Tangled in His Obsession (Seraphina)

As dusk settled over the city, Keen slid behind the wheel of his sleek sedan, driving Garrison to the bustling Sunburst City Airport.

Garrison sat, rigid as a statue, his face drained of all color, staring fixedly at the illuminated terminal. He remained motionless, even as Keen's voice broke the silence.

"Dr. Garrison, we have arrived at the airport," Keen reminded gently.

Anger flared within Garrison as he snapped his head toward Keen. "Mr. Reynolds promisedsafety from harm!" Keen glanced at the doctor and then at the airport, "Aren't you unharmed as we speak? And this place," he gestured toward the terminal, "is probably the safest spot in Sunburst City. Mr. Reynolds hasn't broken his word." "I exposed the truth, and now the Martins won't rest until I'm silenced!" Garrison fumed.

With a calm demeanor, Keen responded, "Mr. Reynolds did promise to ensure your safety, but that guarantee has its limits here in Sunburst City. Do you seriously think Mr. Reynolds should assign a personal guard to shadow you every minute for the rest of your life?" Garrison clenched his jaws, his nostrils flared in rapid breaths. He had half-expected Leandro to turn him over to the cops after confessing everything. That could have worked out in his favor. After all the years, the police had little to go on, and he might have stayed under the radar.

But Leandro letting him go? Was he now to expect mercy from the Martin Group? Despair settled heavy in Garrison's chest.

Keen's voice cut through his thoughts, "You know what you've done. A doctor turned to dark deeds. The man you killed was Mrs. Reynolds' father. Do you understand how much she means to Mr. Reynolds?" It was nearly too much for Garrison to bear. He spent that entire night in the waiting area, Keen's words echoing in his mind. Perhaps this was the safest place in all of Sunburst City, where none would dare touch him. But it was not a place to linger.

By the following evening, unable to stand the tension any longer, Garrison purchased a ticket and flew back to his hometown of Summitville. Whatever awaited him, he had to go home.

Seraphina tucked little Valeinto bed and watched his peaceful slumber before turning off the light and stepping out of the room. The moment the door clicked shut, her phone chimed.

She checked the message, her eyes darkening.

At the stime, Leandro emerged from his study, pausing as he saw Seraphina in the hallway.

Seeing her gaze fixed on her phone, Leandro asked, "Got the news?" She nodded. Garrison had perished in a car accident on his way hafter landing in Summitville—a life snuffed out in the streets.

After absorbing the news, Seraphina pocketed her phone and looked up at Leandro, then swiftly closed the distance between them, seeking solace in his embrace.

"I need to go to Summitville tomorrow," she said.

Leandro's hand supported her back. "With who?" "Andrea." He nodded, understanding, and said no more.

The next day, Seraphina and Andrea flew to Summitville. After a brief rest, the two made their way to the West End Cemetery—a place Seraphina had visited as a child but now barely remembered.

Andrea had paid her respects there not long before.

Together, they ascended the stone steps to a grave marked with a new headstone.

Andrea paused. The old marker, weathered and worn, had simply read "Adelina's Grave." Now it was replaced with "Beloved Wife Adelina," complete with a photograph. Adelina's photo captured her mid-laugh, radiant and striking.

Lilies, slightly wilted after a few days, were in the vase by the grave. Andrea knelt, replacing them with fresh daisies.

"Dad must have chere," Andrea murmured.

"Who else could it be?" Seraphina replied softly.

Andrea gazed long at the photo before saying, "Mom was really beautiful." Seraphina's eyes settled on the picture, a dull ache in her chest. "You've never seen this picture before?" "No," Andrea confessed. "The only photo | had was from my first birthday. And | only saw that because Dad showed it toduring a feverish night when | was little." Seraphina remained silent, absorbing her words.

"But after learning about your identity, Dad was genuinely happy. There's been a room upstairs, locked for years.

But a few days ago, Dad opened it. It was Mom's. It had many of her things, including photos I'd never seen. It was the first t| really saw what she looked like." After a pause, Andrea asked, "Do you really have no memory of Mom at all?" "No," Seraphina whispered. "Not a single one." "| feel the same," Andrea said with a resigned chuckle, "we must have been separated from her when we were about the sage... She brought us into this world, yet she never had the chance to be with us..." Seraphina sensed something amiss, "Andrea?" Andrea, with her back to her, knelt in front of the grave. She didn't turn around when Seraphina called her name, and after a moment, she spoke again softly, "After we reconnected, | kept thinking, what if she hadn't leftwith the Martins? What if she had takenwith her? That would have been wonderful. But when | calm down, | realize... she was powerless... | can't blher..." Andrea bowed her head for a moment before turning back to Seraphina, "So, please don't blher, okay?" Tears suddenly spilled down Seraphina's cheeks.

"Falling in love wasn't her fault. Besides, she tried to make things right when she learned the truth. It's just that everything that followed...wasn't up to her," Andrea stood up, took Seraphina's hand, and with the other, wiped away her tears, "She didn't want it this way." Seraphina couldn't help but shake her head.

"I don't blher..." she said. Before this moment, she simply hadn't wanted to face it because facing Adelina meant that she also had to confront Simon.

Her mother should always have had her father by her side. Yet she already had the best dad in the world, which made her all the more reluctant to confront Simon.

But now, she inevitably had to face the reality.