Chapter 7%
EMMA’S POVE
While the world mourned my ‘death,‘ I arrived at the airport quietly at this hour–dimly lit, private, and completely off the grid, I clutched the fake passport in my trembling hands, my fingers pressing into the smooth, forged leather. The name on it wasn’t mine! Seraphina Velasquez.
I swallowed hard, staring at the name like it belonged to a stranger.S
Because it did.
Emma Romano was dead.
The woman Jason had destroyed. The wife he had tossed aside like fucking trash. The mother Noah had forgotten.
I exhaled slowly, forcing my heartbeat to settle. My heels clicked against the polished floor as I made my way toward the jet. It was smaller than I expected, sleek and expensive, the kind of luxury I once thought belonged to people like Jason. Now, it belonged to me New life. New name. No looking back.
I climbed the stairs, feeling the wind whip against my face, carrying away the last remnants of the weak woman I used to be.
Ethan was already inside, leaning against the leather seat with that unreadable look in his sharp eyes. He had been watching me from the moment I entered the airport, probably wondering if I was going to crack.
Not a fucking chance.
“You got on,” he said, voice calm.
“bid you think I wouldn’t?” I slid into the seat across from him, my body heavy with exhaustion.)
He shrugged. “Wouldn’t blame you if you hesitated. You’re leaving everything behind.
“Everything? Ethan, I have nothing left.”
A shadow crossed his face. “You have yourself.”}
I scoffed. “What’s left of me, anyway”
The flight attendant came by, offering champagne. I waved her off, suddenly feeling too sick to drink.
The engines roared to life. I leaned back, closing my eyes as the plane began to move, the force pushing me deeper into my seat. My stomach flipped as the wheels left the ground, and then–just like that–I was airbome.}
Leaving behind the ashes of my old life.
I turned my head, watching the city shrink beneath me, the lights fading, disappearing. The house. The memories, Jason. Noah.
A lump rose in my throat, but I swallowed it down. I had cried enough. Screamed enough. Bled enough.
Now, it was time to survive
Ethan was watching me again, silent but calculating. He never pushed, never asked for more than I was willing to give. Maybe that was why I trusted him.
“Where are we going?” I asked, needing something to focus on.
“Italy,” he said. “I’ve arranged for you to stay in a secured underground medical facility. You’ll get the best treatment there. No one will know who you are.”
i nodded slowly, processing his words. “And after?
“After, we rebuild you “T
I let out a humorless laugh. “I didn’t know I needed rebuilding.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Emma Romano is dead. But Seraphina Velasquez? She’s whatever the fuck you want her to be.”
I stared at him.
The weight of those words settled deep in my bones. He was right.
I wasn’t just running. I was erasing the weak, pitiful woman who let Jason and Lily rip her apart.
Emma Romano had begged. Emma Romano had suffered.
Seraphina Velasquez??
She was going to be the kind of woman Jason fucking regretted losing.X
The jet touched down just before sunrise, the sky a deep shade of Indigo.
A sleek black car waited for us on the tarmac. No security, no flashing lights. Just quiet efficiency.
Ethan led me inside, and the driver pulled away without a word
The city blurred past us, the streets of Italy unfamiliar yet strangely welcoming. I was no longer in Jason’s world. No longer in a place where my name meant nothing
“How are you feeling? Ethan asked, breaking the silence E
“Like a woman who just buried hersell alive, 1 said dryly X
He sighed. “Emma–7
12:35 PM ₫ D
“How are you feeling?” Ethan asked, breaking the silence.
“Like a woman who just buried herself alive,” I said dryly.
He sighed. “Emma-“}
“Don’t” I cut him off. “Don’t tell me it’s going to be okay. Don’t tell me I’ll heal. Don’t feed me that bullshit, Ethan.”
His jaw tightened, but he didn’t push.
Good, I wasn’t in the mood for comfort
I wanted the rage. The fury. The pain. I needed it.”
The drive took us out of the city, winding through narrow roads until we reached a secluded estate. High walls. Security cameras. A place designed to keep secrets buried.11
We passed through the gates without stopping
Inside, the facility was pristine–white halls, soft beeping machines, a scent of sterile cleanliness that made my stomach twist.
A woman in a lab coat approached, her sharp gaze assessing me instantly
“You must be Emma,” she said
“Not anymore,” I corrected.X
Her lips curled into something resembling a smirk. “Good. Then let’s get started
Isat in front of a mirror staring at the stranger looking back at me.
Her hair was darker now, almost black, cascading in waves over her shoulders. Her skin, once pale from stress and sickness, had regained a glow of life!
But her eyes. They were the same, Haunted, Buming.K
“Who are you?” Ethan asked from behind me.
I met his gaze through the mimor
“Seraphina Velasquez,” I said.
The name felt foreign on my tongue, but it would become mine. Seraphina. Like the seraphim–angels born from fire.
Velasquez. A name not tainted by betrayal.
Ethan’s expression remained unreadable. “Are you ready for this?”
I smirked, a slow, deliberate curve of my lips.
“Ready? I repeated, standing up.
I turned to face him fully, my new identity settling over me like a second skin./
“I was made for this.”
12:35 PM ch
