Saraphina reached for the wine glass resting on the marble edge of the tub — a tall, slender crystal filled with deep crimson. The liquid gleamed like blood under the candlelight as she swirled it gently, watching the ripples shimmer.
She lifted it to her lips, took a slow sip, and savored the taste — bold, bitter, and intoxicating. A perfect reflection of what her heart had become.
A faint smile tugged at her lips, but it wasn't the kind that reached her eyes. No, her eyes were cold — pools of quiet calculation where warmth had long since drowned.
She had truly been foolish before.
"Foolish," she murmured aloud, her voice dripping with disdain, echoing against the walls.
She had allowed herself to be walked over, humiliated, discarded. She had believed that love meant sacrifice — that giving all of herself would make her irreplaceable.
What a lie.
She gave him everything. Her time. Her loyalty. Her heart. Her dreams.
