SERAPHINA'S POV
I froze the instant my eyes met his.
Lucas Velistra.
The man I had once called fiancé. The father of the girl I couldn't stop thinking about. The same monster who treated his own daughter like she was nothing more than trash.
Disbelief crashed over his face first, then recognition, sharp and cruel. My vision blurred at the edges from the blood I had lost, the room tilting slightly as my legs threatened to give out. The small glowing vial felt impossibly heavy in my trembling hand.
Before I could even breathe, Nicholas moved.
He crossed the room in a blur, snatching the antidote from my fingers with a grip that was almost bruising. Without a single word, without even looking at me, he turned and lifted Ivy's fragile body into his arms. She looked so small, so pale, dangling like a broken doll against his chest. He carried her out of the room with the witch following close behind, the door slamming shut behind them.
And just like that… I was left alone.
