Seraphina's Point Of View
The rest of the day passed in a blur.
Not the peaceful kind.
The strange kind where time moves forward but your brain lags behind like it's buffering reality in slow motion.
One moment I was standing in that hallway, and the next I was in my office, seated behind my desk, laptop open, files stacked neatly, pen in hand… pretending I wasn't unraveling in invisible threads.
I exhaled slowly, staring at the spreadsheet in front of me.
Numbers. Columns. Deadlines. Safe things. Things that made sense. I swallowed and forced myself to focus. Work. Just work. If I buried myself deep enough in it, maybe my thoughts would stop running wild like feral things.
A knock sounded softly on my door.
Two short taps.
Familiar.
I didn't even look up. "Come in, Rose."
The door creaked open and she peeked in, holding two cups like a peace offering. "Coffee delivery for the CEO of pretending she's okay."
I huffed out a weak laugh, finally glancing up. "You're fired."
