SERAPHINA’S POV
The world disappeared.
The lake, the moon, the whispering trees, the gentle breeze teasing strands of my hair, all dissolved into the background until only one thing remained.
Kieran.
Down on one knee.
Looking at me as though I was the answer to every prayer he'd ever dared whisper to the Moon Goddess.
Tears blurred my vision, fracturing the moonlight into a thousand shimmering stars, and I couldn't breathe.
Not because my chest hurt, but because my heart was impossibly full.
Full of love. Of gratitude. Of memories that folded over one another until I could hardly tell where the past pain ended and the present joy began.
For so many years, I'd believed happiness belonged to other people.
To daughters who grew up wrapped in their parents' love.
To wives whose husbands looked at them with adoration instead of obligation.
To mates who were chosen without hesitation.
To families who laughed together instead of merely coexisting beneath the same roof.
