She didn’t flinch when a sharp voice broke through the crackling fire.
“Seraphine!”
Luther’s footsteps pounded against the stone as he rushed toward her, his eyes widening in panic as he took in the flames. He lunged forward, attempting to salvage the album, but the heat forced him back.
“What are you doing?” he demanded, his voice shaking. He turned to her, fury etched across his face. “Are you insane? These were ours! Everything we built, everything we shared—gone because of you!”
Seraphine didn’t move, her expression unreadable. “Ours?” she echoed, her voice sharp and cold. “Do you mean the years I spent waiting for you to keep your promises? Or the ones where you made it clear I was just an afterthought?”
Luther froze, his anger faltering. “You don’t understand,” he began, his tone softer now, almost pleading. “I was trying to protect us—”
“Protect us?” Seraphine interrupted, her words cutting like a blade. “Was that what you were doing when you made her the center of your world? When you left me in the shadows while you built a new life right in front of me? Don’t insult me, Luther.”