Chapter 5

Alina POV:

The dull ache in my head was the first thing I felt when I surfaced from the darkness. It was a constant throb, a steady rhythm of pain.

I blinked, trying to clear my vision. A nurse was adjusting my IV drip, her movements brisk and quiet.

"You're awake," she said, her voice soft but firm. "You've been out for a full day."

"A day?" My voice was a dry croak. My throat felt raw. "What... what happened?"

She gave me a gentle, professional look. "You had quite a fall. That head wound was nasty. Are you feeling any discomfort?"

A fall. That was the official story, I supposed. I closed my eyes, and the memories flashed behind my eyelids: Fallon's enraged face, the glass vase, the blood. Then Adrien's fury, his cruel words, the terrifying sensation of dangling from the window. His disgust. His blind belief in Fallon.

My lips twisted into a bitter smile. My heart felt like an icicle, slowly melting away.

"You're lucky the nurse on duty heard the commotion and got to you quickly," she continued, oblivious to my internal turmoil. "You might not have made it otherwise."

Lucky. The word tasted like ash in my mouth. I had been "lucky" enough to survive a year of psychological torture, a sham marriage, and now this. Since the day I married Adrien, my life had been a series of near-death experiences.

The nurse finished her adjustments and left, her soft footsteps fading away. A moment later, a doctor entered, a serious expression on his face. He checked my charts, then turned to me, his gaze lingering.

"Your head injury is stable, Ms. Stanley," he began, his voice calm. He paused, then took a deep breath, his eyes meeting mine. "But there's something else we need to discuss."

My stomach clenched. What now? More bad news?

"You're pregnant, Ms. Stanley."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Pregnant. My mind went blank. The beeping of the heart monitor seemed to roar in my ears. I couldn't breathe.

My hand, as if on its own, slowly moved to my abdomen. A child. Adrien's child. My mind reeled. Despair, hot and heavy, washed over me. Another chain. Another reason to be trapped. This child, conceived in violence and hatred, would only bind me closer to the man who despised me.

But then, a tiny flicker. A spark of something I hadn't felt in months. Hope. A reason to fight. A reason to live. This child. My child. It was a part of me, a tiny, innocent life growing within me. It was a new beginning. My reason.

Tears, hot and fast, streamed down my face again. But this time, they weren't just tears of sorrow. They were tears of a fierce, protective love. A love I hadn't known I had. A love that instantly eclipsed all the pain, all the betrayal.

He will never know. The thought solidified in my mind, cold and hard as steel. Adrien would never see this child as a blessing. He would see it as a burden, as another tool to humiliate me. He would see it as proof of Fallon' s lie.

I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand, a new resolve hardening my features. I would protect this child. I would find a way out. For both of us. His cruelty, his hatred, it would only fuel my resolve.

This secret. It would be my weapon. My escape.

I closed my eyes, imagining a life far away from here. A life where I was safe, where my baby was safe. The thought was terrifying, exhilarating. For the first time in a year, I saw a glimmer of light at the end of the long, dark tunnel.