Chapter 65 – A birth mark

Seraphine had spent the entire drive quietly bracing herself for candlelight and polished silverware, for a romantic lunch tucked inside some quiet, expensive restaurant hidden in a sleek corner of Manhattan where conversations were low and intentional and waiters moved like shadows between tables.

She had imagined something soft and predictable, something that matched Leon’s polished image, something that would allow him to charm her properly over plated dishes and sparkling glasses.

Yeah, the was the usual way to woo a woman right? Just as the girls at the pack used to gist about. Except that, she wasn’t ready for any relationship either than friendship.

Leon surprised her by completely erasing her expectations when the car slowed in front of a wide open rehabilitation park, sunlight spilling across green lawns where movement looked different from what most people considered normal, yet just as powerful.

Children dotted the grounds in wheelchairs, some in braces, some guided carefully through exercises by therapists kneeling beside them on mats spread across the grass.

The air was alive with layered sound, laughter bursting out unexpectedly, the steady encouragement of professionals counting repetitions, parents murmuring reassurance with tired but hopeful voices that carried both exhaustion and faith.

Seraphine blinked, momentarily disoriented, her expectations dissolving in the face of something far more raw and real than white tablecloths.

"This is where I spend my free hours," Leon explained, his tone noticeably softer than it had been earlier, the playful edge smoothed away by something sincere.

He shifted the gear into park and looked at her properly, not performing now, not posturing. "I thought if we’re going to make an appearance together, you should know this side of me."

she could stop it. She had not expected this, not

guiding limbs, counting steps, correcting posture, praising progress no matter how

ready to encourage, their faces etched with a permanent

to open her door, the gesture still present but quieter now, less about charm

is the reason I want you on board," he said once she

hospital, or both, I don’t mind how you structure it. I just need you

to impress her with luxury, not here

wanted her to see his world not at its

struck deeper than she expected. Each small body working through recovery, each determined face

her chest, familiar and sharp. Her child. The baby she never got the chance to hold in her arms. The daughter whose face she had not even seen, and not knowing where she was, and not

voice was softer than usual. "I’ll

face, unguarded and almost boyish, and as they walked deeper into the park, the children who were strong enough began

one shouted, wheels squeaking as a wheelchair spun slightly too fast across the pavement.

laughed, the sound warm and genuine, dropping down into a squat so he was

I brought a friend today." He turned slightly and gestured toward Seraphine. "She’s also

without filter, his cheeks flushing the second

your name?" she asked gently, her tone already shifting into

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