Chapter 61
Chapter 61:
“You lost your shield,” Skye said without stopping. “Jessica took the bullet for you. Do you think Tiffany won’t notice? Do you think she isn’t wondering when it will be her turn p>
Seraphina’s hand tightened on her compact. She looked at Tiffany, who was standing a few feet away, looking at her phone, avoiding eye contact.
Skye smiled. “Isolation is a cold place, Seraphina. Better buy a coat p>
Later that night, Liam Kensington sat in his study. His phone buzzed. It was Seraphina.
“Liam!” she sobbed. “It’s terrible! Jessica got suspended! She did something awful to Skye, and now everyone thinks I was involved! I’m so scared, Liam. My friends are turning on me p>
Liam rubbed his temples. He was tired. Tired of the drama. Tired of the tears.
“Did you do it, Sera?” Liam asked. His voice was dull.
“No!” Seraphina shrieked. “How can you ask that? I love Skye! I want her to be happy p>
Liam looked at the photo on his desk. It was an old one, from before the marriage. Skye was laughing, her eyes crinkled.
“Okay,” Liam said. “Just… stay out of trouble, Sera. I have a headache p>
He hung up. He didn’t offer to come over. He didn’t offer to fix it. He just put the phone down and stared at the empty room.
Midterms came and went like a summer storm—fast, violent, and leaving destruction in their wake.
For Skye, the exams were a formality. She had lived these years before; the economic theories and market trends were history to her, not prediction. She breezed through the papers, her pen scratching confidently across each page.
For Seraphina, it was a massacre.
Two days after the disciplinary hearing, Seraphina stood outside the lecture hall, staring at the posted grade sheet. Her student ID number sat beside a letter that made her stomach drop.
D.
𝖵𝖾r𝗶𝗳iе𝗱 𝘤o𝗇𝗍е𝗻𝘵 о𝗻 𝖻e𝗅ոo𝗏e𝘭𝘴.𝗰𝗈𝗆
She felt faint. Her Kensington Foundation scholarship required a 3.5 GPA. A D would tank her average. Without the scholarship, she couldn’t afford tuition. Without tuition, she couldn’t stay in Sea City. She couldn’t stay near Liam.
“Problem p>
Seraphina jumped. Liam was standing behind her. He had come to take her to lunch, a peace offering after his coldness on the phone.
He looked at the grade sheet. His eyebrows drew together.
“A D, Seraphina?” Liam asked. His voice wasn’t sympathetic; it was critical. Liam Kensington was a perfectionist. He didn’t tolerate failure. “I thought you said you were studying p>
“I was!” Seraphina cried, grabbing his arm. “But with all the drama… Skye has been bullying me, Liam! She got Jessica suspended, and I was so stressed I couldn’t focus p>
Liam pulled his arm away.
“Skye got a 98%,” he said, pointing to the top of the list where Skye’s ID sat. “She seems to be focusing just fine p>
Seraphina flinched. “That’s because she’s cheating! She has to be p>