Unloved Unwanted Unstoppable (Seraphina and Dominic) novel Chapter 34

Lily's face fell instantly. She scrunched up her nose, thinking hard, before finally murmuring in a pitiful voice, "But... can't I have two moms? One to play with me, and one to cook me yummy food. Isn't that better?"

Seraphina's heart shattered all over again.

It was such an innocent, childish question, yet it sent a freezing chill straight into her core.

She stared down at the daughter she had carried for nine months, letting out a hollow laugh. "You can't have everything in life. You only get one mother. You have to choose."

Lily stood frozen in place, her eyes slowly welling with tears.

She stared into Seraphina's eyes, terrified by the dead, empty calm she found there. It felt like standing on the edge of a bottomless void.

She opened her mouth to say she would choose her, but the words died in her throat.

Lauren would buy her candy, let her stay up watching cartoons until dawn, and take her to the best restaurants without ever scolding her.

But Mom...

Mom limited her sugar, turned off the TV, and always enforced the rules. It was so annoying.

Lily dropped her gaze to the floor, refusing to speak.

Seraphina waited a few agonizing seconds before standing tall. "I understand."

Without another glance, she turned and walked down the remaining stairs, her steps steady and absolute.

Lily stood rooted to the spot, watching her mother's retreating back grow smaller and smaller. Her bottom lip trembled. She wanted to scream out, but it felt like a giant lump was wedged in her throat.

She half-raised her hand, then let it drop to her side.

Mom would come back, right?

No matter how badly she acted out before, her mom had always come back.

She would definitely come back this time too.

Comforted by that thought, Lily sniffled, spun on her heel, and ran back up toward the hospital room.

...

Seraphina had just hailed a cab when Dominic strode up behind her.

"You still haven't signed the papers, Seraphina."

His voice held its usual, arrogant frost.

Seraphina's soul felt entirely numb. The two people who should have been her entire world had fundamentally betrayed her. One wanted another woman as a mother, and the other wanted a divorce to be with his precious first love.

But acting completely insane felt remarkably good.

Dominic's frigid eyes locked onto hers, a mocking smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Playing hard to get?"

He paused, adjusting his cuffs. "I'll have the lawyers recalculate the asset split. They'll contact you. Moving forward, try doing a better job raising the child."

The message was obvious: he was only giving her a better payout for Lily's sake.

Having said his piece, Dominic turned to walk away.

Seraphina called out immediately, stopping him in his tracks.

"I wouldn't know how to do a better job. That's why I'm not taking custody."

Dominic froze. He turned back to stare at her, absolute disbelief written across his flawless features.

It made sense. For years, she had treated that child as more important than her own life. Everyone assumed that without Lily, Seraphina would cease to exist.

Hearing her actively reject custody out loud was enough to shock even the unflappable Dominic Lockwood.