Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother (Seraphina and Damien) novel Chapter 242

242 Chapter 242

Seraphina’s Point of View

Concentration eluded me completely.

My body moved on autopilot—correcting stances, issuing commands, demonstrating moves—but my mind was lost somewhere far away, tangled in a storm of thoughts I couldn’t escape.

Seven months pregnant.

Emma was seven months along.

Carrying Damien’s child.

Those words had been looping in my head for what felt like hours, like a broken record stuck on repeat, playing incessantly until the meaning blurred into a dull, persistent hum that drowned out everything else.

“Sera?” Jessica waved her hand in front of my face, breaking through the fog. “I asked if you wanted me to lead the cooldown?”

I blinked, startled back to reality. Around me, the trainees were watching, waiting expectantly.

How long had I been standing there, lost in thought?

“Yeah,” I croaked, my voice rough and distant. “You take it. I need to… I’ll be in my office.”

Without waiting for a response, I turned and hurried away, desperate to avoid any questions.

The hallway felt unbearably bright, almost painfully so. Every step I took echoed sharply against the sterile walls like gunshots, each footfall marking the relentless passage of time.

Seven months.

She had gotten pregnant right after that night—the night at the hotel. Right after Damien swore that nothing had happened.

But something had. It had to have.

Because no one just gets seven months pregnant from nothing.

I finally reached my office and closed the door behind me, leaning heavily against it, trying to steady my breathing.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

I ignored it.

Then it buzzed again. And again.

Finally, I pulled it out. Three messages from Damien.

**Damien: Waiting outside.**

**Damien: I know you’re at the facility. Please.**

I stared at the screen, the desperation in his texts bleeding through even in words typed coldly on a screen.

Did he know? Did he realize that I was aware?

My fingers hovered over the keyboard, tempted to reply—to demand answers, to yell at him through the screen.

But what was the point?

The truth was there. Growing inside Emma. Unmistakable. Permanent.

I shoved the phone back into my pocket, grabbed my bag, and headed toward the exit.

The late afternoon sun hit my face like a harsh slap—too bright, too warm, and entirely wrong for this moment.

I moved toward my car on autopilot, keys already in hand, escape just steps away.

“Sera.”

I froze.

That voice—deep, familiar—the one that used to make my heart race with excitement but now only made everything ache.

I turned slowly.

Damien stood beside his car, parked right next to mine, as if he had been waiting for me all along.

Of course he had.

“What are you doing here?” My voice was flat, drained of emotion.

“I needed to see you.”

“Well, you’ve seen me. Can I go now?”

I started walking again, but he moved quickly, stepping in front of me, blocking my path.

“Sera, please. We need to talk.”

“No, we don’t.”

“Yes, we do.” His hand reached out to touch my arm. I jerked away sharply.

“Don’t touch me.”

Behind us, I heard murmurs—trainees leaving the facility, noticing us, watching.

Damien’s coffee sat untouched, his hands wrapped tightly around the cup as if it was the only thing grounding him.

“Today is…” He swallowed hard. “Today is our anniversary.”

His words hit me like a physical blow.

“I know it’s a terrible time,” he continued, his voice trembling now, “but I promised the kids. Told them we’d all have dinner together. As a family. I couldn’t… I couldn’t cancel on them again.”

“They’ve been so excited. They made decorations. Lily insisted on baking a cake. Adrian…” His voice cracked. “Adrian asked if this meant we were getting back together.”

My throat tightened until I could barely breathe.

“I know you hate me. I know you don’t believe me. I know everything’s falling apart. But could you… could you just come home? For a few hours? For them?”

I should have said no. Told him to figure it out himself. Walked away and let this mess burn without me.

But Adrian’s hopeful face flashed in my mind. His quiet longing for normalcy.

And Lily. Sweet Lily, who still believed in happy endings and families that stayed together.

“Fine.” The word tasted like ashes on my tongue. “One dinner. For the kids. Then I’m leaving.”

“Thank you.” Relief washed over him. “Thank you, Sera. I’ll drive. We can—”

We stepped outside together, and the whispers started immediately—from the few customers who had recognized us.

I ignored them, climbed into my car, and started the engine.

Damien walked to his car, opened the door, then paused.

Instead of getting in, he headed to a flower shop three doors down.

Through my windshield, I watched as he disappeared inside, then reemerged five minutes later carrying a bouquet of roses.

Red roses. A dozen of them. The same kind he’d given me on our first anniversary, our second, and every year after—until I left.

He came back to my car and knocked on the window.

I rolled it down slowly.

“These are for you.” He held out the bouquet awkwardly, uncertain. “I know it doesn’t fix anything. But… happy anniversary, Sera.”

I stared at the flowers—the perfect crimson petals, the green ribbon tied around the stems.

At the desperate hope etched across his face.

“I don’t want them.” The words slipped out quietly, but with finality.