My chest felt like it had been punched straight through. When I caught the faint smirk playing on Seraphina’s lips—the triumphant one—I finally snapped.
I lunged at her.
But my body, still fragile from giving birth, was no match for hers. She was toned from years of disciplined training.
She leaned in and whispered right by my ear, “You thought having his child would make him marry you? Dream on.”
Before I could react, she punched my C-section incision. Pain instantly engulfed me. The world went black.
When I woke up, the doctor told me they had to remove my uterus.
Alric explained the stitches hadn’t held properly and the impact had caused massive internal bleeding. There was no other choice, he said.
Only then did I understand what Seraphina had meant when she whispered in my ear. She hadn’t just wanted my children dead. She wanted to take away any chance I had of being a mother again.
I looked at Alric and asked what would his choice be if he were to choose, me or Seraphina?
Alric hesitated, just for a split second, before saying, “Of course I'll chose you.”
After that incident, I filed a lawsuit against Seraphina—demanding both an apology and compensation. Alric stood by my side the entire time.
Seraphina lost her prestigious job. To escape the fallout, she fled the country.
It was justice. Or so I thought.
Now, Alric had the audacity to say that I was the one who ruined her life? That I had driven her away?
What a joke!
Adam's words from earlier still lingered in my mind, colder than anything Alric had ever said to me. But I knew he was just a child. He mimicked what he saw and heard.
I held his hand gently and crouched down, trying not to let my temper show. “Sweetheart, why don’t you go read in the study for a bit, okay?”
But Adam yanked his hand away “No! You just want to bully Aunt Fina again! I won’t let you! She’s the good one—you’re the bad one!”
My body froze. I’d spent eight years raising him, loving him through everything. And this was what I got?
My hand trembled as I tried to take his again. “Baby… did someone tell you that Mommy is bullying Aunt Fina?”
Alric's face darkened. “There you go again. Always paranoid. When will you take a hard look at yourself instead of blaming everyone else?”
Adam let out a scornful little laugh. “Thanks to Aunt Fina, I get to be an only child! I don’t want a little brother or sister! Mommy just wants to pop out more babies like a pig!”
Seraphina gently pulled him to her side and said, in a sweet, pitying voice, “Sweetie, your mommy just wanted a few more kids, that’s all. But you can’t call her a pig for that.”
Alric suddenly spoke again, “One son is enough. I never wanted other kids stealing the love that belongs to him. You clung to that uterus and that lost child because you thought pumping out more kids would secure your place as Mrs. Fenmoor.”
Alric stared coldly.
In that moment, I finally realized: Alric had never once truly seen me. Never tried to understand me.
So, I looked him straight in the eye and said quietly, “Alric, you really think you’ve got it all figured out. But I never cared about being Mrs. Fenmoor.”
“And I was never stupid enough to think having more babies would keep a man who didn’t want to stay.”
Seraphina stepped beside him, putting on her usual performance.
“I’m so sorry, Lyra. It’s all my fault… I never should’ve come back. I should’ve just died abroad.”
She turned to Alric, tears glistening her eyes. “If Velmyra hadn’t gone to war, I would’ve stayed away. I know I’m a burden. I know I made mistakes… but I only ever wanted to help. I stayed up all night trying to figure out the safest surgery plan for your wife.”
“I didn’t know my assistant would switch the ultrasound results… I never meant for this to happen…”
She wept like she had been the one cut open and left barren.
Alric, filled with pity, pulled her into his arms. “I know. We grew up together. You’ve always cared about others. You didn’t know your assistant would mess up. It’s not your fault.”
