Chapter 3 THREE

LYRA

They discharged me the next morning.

Not because I was fine or because I was ready. But because they said I was stable enough to leave. That phrase followed me everywhere now.

'Stable enough.'

I didn't have to be healed or safe. Just strong enough to be moved out of sight.

A nurse helped me into a wheelchair. I did not argue anymore. Arguing required strength, and I had very little of that left. My body felt unfamiliar and fragile, as if one careless move could split me open again.

"Your husband will be waiting outside," she said.

I did not respond. Husband huh. The same one who was with his sister the entire time his wife was in admission.

The hallway smelled the same as before.

Clean. Cold. Empty.

I kept my eyes forward because I did not want to see that glass wall again. I did not want to remember how small I felt lying there while the truth stood on two healthy legs beside my husband.

Darius stood near the exit when we reached the front. He looked rested and much better than the crying man earlier.

He had changed his clothes, and his hair was neat again. When he saw me, his facial expression quickly changed into concern. How much of a pretender can he be?

"Lyra," he said, stepping closer. "How are you feeling?"

I stared at him. "You tell me."

His brows drew together. "What does that mean?"

"It means you were not there when I woke up."

"I had to step out."

"You stepped out for hours. 24 hours to be precise."

"My sister needed me."

I laughed quietly. It hurt my side, but I did not stop myself this time. "She always does, doesn't she?"

His mouth opened, then closed. "Let us go home."

Home.

The word felt empty now, but what choice did I have?

He did not take me to our penthouse.

The car drove past familiar streets, then unfamiliar ones. The buildings changed. The noise faded. When the car finally stopped, I saw a white house standing alone behind tall gates.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"A temporary place," Darius replied. "Until things settle."

I looked at him. "Things have already settled. Just not for me."

He ignored me and drove in.

Inside, the house smelled unused. Everything was neat and somewhat robotic. It had no personal touch. No photos. No signs of life. It felt staged, as if someone expected us but never planned to stay.

A woman was already inside.

She stood near the kitchen counter, holding a glass of water. She turned when we entered and smiled.

Selene.

No hospital gown. No weakness. She wore a red dress that fit her body perfectly. Her hair fell neatly over her shoulders. She looked calm.

Alive.

"Oh," she said gently. "You are home."

I gripped the armrest of the wheelchair. "So this is where you were."

Darius moved forward. "Lyra, this is not the time."

"When would be the time?" I asked. "After I sign whatever papers your mother keeps bringing."

Selene stepped closer. "You should rest, you know."

I laughed again. "Do not speak to me as if you care."

She flinched, then recovered quickly. "I am grateful."

"For what?"

"For what you did," she said. "For me."

"For you," I repeated. "Or for him."

Darius sighed. "Enough."

"No," I said. "Enough was when I gave up my body without knowing the truth."

Lucinda walked in then, her heels clicking against the floor. She looked around approvingly. "You are awake. That's good."

I looked at her. "You all planned this."

She raised a brow. "Planned what my dear?"

"Everything," I said. "The marriage. The surgery. The lies."

And she did not deny it.

"You should be proud," she said with clear disdain. "You served a purpose."

"A purpose," I repeated.

Darius looked away.

"So tell me," I said with a steady voice despite the pain. "Was any of it real?"

He inhaled slowly. "Our marriage was necessary."

Necessary.

"That is the answer to the question I asked."

"It was strategic," he said. "You were compatible, and you fit all the requirements."

"And Selene," I asked. "What does she fit?"

He looked at her then. His face softened. "She is my partner."

The room felt smaller.

"What?" My head began to spin in circles.

"She always has been," Selene added quietly.

I nodded, trying to steady my head. "So I was what. A solution."

Lucinda smiled. "You were convenient, darling."

I closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, I looked at Darius. "Did you ever feel anything for me?"

He hesitated, and that pause told me everything.

Lucinda placed a folder on the table. "Okay, enough of the emotional chit chat. This should be resolved quickly."

"Resolved," I said. "Or erased."

"You're quite smart for an omega," she replied calmly. "This arrangement benefited you more than you realize."

I stared at her. "I lost a kidney."

"And you gained status," she said. "A name. Protection."

"I gained scars," I replied.

Darius stepped forward. "Lyra, let us not make this harder."

"Harder for who?" I asked. "Myself or you."

Selene moved closer again. "I never wanted to hurt you, sweetheart." She made a pouting face.

"But you did," I said. "And you knew you would."

She reached for my hand. I pulled back. "Do not touch me, you fucking bitch."

"Me? A bitch." She said calmly. "The only bitch I see here is the one in a wheelchair."

"Anyways, that's not what I wanted to say." She turned around and began pacing. "I wanted to thank you for saving his legacy."

"No," I said painfully. "I saved your life."

She paused and turned again to face me. "You saved our baby."

I froze.

"What did you say?"

She took my hand again before I could stop her, placing it gently against her stomach.

"I am pregnant," she said softly. "You saved my child."

The room went silent.

I looked down at where my hand rested. And I felt nothing but the numbness spreading through me.

Lucinda nodded. "You did well."

Darius did not speak.

I pulled my hand back slowly.

"So that is it," I said. "I gave up my body so you could have a future."

Selene squatted in front of me. "Thank you."