Chapter 2

I held my wound, got into the car, and went to the hospital alone.

Silver burns healed far more slowly on vampires than ordinary wounds.

That night, I barely slept from the pain.

The slightest movement of my arm made the wound feel like it was on fire.

I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, still making excuses for Lucian.

At least he noticed I was hurt.

At least he remembered to tell me to get the wound treated.

He just didn't know how to show concern. He had an emotional disorder, so he didn't realize his words could hurt me.

It wasn't intentional. I couldn't blame him.

I talked myself into it, over and over again.

Until a few months later, when I found out I was pregnant.

I sat there for a long time after the doctor handed me the results.

The baby was six weeks along and perfectly healthy.

Once I was sure everything was fine, my first instinct was to call Lucian.

My finger was already hovering over his name when I stopped.

Something this important felt too casual over the phone.

I wanted to tell him in person. I wanted to surprise him.

I even started imagining his reaction.

He probably wouldn't show much excitement.

Maybe he would pause for a second, then calmly ask what the doctor said, whether the baby was healthy.

But that would have been enough.

Because from that moment on, we would finally have a real bond between us.

We would wait for this baby together, watch him grow day by day.

Lucian would become a father, and I would become a mother.

Even if he still struggled to express his feelings, I believed that some things would slowly change over our long years as a family of three.

Just imagining the three of us living together filled me with anticipation.

That afternoon, I slipped into Lucian's office building without telling anyone.

Celeste's desk was empty.

I assumed she was in a meeting and didn't think much of it.

Lucian's office door was closed.

I walked toward it with the test results in hand, unable to contain my nerves.

I was just about to knock when I heard Celeste's laughter from inside.

"She actually believes you have an emotional disorder?"

My hand froze in midair.

Then I heard Lucian laugh too.

The sound was low, carrying a kind of ease and warmth I had never heard from him before.

"She loves me that much. Of course she believes it."

"If it weren't for an heir, I never would have married her."

I stood outside the door. I didn't move.

Celeste asked, her tone lightly teasing.

"So how long are you planning to keep this from her?"

It went quiet inside for a moment.

Lucian's voice came through again.

"Until she gives me an heir."

"Her bloodline is pure enough."

"Once the child is born, there's no reason to continue this marriage."

My fingers slowly curled tighter.

One corner of the test results crumpled in my grip.

I looked down at the paper.

Six weeks pregnant.

The whole way here, I had been thinking about how to tell him.

There was no point in sharing this surprise anymore.

I tucked the paper back into my bag and didn't knock.

I turned and left the building.

If this marriage had been a lie from the very start, I would not give him the chance to keep lying.

I would take my baby and disappear from his world for good.