By the time Seraphine and Corvine stepped out of the private room, Nicole was still standing nearby, hovering in that uneasy way people did when they wanted to help but did not quite know how to.
The moment Seraphine appeared, Nicole moved closer, her brows pulled together with concern as she reached out gently.
"How did it go?" she asked softly, and then, before Seraphine could even answer, she added, "Sera, I'm really sorry," her voice dropping as she apologized again, guilt written all over her face.
Seraphine forced a small smile that did not reach her eyes, the kind of smile people wore when they were already exhausted from carrying too much. She shook her head lightly and replied, "It's not your fault, Nicole. They would've still searched for me anyway, no matter what you did."
