Chapter 2
Emily pressed closer to Jonathan, her perfectly painted lips curving into a satisfied smile. Her eyes brimmed with the kind of pity only a self-declared winner could muster, laced with open contempt.
"Babe, don't be so harsh. Seraphina, it's been ages! You look like... well, it's been a rough year, hasn't it?
She softened her voice on purpose, but every word was a needle. "I mean, what did you expect? Life without Jonathan was never gonna be pretty for you."
Her friend Lily jumped right in, clapping a hand over her mouth in exaggerated delight. "Oh my gosh, Emily! Seraphina used to refuse anything less than top-tier designers, and now look at this outfit. Please tell me that's not from a clearance rack?
"Looks like life really went downhill without Mr. Reed!"
Jonathan's friends erupted in laughter, their eyes raking over me like I was yesterday's garbage.
There was a time when a single word of approval from Jonathan could send me waiting in line at dawn for some limited edition he'd mentioned in passing, or starving myself for a month just to fit into a dress he liked.
Now, this outfit, handpicked by Alexander himself and custom-tailored for pure comfort, was being held up as proof of my downfall.
I kept my face blank. The whole scene struck me as nothing but absurd. A faint wave of nausea stirred in my stomach, and I couldn't tell if it was from the long flight or the familiar sting of their cruelty.
Alexander never let me wear heels for too long, and he would never allow me to debase myself for anyone.
"Seraphina." Jonathan seemed to be savoring the atmosphere. He stepped forward, his tone dripping with the magnanimity of a man granting a royal pardon.
"Look, you're back now, so let's not make this harder than it needs to be.
"Emily's maternity leave is wrapping up. She needs proper rest to get her figure back, and she can't be running herself ragged.
"Since you've clearly got nothing going on, you can take over looking after the baby."
He said it like he was doing me the biggest favor of my life.
Emily immediately ran her hand over her flat stomach, the very stomach that had carried the child who made me the laughingstock of the entire city. She put on her sweetest voice.
"Oh, absolutely, Seraphina. Don't worry, my son is really well-behaved.
"He just cries a few times at night and needs some patience to settle down. Formula has to be mixed with water at exactly 110 degrees, and you'll wanna change his diapers pretty frequently, or he'll get a rash...
"Anyway, I'll leave all those little things to you.
"Oh, and one more thing. The nanny's room at our place isn't huge, but the light's not bad."
Lily couldn't hold back a snort of laughter. "Mr. Reed, Emily, you two are way too kind! Giving her a room and everything? Seraphina, you better thank them for taking you in! Sure beats sleeping on the street, am I right?"
Ryan chimed in with a smug grin. "Seriously, Seraphina. Being a nanny for Mr. Reed and Emily's kid? People would kill for that gig! You hit the jackpot!"
I watched their little performance in silence. The last ripple of anything I'd ever felt for my past life went completely still, leaving nothing but cold, bone-deep disgust.
Jonathan was still trapped in his fantasy that I couldn't survive without him. Emily, meanwhile, savored every second of grinding me beneath her heel.
I refused to waste another second on this circus. I raised my hand and pointed at the sign Jonathan was holding, my voice flat and even. "It says Seraphina. You're here to pick me up, right? Let's go."