Earlier
The bedroom was painfully quiet. Not the comforting kind of silence that wrapped around you like a warm blanket after a long day. This was the suffocating kind. The kind that pressed against Raya's chest until every breath felt heavier than the last, squeezing the air from her lungs.
She sat motionless on the edge of the massive king-sized bed, her phone still lying beside her. The screen had gone dark minutes ago, but she didn't need to unlock it.
The image was burned into her mind, Adrian and Seraphina walking side by side, Seraphina smiling at him, although he wasn't returning it but still it was still annoying to Raya.
This time they weren't matching outfits, but the contrast only made it worse. Adrian in sharp black, exuding power and control. Seraphina in elegant white, looking every bit the perfect partner the world expected.
The perfect couple. The one the entire world acknowledged and celebrated in headlines and whispered conversations.
