46. Serafina
CHAPTER 46
Serafina
M y assigned guards really have outdone themselves. They only leave me alone when I'm in my bedroom. But feeling bored and desperately needing a small escape from my prison, I wander through the gardens today.
The two men, dressed in black suits and armed with serious expressions, track my every movement like a pair of hunting dogs. Time seems to stretch on endlessly as I act nonchalantly, pretending to admire the carefully arranged flower beds for what feels like an eternity.
Finally, one of the guards excuses himself to take a break inside the house. The other, visibly exhausted, slumps onto a stone bench and promptly dozes off. It's not a perfect opportunity, but it'll have to do.
With quiet steps, I make my way toward the slumbering guard, the scent of jasmine filling my senses and wrapping around me like a comforting but suffocating blanket. His phone rests on the bench beside him, tempting and vulnerable. I snatch it quickly and slip away into the shadows of the garden, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I escape undetected.
"Please, Nora," I mutter under my breath, fingers trembling as I dial her number. I’m willing to bet that she won't answer if she knows it's me.
Ring. Ring. The phone feels heavy in my hand, like an anchor. One more ring and then?—
"This is Nora." Her voice is steady and authoritative, the lawyer tone she always uses when she's about to win a case.
"Long time no talk," I say softly, masking my identity for a moment longer.
"Serafina?" Her surprise is palpable, and within seconds, her confidence wanes. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Why so formal, Nora? It's been too long, no?" I can hear the edge in my voice, sharper than I intended. But this isn't a social call, and we both know it.
"Look -" she pauses, and the silence stretches between us, thick with unspoken words.
"How's life treating you?" I ask, trying to keep my tone light but failing miserably. There's an ache in my chest, the weight of betrayal simmering beneath the surface.
"Busy." Her tone is guarded and her answers short, just as I expected.
"Busy, huh? With what exactly?" I press, hoping she'll crack under the pressure, give me anything to explain why she did what she did.
"Work. Cases. Life," she says vaguely, and I can almost see her shrugging, her couture black suit a flimsy shield against the reality of our situation.
"Funny how life gets complicated, right?" I lean against a tree, the bark rough against my back, grounding me. "Especially with certain choices we make."
"Yeah, funny," she echoes, but her voice has no humor. Just tension. Fear, maybe?
"How about the other night? Do you remember?" I ask, pushing harder, needing her to break first.
"Serafina…" Her tone shifts, becoming softer, almost pleading. "I’m sorry."
"Why'd you do it, Nora?" I blurt out, my voice trembling as I grip the stolen phone tighter. "Why did you drug me and dump me at my parents' mansion like a discarded piece of garbage?"
"Serafina..." She starts again in her lawyer tone. It's clear she's not ready to open up yet, so I cut her off before she continues with the facade.
"Don't you dare 'Serafina' me. Answer me!" My heart is pounding so hard it feels like it's going to burst out of my chest. The garden around me is a blur of roses and thorns, and I feel like I'm suffocating under the weight of unspoken words.
"I can’t tell you anything, it’s not safe yet," she says, her voice low, almost a whisper. "All I can say is that it was for your own good."
"Are you kidding me?" I laugh bitterly, pacing back and forth along the cobblestone path. "You don't get to decide what's good for me, Nora. You were supposed to be my friend!"
"That's exactly why I did it. Because I am your friend," she replies, her tone firm but tinged with regret. "It was the only way to?—"
"To what? To save me?" I scoff, wiping away an angry tear that escapes down my cheek. "You didn't save me, Nora. You betrayed me. You left me there without a word, without an explanation. Coward."
"Call me what you want, but I did what I had to," she says, and I can hear the weariness in her voice.
"You had to?" I scoff, the bitterness coating my words. "You sound just like him. But —" My voice breaks again, choked with emotion. "You were supposed to be my friend."
Silence follows my statement, so I press on. "I don't know why you did what you did, but Nora, understand this. You hurt me more than anyone else ever could. And you did it in the name of friendship." My breath hitches, and I struggle to keep my composure. "For my own good? I don't buy it. I deserve the truth."
"One day, you'll understand why I did it," she says almost too softly. "And maybe then, you'll forgive me."
"One day?" I shake my head, feeling the last remnants of my patience slip away. "No, Nora. I need answers now."
"I love you, Serafina," she says softly, and I can hear the tears in her voice. But before I can respond, the line goes dead.
I'm left alone in the garden, the echoes of our conversation floating away with the evening breeze. The phone slips from my hand and hits the ground with a dull thud, and I realize that, once again, I have more questions than answers.
I pick up the phone and carefully leave the phone where I found it, noticing how the wind whispers through the trees, carrying away my words. I'm left alone, surrounded by the beauty of the garden, which feels more like a prison than ever before.