☆Chapter 7 – Bringing Color to the Darkness☆

Serafina was suffocating.

Overly grounded.

Trapped.

Confined.

Her body was healing well. The poison was long gone, but Lorenzo didn't seem to care.

Her movements were being watched constantly.

And not just by anyone—by everyone.

If her grandfather wasn't by her side, Lorenzo had assigned his most trusted man, Matteo, to be her shadow.

Matteo De Luca.

Another orphan, adopted by Don Vincenzo.

Lorenzo's right-hand man.

A stoic, emotionless guard who followed her everywhere like a second shadow.

He didn't speak much.

Didn't smile.

And definitely didn't take orders from her.

"Matteo," Serafina sighed, her tone laced with frustration as she turned to him.

"Yes, Miss?"

"I'm going to the garden."

"No."

Serafina's eye twitched.

"But I'm just—"

"Lorenzo's orders."

That was always the excuse.

Lorenzo's orders.

Serafina let out a frustrated breath, crossing her arms.

"I'm not a child," she muttered under her breath.

Matteo, of course, heard.

"Then stop acting like one."

Her head snapped toward him, her glare sharp.

"Did you just—"

"Yes."

Serafina scowled, turning away.

She was stuck.

Grounded.

And Lorenzo?

Nowhere to be seen.

☆☆☆

Lorenzo hadn't been himself since the Rosetti purge.

He was present, physically.

But emotionally?

Gone.

His gaze had grown darker, his aura colder.

Even when he was home, his mind was elsewhere.

Serafina had seen it in the way he barely spoke to her.

The way he checked on her, ensuring she ate, slept, and took her medicine, but with that same cold detachment.

His actions spoke louder than words.

He was protecting her.

But…

He was also keeping her locked away.

☆☆☆

Serafina hated feeling helpless.

If Lorenzo wouldn't talk to her…

She'd make him notice.

I can't just sit here doing nothing.

That's when the idea struck her.

The De Luca mansion was cold.

Monochrome.

Sterile.

It lacked…

Life.

And so, she decided—

She'd change that.

☆☆☆

Serafina started small.

It began with a trip to the garden— under Matteo's watchful eye, of course.

But instead of complaining, Serafina took advantage of the opportunity.

She spent hours learning about plants, flowers, and how to care for them.

Roses.

Lavenders.

Lilies.

She picked vibrant flowers, ones that would stand out in the cold, lifeless environment of the De Luca estate.

Each morning, while Matteo watched silently, Serafina would tend to her flowers.

Her hands, once trained in the art of survival, were now covered in dirt and soil.

And she loved it.

☆☆☆

Days turned into weeks, and little by little…

The De Luca mansion began to change.

Patches of color appeared where there was once only gray.

Roses lined the entrance.

Lilies bloomed by the pathway.

Lavender filled the air with a sweet aroma.

Even Matteo, despite his stoic expression, seemed… less tense.

But Serafina didn't do this for herself.

She did it for him.

For Lorenzo.

So that whenever he looked outside…

He'd see something other than darkness.

☆☆☆

But that wasn't enough.

Serafina knew flowers wouldn't change Lorenzo completely.

So… she took it a step further.

Art.

There was just one problem.

She was terrible at it.

Serafina couldn't draw to save her life.

But that didn't stop her.

Armed with pencils, sketchpads, and unwavering determination, she began drawing Lorenzo.

Every night.

His sharp jawline.

His cold, intense gaze.

The way his lips pressed into a thin line when he was lost in thought.

But…

What ended up on paper…

Was a disaster.

Serafina stared at her latest attempt, her face blank.

What… is this?

It was supposed to be a portrait of Lorenzo.

But what stared back at her was…

A distorted mess that resembled a mix between a potato and an angry cat.

She pursed her lips.

"Close enough."

☆☆☆

One evening, after Lorenzo finally returned from a meeting, Serafina left her 'art' on his desk.

She didn't expect anything.

He probably won't even notice.

But she was wrong.

The next morning, as Serafina walked past his office, she saw it.

Framed.

Her horrible drawing was sitting proudly on his worktable.

She blinked.

He framed it.

Before she could process it, a deep voice cut through her thoughts.

"Was that thing— whatever that is, supposed to be me?"

Serafina turned, her cheeks instantly heating up.

Lorenzo stood there, arms crossed, his usual stoic expression in place.

But…

There was a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Um…" Serafina shifted awkwardly, looking anywhere but at him.

"I—"

Lorenzo's gaze dropped to the drawing.

"It's… accurate."

Liar.

Serafina narrowed her eyes.

"Are you mocking me?"

Lorenzo didn't respond immediately.

But when he did…

A chuckle.

A low, almost inaudible sound.

But it was there.

Serafina's heart skipped a beat.

I made him smile.

☆☆☆

From that moment on, Serafina kept going.

She planted more flowers.

Left more 'portraits' for Lorenzo.

Each drawing worse than the last.

And yet…

He kept them all.

Framed.

Displayed in his office where he spent most of his time.

The mansion that was once lifeless and cold…

Began to breathe.

Color filled the halls.

Flowers lined the pathways.

And on Lorenzo's desk…

Pieces of Serafina's imperfect art.

Serafina had brought color to the monochrome world of the De Lucas.

And though Lorenzo didn't say it…

She knew.

He noticed.

Little by little, the cold walls around Lorenzo De Luca were starting to crack.

And Serafina…

Was determined to break them completely.