakery. When you wake up, we can have it for afternoon tea."

Serafina remained silent, simply closing her eyes.

Ethan sighed softly, reached out to ruffle her hair, and then turned to leave.

Scarcely had they left when the door was pushed open again. But this time, it was Mia.

"Serafina." Mia leaned against the doorframe, the corners of her mouth curling into a chilling smirk—a stark contrast to the sweet, innocent persona she meticulously curated for the media. "It seems I underestimated you."

Serafina leaned back against the headboard, her pallid face an unreadable mask of tranquility.

"I’ve been jealous of you since we were children," Mia said, her fingers trailing over the jewelry box on the vanity. " The eldest daughter of the Blackwood family... beautiful, a violin prodigy. Even when you cry, you look more like an aristocrat than I ever could."

She suddenly grabbed a handful of pearl necklaces and smashed them violently against the mirror. "Why? Why is it always you?"

Mia’s expression twisted into something grotesque. "I stole your full scholarship, I took your recommendation letter for Julliard, I even snatched the Golden Lyre Award you worked so desperately for—" She leaned in close, gripping Serafina’s chin tightly. "Yet even so, their minds are still filled with you!"

Serafina finally lifted her eyes to meet Mia’s gaze and asked calmly, "So, are you going to kill me?"

"That would be boring," Mia laughed suddenly, her crimson fingernails tapping lightly against Serafina’s cheek. "I’m going to make your life a living hell."

As Mia clapped her hands, several thugs clad in leather jackets and reeking of alcohol kicked the door open and stormed in.

In that instant, Mia suddenly tore open her own silk blouse, messed up her hair, and ran out screaming, "Help! Ethan! Liam!"

Ethan was the first to rush in. The cake box in his hand crashed to the floor, red frosting rolling everywhere, looking disturbingly like splattered blood.

Liam followed close behind, his car keys slipping from his grasp at the sight before him.

"Ethan! Liam! Sera’s depression is an act! The moment you left, she called these hooligans to violate me—" Mia threw herself into their arms, trembling like a leaf in a gale.

"She... she said she wanted to make me as dirty as she is—"

A sharp ringing filled Serafina’s ears as Ethan’s slap landed heavily across her face. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, yet she felt no pain.

"Are you insane?" His voice seemed to come from a great distance. "How could you hire thugs to harass Mia! How could you do something so vile?"

Liam’s look of disappointment cut deeper than the physical blow. "Is what Mia said true, Sera? What have you become? I barely recognize you anymore!"

Serafina wiped the blood from her lip. She looked up at them, her eyes possessing a clarity that was bone-chilling. "I installed a surveillance camera in the room. Shall we watch the recording to see what actually happened just now?"

Ethan and Liam froze simultaneously.