137 Chapter 137


    137 Chapter 137


    Seraphina’s POV 1


    I stared at Caleb’s message until my eyes burned.


    *”Sera! Long time no see, how are youtely?!”*


    Those cheerful exmation points made my chest ache. The coffee shop around me suddenly felt too small, too loud. The teenager


    across the room was still glued to her phone. Everything was so normal, so ordinary.


    My phone buzzed with another message from Caleb.


    *”Hope you’re doing great! Miss our old conversations.”*


    Miss our old conversations. Caleb lived at the border now. Far from Damien and the pack and everything that reminded me of what I’d


    lost.


    Maybe… maybe I could go to him.


    The thought hit me like a lightning bolt. Caleb wouldn’t ask too many questions. He’d never been the type to pry or judge. If I said I


    needed help, he’d help. That’s just who he was.


    My hands shook as I typed a response.


    *”Long time no see! I’ve run into some trouble and was wondering if I coulde see you? Would that be okay?”*


    I stared at the message for a full minute before hitting send. What if he said no? What if he was too busy? What if seeing me would just


    bring back bad memories for him too?


    My phone buzzed almost immediately.


    **Of course! Always okay for you. Are you alright? Do you need me toe get you?”*


    The immediate concern in his words made tears spring to my eyes. When was thest time someone had offered to drop everything and


    **I’m okay. Just need somewhere to stay for a while. I can get there myself.”*


    *”Whatever you need, Sera. You know where I am. Same ce as always, Mom and Dad are going to lose their minds when they see


    you.”*


    *”Thank you, Caleb. Really, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”*


    *”Don’t thank me yet. Fair warning – I’m still a terrible cook.”*


    Despite everything, I almost smiled. That was so like him. Making jokes when he could probably tell something was seriously wrong.


    I paid for my almost untouched coffee and left, heading for the bus station with my pathetic little bag. Each step felt heavier than thest. Each step took me further from my children.


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    137 Chapter 137


    Don’t think about them. Don’t think about Adrianing home from school or Lily waking up from her nap. Don’t think about Damien


    finding that letter.


    Just keep moving.


    The next few hours were torture. Bus after bus, each one older and more crowded than thest. I sat in the back, staring out windows at


    It looked like freedom. It felt like running away.


    Every few minutes, my mind would drift back to home. To Damien probably reading my letter right now. To the look on his face when he


    realized I was really gone. To Adrian asking where Mommy went.


    I pressed my face against the window and tried not to cry. Again.


    By the time I reached the final stop, the sun was setting. The “bus station” was basically just a bench and a rusty sign. The kind of ce


    where nothing ever happened and time moved slowly.


    I called Caleb.


    “Sera?” He picked up on the first ring. “Where are you?”


    “At what I think is supposed to be a bus station. Though it’s really just a bench in the middle of nowhere.”


    “I know the ce. Don’t move. I’ll be right there.”


    “Caleb, I-”


    “Ten minutes. Don’t go anywhere.”


    He hung up before I could say anything else. I sat on the bench and wrapped my arms around myself, watching the sky turn orange and


    pink above the empty fields.


    Headlights appeared down the road, and an old pickup truck pulled up in front of me. The engine made that deep rumbling sound that


    somehow felt like home.


    The driver’s door opened, and Caleb stepped out.


    He was still tall and broad and looked like he could handle anything life threw at him. His blonde hair was lighter now. His eyes were


    exactly as kind as they’d always been, but there were lines around them now. Laugh lines, mostly.


    He looked… solid. Real. Like the kind of person who didn’t disappear when things got hard.


    “Sera,” he said, and his voice was warm and relieved and everything I needed to hear.


    I stood up on shaking legs. “Hi


    “God, look at you.” He crossed over to me in three long steps and pulled me into the kind of hug that lifted mepletely off the ground.


    For the first time in days, I felt safe. His arms were strong and warm and he smelled like soap and sunshine and everything good about


    being young.


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    137 Chapter 137


    He grinned, and it was like watching the sune qut from behind clouds. “Come on, let’s get you home. Mom’s been cooking since I


    called, and Dad’s been wearing a hole in the floor from pacing.”


    He grabbed my bag before I could protest and opened the truck door for me. The interior was clean andfortable, with a faded air


    freshener hanging from the rearview mirror.


    “Sorry she’s not much to look at,” he said as we pulled away from the tiny depot. “But she gets the job done.”


    “She’s perfect.”