POV: Split – Seraphine / Lucien
Their lips parted.
The air between them shimmered like something sacred, stolen.
Seraphine's eyes widened. She stared at him for one suspended heartbeat, flushed and breathless. Then—
"I… I should go," she whispered, her voice barely holding steady.
She turned so fast the silk of her gown fluttered behind her, feet light as she nearly ran out of the room.
Lucien didn't follow.
Didn't need to.
He heard the soft thud of a door closing down the hall. Then silence.
Upstairs, Seraphine leaned against her door, chest rising and falling in quiet chaos. Her hands flew to her face, covering the ridiculous smile she couldn't hold back.
He kissed me.
She twirled once—just once—on the plush carpet, hair spilling from the bun she'd tied so carefully earlier. Then she collapsed onto her bed, heart full of something like joy, something she hadn't felt in years.
Her fingers touched her lips.
"Vale," she whispered to the dark, giddy and glowing.
Downstairs, Lucien sat back slowly.
His fingers brushed his own mouth. A crooked smirk tugged at the corner.
Not regret. Not guilt.
But victory.
She's falling for me.
And the house? He was one step closer.
Whatever was hidden here—whatever secrets Seraphine kept locked behind those glass walls—he was getting in.