The sound rang through the room.
I staggered back, one hand pressed to my cheek, the sting spreading deep under my skin.
“Out of everyone, it had to be you?” she yelled.
I tried to speak—anything at all—but nothing came out. Only tears.
Elowen lifted her hand again, ready to strike, but Darius caught her wrist mid-air. “That’s enough,” he said sharply. Then his eyes shifted to me, empty and unreadable. “Kaia, go to your room. Don’t come downstairs unless I say so.”
My voice wouldn’t come back.
I could only nod and turn away, still holding my cheek.
Each step up the stairs felt heavy, like I was walking through water.
When I reached my room, I sat at the edge of the bed, my body trembling. A folded paper slipped from my pocket—the sonogram.
I stared at it for a long time, my vision blurring.
“Our baby,” I whispered.
And then everything broke.
I cried until I couldn’t breathe, until the world outside faded into nothing. All I could hear was the sound of my own heart shattering—while downstairs, I knew Elowen was probably clinging to him again, pretending to cry.
And he was letting her.
…
When I woke up, my eyes were swollen, my chest aching like I had nothing left inside.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains—soft, almost gentle—but it felt wrong. Too normal. Like nothing had happened.
I pushed myself up, head pounding—then I saw her.
Elowen.
Sitting on the couch like she owned the place, legs crossed, calm and satisfied, holding something between her fingers.
It took me a second to realize what it was.
The folded paper.
My sonogram.
“Well,” she said lightly, spinning it between her fingers, “looks like you’re pregnant.”
I froze. My heart dropped.
“Give it back,” I said quietly.
She smiled, slow and sharp, like she had caught something helpless. “Not yet. I want to tell you a story first. It’s a good one—you’ll enjoy it.”
“I said give it back.”
She ignored me completely, leaning back with that same glint in her eyes.
“You always thought you had everything, didn’t you, Kaia? Always loved. Always lucky. Want to know how I became his fiancée?”
I stayed silent. I didn’t want to hear any of it. But she continued anyway, her voice smooth and cruel.
“Two weeks ago, my brothers told me Darius took you. Leonhart and Evander—remember them? They said you were living here, that he was protecting you.” She let out a laugh that sounded wrong. “Can you imagine how that felt? You, the nobody Langford girl, suddenly in his arms.”
She stood and started pacing, like she was telling some casual story. “You were always the favorite. Even when we were kids. So I decided to take everything that was yours.”
She paused, turning to me with that practiced smile. “Leonhart told me Darius was going to Paris for business. I begged for an introduction. I made sure I looked perfect that night. You should’ve seen me—white silk, tears in my eyes, like some broken angel. Men fall faster when they think they’re saving someone.”
I stared down, trying not to cry, but my chest tightened again.
She chuckled softly. “You know what made it work? The shooting. Oh, Kaia, it was perfect. Leonhart hired men to stage it. I made sure Darius saw everything—the guns, the chaos. I pretended to protect him, even fell to the ground. Fake blood everywhere. I looked like a hero. He carried me all the way to the hospital, you know? Stayed there the whole night.”
Her eyes lit up at the memory. “When I woke up, he told me I saved his life. Said he owed me everything. So I told him what I wanted.”
She stepped closer, slow and deliberate, then crouched in front of me. “I told him I wanted him. I wanted to be his.”
I just stared at her. None of it felt real anymore.
Her smile widened, sharp and satisfied. “He gave me this ring. Promised me everything. All because he thought I took a bullet for him. Guilt is such a useful thing, don’t you think?”
Something inside me snapped.
I started laughing. Quiet at first—then louder. It came out wrong, broken, like I didn’t know how to stop.
Her smile faltered. “What’s so funny?”
I wiped my face, still laughing through the tears. “That’s it? Fake blood? A staged attack? That’s all it took for you to get him?”
Her jaw tightened. “Don’t laugh at me.”
But I couldn’t stop. It hurt, but I kept going. “You can have him,” I said softly. “I don’t care anymore.”
Her expression shifted. The anger faded, replaced by something colder. She tilted her head, smiling again—soft, almost gentle. But her eyes stayed the same.
I recognized that look.
I stood quickly, stepping back. “What are you doing?”
She moved closer. “You’re pregnant. I’m his fiancée—the one who saved him.” Her smile deepened. “Let’s see who he chooses to save first.”
Before I could react, she grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin. I tried to pull away, but her grip tightened.
“Let go of me, Elowen!”
Suddenly, her voice changed—loud, shaking, like she was the victim. “Kaia! Stop! You’re hurting me! Why do you always hurt me?”
“I said let go—”
Before I could finish, she staggered backward, still holding onto me. My foot slipped at the edge of the stairs.
Everything happened too fast.
Her scream echoed through the house. “Kaia! Please—don’t hurt me!”
And then—
We fell.
