Chapter 2

Two weeks later, the embossed invitations arrived. The Thorne Foundation Annual Charity Gala. The theme was "A Night of Miracles."

It was a celebration of Julian' s recovery. My recovery. Our miracle.

But the invitation felt like a threat.

Cassidy was in her element, flitting around the estate, overseeing preparations. She was always at Julian' s side, a hand on his arm, whispering in his ear. Whenever I entered a room, their laughter would stop. They would look at me, then at each other, and a silent, cruel understanding would pass between them.

One morning, I found Julian in the grand ballroom, directing workmen. They were setting up a large, velvet-draped display in the center of the room.

"What is this?" I asked.

He gave me a lazy, arrogant smile. "A little surprise for the gala. A game. It will be the highlight of the evening."

"A game?"

"Cassidy' s idea, actually. She' s so clever," he said, his gaze softening as he looked at his stepsister, who was arranging flowers nearby. "She said we needed a way to make the charity aspect more... interactive. And to deal with your... situation."

A cold dread settled in my stomach. "My situation?"

"Your possessiveness over those... things," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "Your primitive beliefs. It' s making people uncomfortable, Elara. It' s embarrassing."

Cassidy walked over, her face a mask of sweet concern. "We just think it' s time to move past all this, Elara. For the family' s sake. To show everyone that we' re a normal, modern couple."

"What are you planning?" I demanded, my voice trembling.

Julian' s smile vanished. "You' ll see. Just be ready to play along. For once, try not to make a scene."

I tried to appeal to his grandfather, the old man who had orchestrated this whole arrangement. I found him in his study, staring out at the ocean.

"He's planning something," I told him, my hands clenched. "Something to do with the eggs. You have to stop him."

The old man sighed, his shoulders slumping. He looked tired. "Julian is the head of this family now, Elara. He is whole again, thanks to you. My part in this is over. He listens to Cassidy now. She has always known how to manage him."

"But you made a pact with my grandmother," I pleaded. "You promised to protect me. To protect them."

"I promised a cure for my family line," he said, his voice distant. "And you have delivered. Julian can walk. The future of the Thorne name is secure. Whatever happens now is between a husband and his wife."

He would not help me. No one would.

I was alone, surrounded by the cold, polite cruelty of the world I had married into. A world that saw my children not as life, but as an embarrassment to be managed.