Comme Ci Comme ca

Flashback

"Seriously, she has no right to be here," Bhavika exclaimed, pointing at the woman who was about to wreck her life. "Bhavika, don't be irrational. She wants to be a part of her child's life. She's here to make things right," Christopher argued.

"Make things right at my expense? Chris, I don't care if she's the biological mother. I don't want her near my child, not after what she did," Bhavika said, her voice trembling, tears welling up. Seraphina watched the chaotic scene, her heart breaking. She had never seen her parents fight like this. Looking at the woman who was supposed to be her birth mother, Seraphina couldn't help but feel a surge of inexplicable hatred.

"You can't judge her!" Christopher shouted at Bhavika.

"Well, I can! Who the heck does she think she is?" Bhavika retorted.

"She's the woman who gave me a child, the one you couldn't!" Chris yelled, instantly regretting his words. His world crumbled around him, and he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. Bhavika couldn't believe what she had heard. It was too much, and she felt like she was suffocating. She rushed out of the house, desperate for some fresh air, hoping to escape the pain. As she crossed the street, she heard Seraphina's voice calling out to her. Bhavika turned around, looking at her daughter, tears streaming down her face. Seraphina pleaded with her, begging her not to leave.

"Mother, please don't leave me," Seraphina cried out. Bhavika knelt on the road, sobbing uncontrollably, letting her tears wash away the pain in her heart. Chris's words echoed in her mind like a broken record. "The one you couldn't give me!" His voice repeated. "Mom, I only want you. Please," Seraphina implored, stepping closer to her mother.

As Bhavika lifted her head to gaze at her daughter, tragedy struck. A drunk driver hit her with his car, snuffing out the life of the person who mattered most to Seraphina. Bhavika lay lifeless on the ground, and Seraphina slowly approached, kneeling beside her mother. She gently touched her, as if handling a fragile flower. "Mom... mom," Seraphina whispered through her tears.

Seraphina's sobs reverberated through the neighborhood, joining Bhavika's piercing scream. Christopher and Nicole rushed out of the house, shocked by the scene before them. Seraphina cradled her mother's head in her lap, tenderly caressing her bleeding forehead. "You'll be okay. Go to sleep, Mommy. You'll be okay," she murmured, tears streaming down her face.

"Bhavika!" Chris screamed, desperately reaching out to touch her, but Seraphina pushed him away. "Seraphina," Chris said, disbelief etched on his face, as he looked at his beloved wife. "Someone call an ambulance!" he pleaded. Nicole dialed 911, and an hour later, Bhavika was carried away in a bag. Seraphina cried hysterically, screaming at everyone to let her mother sleep peacefully. "She's not dead! Let her be! Don't put her in there... She'll wake up!" Seraphina wailed.

Onlookers watched, filled with agony and sorrow, pity etched on their faces as they witnessed the little girl losing her mother. Above all, Seraphina blamed her father and Nicole for her mother's death. Anger brewed within her with every sob she let out.

"Sera!" she heard her mother's voice calling out. Seraphina looked around, hoping to see her mother. She gazed at the spot where her mother met her tragic end and saw her there, kneeling with open arms, a smile on her face. "Mom," Seraphina whispered, and once again, the horrifying incident replayed in her mind. She screamed, covering her ears, desperate to block out the sound of her mother's scream and the screeching of tires. Overwhelmed by pain, she fell unconscious, unable to bear the immense weight of grief in her heart.

End of Flashback

Seraphina woke up, feeling the chill in her bones. She glanced around and remembered she had fallen asleep near her mother's grave. Slowly standing up, her head heavy from the lingering hangover, she kissed her mother's tombstone and made her way home.

Entering the house, the staff were already bustling about, tending to their tasks. Seraphina hurried up the stairs to her room, sinking onto her bed with a heavy sigh. Her phone buzzed incessantly, notifications flooding in. At first, she had no interest, but the incessant pinging grew irritating, forcing her to grab the device. To her surprise, she discovered that her outburst and fight had gone viral. It wasn't a new experience, but what caught her off guard was a video of Octavia speaking out on her behalf. He believed there was goodness hidden within her, understanding the depth of her anger that the world failed to comprehend.

"Ugh, so dumb," Seraphina muttered, tossing her phone aside before finishing the video. She headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. She had no regrets about confronting that girl, and given the chance, she would do it over and over again.

After freshening up, Seraphina decided to go downstairs for dinner. As she descended the stairs, she crossed paths with Ms. Smith, her personal helper, heading in the opposite direction. "Oh, Seraphina, I was about to come get you. Someone is here to see you."

"Someone?" Seraphina questioned.

"Yes, he said he's your friend," Ms. Smith replied, her smile growing.

They walked into the dining room, and Seraphina spotted Octavia sitting on the side couch, lost in thought. "What did I do to deserve your presence?" Seraphina said, rolling her eyes. Octavia looked up, his gaze fixed on her, a smile playing on his lips. "Oh, nothing much. You declared our friendship," he said, still smiling, his eyes locked onto hers.

"Did I? My memory fails me. Please remind me," Seraphina retorted as she served herself breakfast. Octavia joined her at the table, helping himself to her plate. "Well, yesterday, you called me Octavia," he explained, taking a bite of his toast. "And?" she asked.

"And normally, you pretend not to know my name, calling me Octopus. Meaning, you gave me a nickname like friends do," Octavia clarified, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "This toast is amazing," he added, giving Ms. Smith a thumbs up.

"What do you want?" Seraphina inquired.

"I wanted to check up on you. Are you okay?"

Seraphina despised that question, but when Octavia asked, she didn't feel bitter towards him. In fact, she felt a warm sensation, a genuine concern radiating from him. "Do I look sick?" she replied, attempting to maintain her cold demeanor.

"Mmmh, comme ci comme ça," Octavia responded with a shrug.

"Well, thanks for breakfast. That toast was... the bomb. Honey and toast, my new favorite. I have school, unlike some people who decided to get themselves suspended," Octavia said, walking away with a smirk. Seraphina shot him an annoyed look but couldn't hide the slight smile that crept onto her face before anyone noticed. "Hmm, Octopus, huh?"

"It's not what you think. He's just so annoyingly bubbly, and I hate it," Seraphina muttered as she left the dining room, leaving Ms. Smith with a smile and raised eyebrows.