A NIGHT OUT.

The sun hit differently the moment Seraphina stepped out of the building, not warm or comforting, just hot. Like it burnt just her. She paused beside her car, her fingers tightening around her keys and for a moment, she thought through her life choices. For a moment, she just stood there, breathing in slowly like she had just run a dangerous marathon.

Then she reached for her phone, expecting a hundred calls from her stalker but her heart skipped, no missed calls, no messages. Nothing.

“Had he suddenly gotten tired?” She laughed under her breath but her brows furrowed…none of this seemed normal. For the past few days, her phone had been a war zone. Endless calls, texts and silence from the other end. That eerie, suffocating silence that made her skin crawl, that she had learnt to live with and now…nothing?

“...Weird,” she mumbled , barely higher than a whisper and for a split second, she almost felt relief...almost.

Something about it just didn’t sit right. Still, she shook it off and tapped her sister’s contact, the call barely rang once.

“Finally!” Stephanie's voice burst through the speaker. “I’ve been waiting! How did it go? Did you slap him? Tell me you slapped him!”

Seraphina let out a soft laugh, the first real one since morning.

“I did more than that, girl.”

There was a slight pause. “…Seraphina, what did you do?”

“I signed the papers,” she said simply, opening her car door and slipping inside.

There was brief silence before Stephanie lost it.

“YOU DID WHAT?!”

Seraphina winced, pulling the phone away from her ear slightly. “I signed it...I'm done with his bullshit.”

“…Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

Stephanie exhaled slowly. “Okay… okay. You know what? It's fine, no crying, no thinking…it's his loss and we’re going out.”

Seraphina blinked. “awww…” before she could react to that, the last part sunk in “Out?”

“Yes. Just you and me. We’re not staying in that big empty house of yours today. I refuse.”

A small smile tugged at Seraphina’s lips.

“…Okay, old woman.” and she hung up quickly before Stephaine could reply. The drive to Stephanie’s office felt like freedom. Cool air rushed in through the slightly open windows, tangling itself in Seraphina’s hair as music played softly in the background. The sky was slowly shifting into evening, painted in soft oranges and fading gold and her sister soon sat beside her, legs crossed, scrolling through restaurant options like it was a mission and not just a simple outing.

“No…that's too basic." Stephanie spat as she continued scrolling, "No…that's too crowded...uh ew! Most definitely not that one.”

Seraphina laughed lightly, her fingers tapping against the steering wheel.

“Why don’t we just go somewhere outside the city?”

Stephanie paused then slowly turned to look at her, her eyes glowing with excitement.

“…You’re serious?”

Seraphina shrugged. “Why not? I don’t feel like running into anyone today, so let's avoid it totally.”

A slow grin spread across her sister’s face. “Say less.”

By the time they arrived, night had fully settled and the restaurant stood like something out of a dream. Soft golden lights glowed against sleek glass walls, chandeliers sparkled overhead, and the quiet hum of soft music filled the air. Everything about the place screamed luxury and at least, it was worth the ridiculous price.

Seraphina paused at the entrance.

“…Wow.”

“I told you I have taste,” Stephanie smirked, linking their arms as they walked in. They had made reservations earlier in the car, so they were seated almost immediately and the table was set perfectly. Crystal glasses, polished silverware… Everything, precise. Seraphina leaned back in her chair, as if absorbing it all in and for the first time that day… she felt calm...really calm.

“Okay! ” Stephanie said, picking up the menu. “Tonight, we eat like heartbreak doesn’t exist.”

Seraphina smiled. “I like the sound of that.”

Then dinner was peaceful…almost too peaceful. They talked, laughed, and for a moment, Seraphina almost forgot everything. Almost forgot about Adrian, the divorce, the silence in her house and even the stalker...until a hand tapped her shoulder, light but deliberate.

“Look who it is.” The voice was so familiar but Seraphina’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t even turn immediately. Slowly, she lifted her glass, took a sip, and then turned her head slightly and to no one's surprise, it was Vanessa. Standing there like she owned the entire restaurant. Seraphina looked at her, blankly…uninterested then turned back to her food, completely ignoring her very existence.

Stephanie froze. “…Did she just—”

And Vanessa let out a short laugh.

“Oh, I see. We’re pretending now?”

Still no response. Seraphina continued eating like Vanessa didn’t exist and that seemed to piss her off, Vanessa’s smile dropped and without a warning she grabbed a fistful of Seraphina’s hair and yanked hard.

“Ah—!”

The scream tore out of Seraphina before she could stop it and the entire restaurant went silent, chairs scraped, people turned and murmured and Stephanie shot up immediately.

“Are you insane?!” she yelled, pushing Vanessa back.

Seraphina’s hand flew to her head, her chest rising and falling rapidly as pain shot through her scalp. Vanessa stood there, breathing heavily, eyes sharp like she was proud of what she had done.

“You think you can just ignore me?” she snapped.

Seraphina slowly lifted her head, her expression had changed. Her calm was gone the moment she signed those papers and in its place was something colder and sharper. She stood up slowly and the room paused like it held its breath. She took a step forward, then another..until she was standing right in front of Vanessa…close enough to feel her breath and then, she smiled “Touch me again...” Her voice was low and calm “...and I'll show you why Adrian never messed with me to begin with.” Vanessa stood there weighing her options…for the first time in a while, she hesitated.