Sera and I were on opposite ends of the stage, and none of the challenges required us to get closer.
She played along with more enthusiasm than I’d expected, her laughter low and sweet-each one loosening more easily than the last.
The crowd adored her, and I could barely focus on my tasks. This wasn’t the Sera who once shrank into herself; she seemed larger than life now as she engaged and competed.
And reminded me that she’d become a completely different person.
Eventually, the games whittled us down. Two people were knocked out during trivia, and another couple failed spectacularly at the reflex test.
That left six competitors: one older married couple, Sera and me, and a pair of college kids who looked like they might suffocate and drop dead if they couldn’t touch each other.
Byron grinned, clearly delighted by the lineup. “And now, the final challenge! A battle of teamwork, trust, and quick thinking! And we’re going to pair up!”
My mouth dried up.
The pairing was automatic. The older couple held hands, and the girl instantly wrapped her arms around her boyfriend’s neck like a koala.
Which left me and Sera.
I saw her spine stiffen, noticed her hands trembling at her sides as Byron gently placed a hand on her back and eased her towards me, throwing me a wink over her head. The bastard.
The stage crew wheeled out a large contraption that looked like a cross between a balance beam and a puzzle board. Colored tiles lit up across its surface, glowing in random sequences.
“Here’s how it works,” Byron explained. “Each pair must cross from one end to the other by stepping only on the tiles that light up in their sequence. But”-his grin widened-“the sequences are mirrored. That means each partner will see a different pattern, and you’ll have to call out instructions to guide each other across. One wrong step, and it’s back to the beginning!”
The crowd whooped. I swore under my breath.
“Of course,” I muttered. “A trust exercise.”
Sera shot me a sideways glance. “Think you can manage that?”
She’d said the words lightly, but they carried a heavy undertone that I felt deep in my chest.
Trust.
That was a phenomenon I’d never once related to Sera. After all, how could you trust someone you never even let yourself know?
“What about you?” I asked lowly. “Think you can trust me?”
Her eyes flicked up to mine, and my breath caught at the sheer intensity of raging emotions that shone in them-betrayal, hurt, detachment.
“What do you think?” she said softly.
I dropped my gaze, a lump forming in my throat.
Before either of us could say anything else, we were ushered onto the contraption.
The tiles pulsed beneath our feet, glowing faintly. The crowd counted down. Three. Two. One.
And the floor lit up.
“Sera-two steps left,” I called out immediately, spotting her sequence.
She moved without hesitation.
“Forward one,” she announced. “Then right.”
We moved in tandem, voices low but firm, calling out corrections as the pattern shifted. The college kids faltered halfway, one of them tripping the reset alarm.
The married couple shouted at each other so loudly and chaotically that the crowd erupted in laughter.
Sera and I, though-we moved like… Like one. Perfectly in sync.
Her voice was confident, precise, never wavering.
My body responded before my brain caught up, trusting her instructions implicitly. And when I called the path for her, she followed without a flicker of doubt or uncertainty.
We reached the final stretch neck and neck with the married couple.
My pulse thundered. One wrong call, and it was over. I knew this was just a silly game I shouldn’t even have been playing to begin with, but it now felt like the stakes were higher than anything I’d ever done.
“Diagonal!” Sera shouted.
I lunged, caught my balance, and yelled, “Two steps forward!”
I looked back just in time to see her step onto the last tile. The buzzer blared.
The crowd exploded.
We’d won. By the barest margin, but still, we’d done it. Together.
Sera’s eyes found mine, and triumph lit her face. Bright, unguarded. Beautiful.
My lips parted; blood roared in my ears, adrenaline and something…acute flooding my veins.
My hands shook from the effort it took not to pull her into my arms and spin her in the air.
And then Byron returned to the stage, carrying a small velvet box. His voice carried over the cheers. “Well done, well done! Our winners tonight: Seraphina and Kieran Blackthorne!”
My heart jackknifed. The way he’d introduced us-like we were still married, like we still belonged together…
Gods, there was no way to quantify how that felt.
Byron opened the box to reveal a necklace-a delicate silver chain, a pendant shaped like a teardrop with a deep blue stone at its heart.
Even from here, I could appreciate the craftsmanship. Precious.
“This,” Byron said, his voice softening, “belonged to my late Lillian. She loved this piece more than any other, wore it to every anniversary dance we ever had. Tonight, in her memory, I’d like our winner”-he nodded toward Sera-“to wear it.”
Sera froze, her face flushing as she stared at the necklace in awe. “I…I can’t.”
Byron chuckled. “You can. If I knew my Lillian, she’d be smiling right now, happy to see it shine again.” He pressed the box into Sera’s hands. “And I have one more request.”
Her brows lifted, her gaze skeptical. “Which is?”
“That you wear it while dancing to Lillian’s favorite song.” Byron said simply. “With Kieran.”
SERAPHINA’S POV
I should have said no.
No, what I should have done was turn around and walk right out the door the moment I laid eyes on Kieran on the stage.
But whatever it was, whatever damn invisible thread that still seemed to exist between me and my ex-husband had pulled, and I hadn’t resisted as hard as I should have.
I’d stayed, I’d played silly little games with him. I’d let his voice guide me through the last challenge.
Worst of all-I’d enjoyed every fucking minute.
And now-the consequences of my actions: a gorgeous necklace (that I hated to admit rivalled the one Lucian had given me.) And a dance.
I took an instinctive step back. I shouldn’t have been here in the first place.
I should’ve been anywhere but in a bar with my ex-husband, contemplating fucking dancing with him.
I needed to leave, right now. Go home and prepare for the final challenge.
My eyes darted behind Byron, where Kieran stood, a little too at ease, a little too nonchalant, like he was forcing himself not to show any readable emotion or reaction. J
And then Byron spoke.
“My Lillian’s been gone nineteen years.” His voice was heavy with the weight of grief yet light with the softness of reverence. “Like I mentioned before, today would have been our thirtieth anniversary.”
My chest tightened. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.
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