Chapter 7N
While the world mourned my ‘death,’ I arrived at the airport quietly at this hour–dimly lit, private, and completely off the grid. I clutche fake passport in my trembling hands, my fingers pressing into the smooth, forged leather. The name on it wasn’t mine.
Seraphina Velasquez.
I swallowed hard, staring at the name like it belonged to a stranger.”
Because it did.§
Emma Romano was dead.§
The woman Jason had destroyed. The wife he had tossed aside like fucking trash. The mother Noah had forgotten.}
I exhaled slowly, forcing my heartbeat to settle. My heels clicked against the polished floor as I made my way toward the jet. It smaller than I expected, sleek and expensive, the kind of luxury I once thought belonged to people like Jason. Now, it belonged to me. New life. New name. No looking back.
I climbed the stairs, feeling the wind whip against my face, carrying away the last remnants of the weak woman I used to be.”
Ethan was already inside, leaning against the leather seat with that unreadable look in his sharp eyes. He had been watching me from moment I entered the airport, probably wondering if I was going to crack.
Not a fucking chance.}
“You got on,” he said, voice calm.}]
“Did you think I wouldn’t?” I slid into the seat across from him, my body heavy with exhaustion.
He shrugged. “Wouldn’t blame you if you hesitated. You’re leaving everything behind.”
“Everything? Ethan, I have nothing left.”}
A shadow crossed his face. “You have yourself.“}
I scoffed. “What’s left of me, anyway.“”
The flight attendant came by, offering champagne. I waved her off, suddenly feeling too sick to drink.
The engines roared to life. I leaned back, closing my eyes as the plane began to move, the force pushing me deeper into my seat. M stomach flipped as the wheels left the ground, and then–just like that–I was airborne.}
Leaving behind the ashes of my old life.}
I turned my head, watching the city shrink beneath me, the lights fading, disappearing. The house. The memories. Jason. Noah.
A lump rose in my throat, but I swallowed it down. I had cried enough. Screamed enough. Bled enough.”
Now, it was time to survive.
Ethan was watching me again, silent but calculating. He never pushed, never asked for more than I was willing to give. Maybe that wa why I trusted him.
“Where are we going?” I asked, needing something to focus on.”
“Italy,” he said. “I’ve arranged for you to stay in a secured underground medical facility. You’ll get the best treatment there. No one wi know who you are.”
I nodded slowly, processing his words. “And after?”
“After, we rebuild you.“}
1 let out a humorless laugh. “I didn’t know I needed rebuilding.“}
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Emma Romano is dead. But Seraphina Velasquez? She’s whatever the fuck you wan her to be.”
I stared at him.
The weight of those words settled deep in my bones. He was right.
I wasn’t just running. I was erasing the weak, pitiful woman who let Jason and Lily rip her apart.
Emma Romano had begged. Emma Romano had suffered.
Seraphina Velasquez?%
She was going to be the kind of woman Jason fucking regretted losing.
-1
The jet touched down just before sunrise, the sky a deep shade of indigo &
A sleek black car waited for us on the tarmac. No security, no flashing lights. Just quiet efficiency.
Ethan led me inside, and the driver pulled away without a word.
The city blurred past us, the streets of Italy unfamiliar yet strangely welcoming. I was no longer in Jason’s world. No longer in a place where my name meant nothing.
“How are you feeling? Ethan asked, breaking the silence. Like a woman who just buried herself alive, I said dryly He sighed ‘Emma
1/3
8:29 PM
d
“How are you feeling?” Ethan asked, breaking the silence.
“Like a woman who just buried herself alive,” I said dryly.
He sighed. “Emma-“}
0
“Don’t,” I cut him off. “Don’t tell me it’s going to be okay. Don’t tell me I’ll heal. Don’t feed me that bullshit, Ethan.”
His jaw tightened, but he didn’t push.
Good. I wasn’t in the mood for comfort.
I wanted the rage. The fury. The pain. I needed it.
The drive took us out of the city, winding through narrow roads until we reached a secluded estate. High walls. Security cameras. A p designed to keep secrets buried.§
We passed through the gates without stopping.
Inside, the facility was pristine–white halls, soft beeping machines, a scent of sterile cleanliness that made my stomach twist.
A woman in a lab coat approached, her sharp gaze assessing me instantly.
“You must be Emma,” she said.
“Not anymore,” I corrected.§
Her lips curled into something resembling a smirk. “Good. Then let’s get started.“}
***
I sat in front of a mirror, staring at the stranger looking back at me.§
Her hair was darker now, almost black, cascading in waves over her shoulders. Her skin, once pale from stress and sickness, h regained a glow of life.
But her eyes… They were the same. Haunted. Burning.§
“Who are you?” Ethan asked from behind me.§
I met his gaze through the mirror.§
“Seraphina Velasquez,” I said.§
The name felt foreign on my tongue, but it would become mine. Seraphina. Like the seraphim–angels born from fire.§
Velasquez. A name not tainted by betrayal.&
Ethan’s expression remained unreadable. “Are you ready for this?”
! smirked, a slow, deliberate curve of my lips.
‘Ready?” I repeated, standing up.”
I turned to face him fully, my new identity settling over me like a second skin.
“I was made for this.“@
