The classroom had become unusually quiet.
Only a few minutes earlier it had been filled with students gathering their belongings, chairs scraping across the floor, and conversations drifting from every corner of the room. Now all of that had disappeared.
The afternoon sunlight filtered gently through the large classroom windows, painting the wooden desks in warm golden light while a faint breeze stirred the curtains near the walls.
The silence felt peaceful.
Yet beneath that peace lingered something else.
Something unspoken.
Luca stood near the last row while Seraphina remained at the front of the classroom, her hands resting lightly against the lectern as she looked toward him.
Neither spoke immediately.
For a few moments, the only sound came from the wind outside.
Then Seraphina sighed.
A long sigh.
The kind of sigh that seemed to carry far more emotions than words ever could.
Luca immediately recognized that look.
And somehow—
