faeni

Following a horrific car accident, Adeline Moore awakens from a months-long coma with no memory of her life, her identity, or the family who insists they love her. As she struggles to make sense of the fragments around her, she's met with an unsettling reality—her fiancé, Luke, is cold and distant, and her younger sister, Hazel, seems far too close to him.

As flashes of memory return—snippets of arguments, uneasy emotions, and inexplicable grief—Adeline begins to uncover the truth: Luke and Hazel were having an affair even before the crash. Shattered by the betrayal, she’s dealt a second blow when her family rallies around Hazel, dismissing Adeline’s pain and blaming her for not being “the same” since waking up.

Isolated and unsure of who she used to be, Adeline makes a bold decision—she doesn’t want her old life back. She wants truth. She wants freedom. She wants to start over. With quiet resolve and growing clarity, she begins to rebuild her life—this time, on her own terms, and far from those who broke her.

The Second Life of Adeline Moore

Seraphina stood at the perimeter of the group, posture perfect, glass unbreached in her hand. The room was full of people she recognized—men in well-tailored suits who nodded too enthusiastically, women who smiled too strongly. She recognized them all. Or at least, she recognized how to be recognized by them.

She looked out over the ballroom with careful ease, her eyes finally landing on Elias as he moved away from Adeline. Her smile didn't waver, but she took a calculated sip of her cocktail.

He didn't make a beeline for her. Intriguing.

A woman came over—some young executive from the marketing department, trying to make small talk. Seraphina answered graciously, but her thoughts wandered. Her eyes flashed again toward Elias, who had stopped by one of the directors.

And then, for an instant, her eyes went back to Adeline.

Standing alone by the window now. Tall, poised, dignified in a way Seraphina couldn't quite define. Not aristocratic. Not born rich. Something. more solid.

That, she acknowledged, didn't happen often.

Her fingers tracked the stem of her glass, nails shining and perfect. She didn't dislike Adeline—not really. But Adeline had a certain effect on her, an unsettling one. Something made her feel. watched. Judged, even, in a manner she didn't find with most people.

Seraphina (silently, to herself): "You don't belong here. But neither do I."

The idea startled her. She straightened, adjusting her gown at the waist. The diamond on her finger glinted again—an unintentional signal, or perhaps one that wasn't so unintentional.

Across the room, Elias finally made his way toward her. Their eyes crossed for a fleeting moment, and she flashed him a soft, inviting smile—the sort she'd learned to wear on automatic. But something pulled at her chest when she caught the final shadow of uncertainty in his step.

She leaned her head to one side and smiled more broadly. Let him guess. Let her guess.

She sipped another mouthful of her champagne and turned to welcome Elias as he came towards her, her voice primed with warmth, her heart hidden behind it.

If there was a game afoot, she was not going to lose it.

The Quiet Rivalry