Seraphine blinked, eyes wide in mock shock. “What? Wait—this is a misunderstanding! I just said you were close to that client! Adrian, you misunderstood me!”
“Liar!” I lunged, tangling my fingers in her perfect hair and yanking hard. “You wanted this! You wanted him to hate me!”
Seraphine shrieked, grabbing my wrist. “Let go of me!”
Adrian tried to separate us, shouting both our names, but chaos had already taken over. Shouts, struggles, things clattering to the floor.
Seraphine shoved me, I shoved back. Her nails raked my face, and in a flash of fury, I slapped her.
“You ruined everything!” I screamed. “You took everything from me—”
“Stop it!” Adrian barked.
But neither of us listened. Years of buried hatred poured out—every lie, every betrayal, every false smile.
And then I heard a small, trembling voice.
“Mommy Vivienne, stop!”
My heart froze.
Elias.
He stood near the doorway, eyes wide with fear. “You’re bad!” he cried. “You’re always shouting! I hate you!”
“Elias—” I tried to reach him.
He pushed forward, small hands trying to wedge between us. “Leave Mommy Seraphine alone!”
His push caught me off balance. My heel slipped on the edge of the carpet. The world tilted.