Why did Vivienne come here?
How did she know I was in the apartment and not Kael?
She looked like she came specifically for me.
How could she know so much?
Unless Kael told her!
Kael didn’t come back last night, but Vivienne? She showed up at the door early this morning.
How did she know I was in Kael’s apartment?
Was it because Kael told her?
As if reading my thoughts, Vivienne’s voice carried a smug tone.
“Seraphina, I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering how I knew you were here, right? Well, Kael told me. Do you know why he didn’t come back last night? He was with me.”
Her face bore a triumphant smile.
I couldn’t hold back anymore. Through the door, I shouted, “You’re lying!”
I didn’t believe Vivienne. I trusted Kael more.
“If he was really with you, how could you show up here so early?”
“You don’t believe me? Look at this. Isn’t this Kael’s shirt?” Vivienne held a T-shirt up to the peephole and waved it.
It was a dark blue T-shirt, stained with dirt and blood. It was indeed the shirt Kael had worn yesterday.
In that moment, it felt like my heart was being squeezed. A suffocating sensation spread through my chest and into my limbs.
Why did Vivienne have Kael’s shirt? I couldn’t comprehend it.
Could it really be as Vivienne claimed?
Her smug smile was like a victorious banner, waving in my face.
My body trembled uncontrollably, and countless thoughts flooded my mind.
Was Kael really with Vivienne last night?
He had promised to come back to me, yet now, he had broken that promise and stayed with her.
I didn’t know why they were together, but Vivienne having Kael’s shirt meant they must have met.
I ignored Vivienne and turned to call Kael.
No matter what, I wanted him to explain.
I waited all night, my hope turning to despair, yet Kael didn’t call-not even once.
And then Vivienne’s voice cut through my thoughts.
“Don’t bother calling him. He’s probably still sleeping. We didn’t get much rest last night.”
After delivering her parting words, Vivienne turned and left.
My phone was still ringing, but there was no answer.
Why?
Why wasn’t Kael answering? Was it really because, as Vivienne said, he was too tired and still asleep?
I didn’t want to believe it. But Kael hadn’t come to explain, and Vivienne had come to taunt me instead.
The more I thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.
I left Kael’s apartment and headed to school.
I felt utterly drained.
During the entire day of classes, my mind wandered.
While dissecting a mouse in the lab, I accidentally cut my hand with the scalpel.
Blood immediately began to flow.
Evelyn gasped, grabbing my hand. “Let me help you disinfect this.”
The scalpel was sharp, and even though I was wearing gloves, it still left a deep gash in my skin.
But strangely, the pain was faint, barely noticeable.
“I can handle it myself. It’s fine,” I told Evelyn.
“Are you sure? It might look shallow, but it could be serious,” she said, frowning.
“It’s nothing. Go back to the experiment,” I said, waving her off.
I went to the infirmary to clean the wound with iodine.
I didn’t want Evelyn to follow me because I suspected my wound would heal quickly.
Sure enough, the bleeding had already stopped by the time I reached the infirmary.
It wouldn’t take long for it to fully heal.
I frowned.
I couldn’t feel anything actively repairing my wound, but the speed of recovery was undeniable.
Still, it wasn’t as fast as Kael’s.
I thought about Kael’s injuries.
He had healed almost instantly before my eyes.
But my wound seemed slower.
Was it because my abilities weren’t as developed as Kael’s?
Honestly, I didn’t feel like a werewolf. Despite several abnormal reactions from my body, I couldn’t transform into a wolf like Kael claimed I could.
Even on a full moon, I remained in human form.
It was strange.
I put a band-aid over the wound.
The bleeding had already stopped, but I wanted to cover it to avoid questions.
The wound might heal by tomorrow, but I didn’t want it to heal too quickly.
If anyone noticed, I wouldn’t know how to explain it.
“Seraphina, are you hurt?”
A voice behind me startled me.
I turned to see Magnus standing at the infirmary door, wearing a white coat.
I didn’t know if he was coming from the lab or on duty here.
Since his confession, this was only the second time we’d seen each other.
My heart raced inexplicably.
His piercing blue eyes held a hint of concern.
“Just a small cut from the lab experiment,” I replied.
“Let me see.” Magnus stepped closer, reaching for my hand.
I quickly pulled it back and shook my head. “No.”
Magnus looked surprised, as if he hadn’t expected me to instinctively refuse.
I knew he was worried, but I couldn’t let him see the wound.
“It’s already treated. It’s just a small cut,” I said.
Magnus studied my hand for a moment, then smiled. “Alright, as long as you’re okay.”
He added, “But if you didn’t disinfect it properly, don’t blame me if it gets infected.”
I nodded, relieved that he didn’t insist.
“I’m fine, really,” I assured him.
The wound would heal soon enough. Disinfecting it was just a formality.
Just then, Kael’s voice came from the doorway.
“Seraphina, I finally found you.”