Chapter 312

Serena’s POV The next morning, I impulsively decided to take Vivian shopping. We needed to get out of the house, just the two of us. Something about the mounting tension with Ryan made me crave this simple escape—just me and my daughter exploring the world without the weight of expectations or disappointments crushing us. I was buckling her into her stroller outside Bloomingdale's when I heard a familiar voice. "Is that little Vivian Blackwood?" Cedric approached, smiling broadly. "She has your eyes." My heart did this weird little skip. I hadn't prepared to run into anyone I knew, least of all him. "Cedric," I said, surprised. "What are you doing around here?" "My hotel's just down the block. I was about to grab coffee before some property viewings." He knelt to Vivian's level. "Hello there, beautiful." Vivian, normally shy with strangers, gave him a gummy smile and reached for his finger. The ease of their connection hit me right in the chest—a bittersweet what-if that I quickly shov