SERAPHINA'S POV
When I got home, I dropped the shopping bags on the living room floor and sank into the couch, the ache in my muscles nothing compared to the dull throb in my chest.
I stared blankly at the ceiling, still tasting the bitter aftertaste of the brief encounter.
I inhaled deeply, then exhaled through my nose. I wasn't going to let Kieran and Celeste continue living rent-free in my head tonight. Not when I had better things to occupy my mind.
I grabbed the encrypted phone from my purse and tapped the screen.
Daniel answered almost immediately, his bright face filling the display.
"Hi, Mom!" he beamed, and just like that, the heaviness in my chest lifted.
"Hey, sweetheart," I said, sitting up straighter. "How are you?"
"Good!" he chirped. "Today, I stood on the surfboard for one whole minute!"
I smiled. "Oh. I'm proud of you, just promise to always be careful, okay?"
He nodded. "I will."
"Hey, guess what?" I asked, grinning.
"What?"
