Chapter: 49

"Try it," he nudged the plate towards me. I lifted my fork and clinked it against his. The first bite was... interesting.

The rice was mushy, the veggies were overcooked, the egg was burnt, and he'd added way too much salt and not enough soy sauce. Still, it was the best thing I'd ever tasted.

Daniel scrunched his face, glaring at the plate. "That is not how Grandma's fried rice tasted."

I smiled, swallowing another mouthful. "It's delicious, hon."

He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to coddle me. You can tell me the truth."

His words resonated within me, and aside from the quality of his fried rice, |remembered another truth he needed to hear.

I set my fork down and turned his stool so he was facing me, his legs tucked between mine. "Speaking of truths..."

His eyes locked on mine expectantly, and a gnawing feeling stabbed at my chest. I had no idea how I would cope with Daniel being miles away from me. He was the only true love I had, and if he was gone...

The loneliness that loomed ahead of me rendered me temporarily mute.

"Mom?" Daniel placed a hand on mine, and I intertwined our fingers and squeezed.

As much as being apart from him for a while would hurt, losing him forever would destroy me more than a silver bullet ever could.

So I took a breath and forced a smile. "Here goes nothing."

SERAPHINA'S POV

"So, baby, the thing is-"

"Is it about my vacation?"

I paused, blinking at Daniel. "What?"

He shrugged. "I've been on break from school for a week now, and Dad said I was going to go on a longer one with Grandma and Grandpa."

The tension eased out of my body. I wasn't sure how I felt about Kieran beating me to break the news to Daniel, but I was relieved that I didn't have to do it myself when I didn't even know where to start. "And... you're okay with that?"

Daniel's shoulder lifted in that careless way only children could manage. "I was worried about missing school, but Dad said I'll have a private tutor so I won't be behind when I come back."

Kieran had thought of everything. I supposed my feelings were shifting towards gratitude.

Daniel raised our intertwined hands and pressed them to his chest. "Now that you're back from your training..." His voice was suddenly small, his eyes wide and hopeful. "...will you come with me?"

My throat closed.

He rushed on before I could respond, words tumbling like waves: "Dad said it's a really cool private island, and we can swim every day and learn to surf and barbecue on the beach and-"

"Oh, sweetheart."