Serena felt the weight of every word press against her chest, but she lowered herself slowly, forcing her expression into stillness. Her hands trembled slightly as she followed the command, not because of obedience, but because each second confirmed the truth she had feared yet never allowed herself to imagine.
Kayla leaned back comfortably, scrolling through her phone, her cruelty casual and unguarded.
“You know,” she said, smirking, “this house should have been mine a long time ago. That woman is blind. She walks around pretending she has a perfect life while her husband runs straight into my arms the moment she leaves town.”
Serena said nothing. She did not defend herself. She did not interrupt. She listened, because silence now was not weakness but preparation.
Minutes later, the front door opened.
Brandon stepped inside, loosening his tie, already smiling as he looked toward Kayla. That smile vanished the instant his eyes met Serena’s.
Time seemed to stall.
He stood frozen, his breath caught somewhere between denial and recognition, his face losing all color as reality finally reached him.
“Serena,” he said, his voice barely audible.