IVY'S POV
Seraphina stared at me for a long time, and the longer it lasted, the tighter something coiled inside my chest. I didn't understand it. It wasn't fear, not entirely, but something quieter, heavier, something that made my breath feel uneven beneath her gaze.
Her fingers were still wrapped around mine, warm and steady in a way that felt unfamiliar, almost intrusive, and I found myself watching her lips as they parted slightly, then closed again, like whatever she wanted to say refused to come out clean.
There was hesitation there, real hesitation, and for some reason that unsettled me more than anything else. Whatever she was about to say didn't feel small, didn't feel casual, and suddenly, I didn't want to hear it.
Because if it was what my mind, my clearly disturbed mind, was beginning to suggest, then I had bigger problems than escaping this place. So I broke it, deliberately.
