Outside the hut, Lucien's worry had already begun turning sharp.
Too much time had passed.
He had waited at first because Seraphine had asked him to. But the longer the silence stretched, the more that patience began to feel like neglect. The little world around him remained soft and nostalgic, but the calm no longer reached him.
Then the hut door opened by itself.
No one stepped out.
Lucien's heart tightened at once.
He crossed the distance immediately and entered without hesitation.
Inside, he found her kneeling on the floor.
Seraphine was crying.
Her face was wet with tears. Her eyes were red and swollen. Her breathing was unsteady in a way that made something in Lucien lurch hard with alarm.
"Sera."
He dropped in front of her at once.
"What happened?"
He reached for her shoulders and gently turned her toward him.
The moment Seraphine saw his face clearly, her whole body shook.
