Kael spotted her the second he walked in.
Sera always made sure she was the center of the room; even when she wasn't invited. She stood near the bar, dressed like she owned the city, laughing too loud at someone's joke, probably pretending she hadn't seen him walk in. But he knew she had, she always did.
Same perfect smile, same empty eyes.
He should've left. But Kael didn't move. He watched her for a few seconds longer than he should have, like a man staring at a fire he knows will burn him.
And just like that, she noticed him, really noticed him. Her smile froze for a beat. Then, like it was a performance, she waved. God, he hated how effortless she made it look.
"Kael Merrin," she said, sauntering over. "What a surprise."
"Is it?" he said. "You show up everywhere you're not supposed to be, like a rash."
She raised an eyebrow, amused. "Still charming."
"And you're still pretending you're someone worth knowing."
Sera smiled, that practiced little smirk that looked good in magazines. "You always were meaner after we broke up."
"No. I just stopped pretending you were a good person."
Her eyes narrowed. "Well, that's one way to say you miss me."
Kael laughed once; cold, joyless. "I don't miss you. I miss the version of you I made up in my head. That girl was worth my time."
She crossed her arms, eyes flicking over him like she was judging his outfit, his hair, his life. "You look… older."
"And you look exactly the same," he said. "That's the sad part."
She tilted her head. "You're bitter."
"You made me this way."
He meant it. God, he meant it.
Back then, Sera had been like light through stained glass, bright, colorful, impossible to ignore. But the closer he got, the more he saw it wasn't light at all. Just tricks of the eye. Smoke and mirrors.
She leaned in slightly, that signature perfume of hers wafting up, sweet, expensive, suffocating. "I heard you moved. Eastside. Very peaceful."
"It's called escaping," Kael said. "You should try it. There's no paparazzi. No fake friends. No photographers waiting for your 'casual candid.' You'd hate it."
"I don't hate peace," she said, voice low.
"No, but you hate being ignored."
That landed. She didn't say anything right away.
He took a step back, staring at her like he was trying to figure out who she used to be. "You know, you're a ten out of ten, Sera. Always were. But you're the kind of ten that ruins everything it touches."
"Wow," she muttered. "You've really been holding onto this, huh?"
"You think this is about holding on? I spent months trying to forget you. Months. But you left scars, Sera. Not memories."
She blinked.
He didn't stop. "You think because you look good in Gucci and know how to pout for a camera, that you're special. But there's nothing behind the curtain. Just more fabric."
"People love me."
"They love the mask," Kael snapped. "They'd run if they saw what was underneath."
She stepped back like he'd slapped her. Good.
Sera had never cared about consequences. She cared about image. About being the girl everyone wanted, the one no one could keep. And she wore that like a crown. Meanwhile, Kael had been the one bleeding behind the scenes, putting her back together every time she broke herself.
He was tired of pretending he wasn't angry.
"You know what was the worst part ?" he asked. "It wasn't the lies. It wasn't the cheating, or the gaslighting, or you acting like you were better than everyone else in the room. It was the silence. The way you'd sit there and smile like you hadn't just torn me apart the night before."
Sera said nothing.
"I used to wait for your texts," Kael said. "Like an idiot. Checking my phone every five minutes, wondering if I did something wrong. But I didn't. You were just bored."
"That's not true," she said.
"Yes, it is. You used people to fill the space in your head, and I was just another pretty distraction."
She laughed, but it was dry. Tired. "I gave you my time."
"You gave me your leftovers," he said. "After the parties. After the photo shoots. After the pills and the crying and the lies. I was the person you crashed into when no one else picked up."
She looked away.
"And I still stayed," Kael added bitterly. "That's on me. But now? I look at you, and all I see is everything I should've run from."
Sera's voice broke when she finally spoke. "You don't know what it's like. Being wanted, but never really seen. Everyone wants the version of me they can brag about. Not the person who can't sleep at night."
Kael shook his head. "I did see you. You just hated it."
"I didn't know how to let someone love me."
"Then you should've left me alone."
The words hung heavy between them. Neither of them moved. The music inside felt distant now, like it belonged to another world.
She wiped at her cheek, quick and subtle. "I guess I deserved that."
"Yeah," he said. "You did."
Sera stepped back. The wind tugged at her hair, and for a moment, she looked almost human.
"If you ever wonder," she said quietly, "if I cared… it wasn't fake. Not all of it."
"I don't wonder," Kael said. "I don't care."
And that was the truth. Or close enough.
She turned to leave. He didn't follow her.
Not this time.
She still walked like the city was hers. She still looked like a dream.
But dreams fade. And Kael was finally awake.