It wasn’t like I left everything behind just because of Seraphina.
Her words weren’t the reason, but they just gave me that final push I needed.
The truth is, I’d been thinking about leaving for a long time. The moment I made it official, I knew it would stir up noise; people would talk, and the media would blow it up. But I didn’t care anymore.
The past few days had been nothing but chaos.
There had been a huge argument with my superiors then, back-to-back meetings, later, paperworks piled up.
And my superiors? They didn’t take it lightly. One of them nearly beat me to the ground for even bringing it up.
In the end, they didn’t fully release me. I had to promise that if there was ever a serious mission, I’d come back with no questions asked.
It was a fair deal, I guess.
"Cap... are we really not gonna see you again?" one of the younger guys asked, walking up beside me. His voice was tight, holding back emotion. "It’s... really sad."
"Don’t worry," I said, giving him a light smile as I patted his back. "Just come to the city sometime, and I’ll treat you all. From drinks to food, everything’s on me."
He laughed softly, but his voice cracked.
"Thanks, Cap," another one said, stepping forward with a small smile as he quickly wiped the corner of his eye. "Just say the word if you ever need anything. You’ll always be our captain... our superior. That will never change."
"Sure," I said with a nod. "But for now... I’ve got to go."
I turned to leave, but just then, my phone buzzed again.
It was a tag from Melissa. She’d posted something on her Instagram.
Mom’s finally back in the country... Now all I want is for my three brothers to come home.
The second she posted it, the internet exploded.
Melissa wasn’t just some regular girl. She was a world-famous violinist and pianist, adored by millions. She hadn’t posted anything in weeks, so her fans were already restless. Now, with this post... they were losing their minds.
And the Lancaster brothers are just as famous.
And since we used to post about her birthday, her wins, and every little thing she did, people naturally started calling us the doting Lancaster brothers.
We gave her too much importance.
No... I gave her too much.
It was my fault, more than anyone else’s.
I was the one who treated her like a princess. I was the one who lifted her up and gave her the spotlight she never earned.
Alistair... He never really cared much. Sure, he’d post a photo now and then or send her some expensive gift, but that was it. He kept his distance from her and even from the chaotic Lancaster family.
And about Adrian... He was so damn cold and detached. He was the kind of person who barely spoke. Even I, someone trained to face guns and bombs, always felt uneasy around him.
So, no. He never spoiled Melissa. But me?
I gave her everything to the point where she twisted it all and manipulated me, turned me into a weapon, making me stand against my own flesh and blood.
But right now, it wasn’t the buzzing phone or the flood of notifications that caught my attention.
It was the fact that— Mother was back in the country.
"Damn it," I muttered under my breath as my jaw tightened. Without wasting another second, I called over one of my men and told him to get the car ready. "Take me to the airport. Now."
I knew my mother and was well aware of what she was capable of.
And if she was really back... she wouldn’t waste a second before going after Seraphina.
That woman’s tongue was poisonous than any snake. She could kill anyone on the spot without ever lifting a hand.
Seraphina had already suffered more than enough. I wasn’t going to let her go through it again.
I took Seraphina to my room.
Yeah, I knew how that sounded, but I couldn’t leave her alone like that. When she was in the state.
I had just turned after making her lie on the bed, when she peeked her head out from under the quilt, her voice soft and shaky.
"You know what..." she mumbled, "if you were there... I wouldn’t have died such a miserable death. But... I’m not even sure if that’s how I died..."
That strange talk again. It seemed that she was living in constant fear and was afraid of things that were not even there.
It was getting harder and harder to stop her from going down that dark road and talk about that, but she always found her way back to it.
"You’re alive, Seraphina," I commented as I tried to keep my voice calm. "You didn’t die. Don’t talk like that."
But she wasn’t really listening.
"After I met that strange man at the mall..." she whispered, staring off into space at the ceiling, "I can’t tell anymore what’s real. I’m scared, Lucien... I just—" her voice shook. "I just hope this isn’t some dream. That I’m not still stuck in that room."
My hands clenched into fists as I listened.
That room again! What the heck was that room that she kept talking about, which haunted her even when she was wide awake?
"I’m going to find out what’s there," I muttered under my breath as I exhaled slowly.
If that place really existed and if that room was real, I had to look at it myself.
And if it wasn’t true and just Sera’s imagination? Then I’d make damn sure to prove it, just so Seraphina could finally stop being afraid of something that didn’t even exist.
Either way... I needed to take that fear out of her mind.
With that... I fetched my cell phone and dialed a number.
"Take care of something for me!"