Chapter 4

The memory of his vows echoed in her mind, a cruel mockery. "I will protect you from all harm. I will cherish you above all others." He had said those words to her, his eyes sincere. Now, he stood by and watched as his new wife threatened to destroy the only person she had left.

A wild, desperate energy surged through her. She wouldn' t let them do this. She wouldn' t let them take Clara. Her eyes darted around the hallway and landed on a decorative sword hanging on the wall. In a flash, she ran to it, pulled it from its sheath, and held the point to her own throat.

The guards in the hall gasped. Isabella, who had been about to lead Valerius away, stopped and stared.

"Let Clara go," Seraphina said, her voice shaking but firm. "Let her go, or I swear I will die right here."

Isabella looked amused. "Go on, then. Do it. No one will miss you."

But Seraphina' s eyes were locked on Valerius. She saw a flicker of something in his drunken gaze-not concern, but annoyance. His grand wedding night was being ruined by her drama. A sudden, sharp pain shot through her abdomen, so intense it stole her breath. The sword clattered from her hand. She gasped, clutching her stomach as another wave of agony hit her. The world swam before her eyes, and she collapsed to the floor.

"My lady!" Clara screamed, rushing to her side. The maid' s hands came away from the back of Seraphina' s dress stained with blood. "She' s bleeding!"

The last thing Seraphina saw before she fainted was a blur of panicked faces.

In the darkness of her unconsciousness, she dreamed. She was lying in bed, and Valerius was there, holding her hand. His face was etched with worry, his eyes filled with a desperate fear she hadn't seen in so long. He was whispering her name, begging her to wake up. It felt so real, so much like the man she had married.

When she finally opened her eyes, the dream shattered. He was there, sitting in a chair by her bed, but his face was a cold, hard mask. The worry was gone, replaced by suspicion.

"You' re awake," he stated, his voice flat.

A physician stood by the bed, looking nervous. "My lord, the Lady Seraphina... she is with child. About two months along."

Seraphina' s hand instinctively went to her stomach. A child. Their child. A tiny, impossible spark of hope ignited within her. Maybe this would change things. Maybe a baby would remind him of the love they once shared.

She looked at him, her eyes pleading. But what she saw in his face killed that spark instantly. It was pure, unadulterated fury.

He rose from his chair and stalked toward the bed. "A child?" he said, his voice dangerously low. He leaned over her, his hands gripping the bedframe on either side of her head, trapping her. "Whose is it?"

The question was a slap in the face. "Yours," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Valerius, it' s yours. It has to be."

He laughed, a harsh, ugly sound that filled the room. "Mine? How could it be mine? I haven't touched you in months. Not since I found out what you are."

He straightened up, his eyes sweeping over her with contempt. "You come back here with a whore' s brand, and now you' re pregnant with some bastard child. Do you take me for a fool?"

"It' s not a bastard!" she cried, trying to sit up, but the pain in her abdomen was too great. "It' s your child!"

"Liar," he hissed. He pointed a finger at her, his face a mask of rage. "You think you can pass off your lover' s spawn as mine? You think you can shame my family name with this? I will not allow it." He leaned in again, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. "Get rid of it. Or I will destroy what' s left of your pathetic family. I will make sure your father and brothers rot in the poorest dungeons for the rest of their lives."

The threat froze the blood in her veins. Her family. He would use them against her.

Tears streamed down her face. She tried again, her voice breaking. "Valerius, please, I' m telling you the truth. It' s our baby."

He recoiled from her as if she were diseased. "Don' t say that. Don' t you ever say that."

He turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, leaving her alone with the horrific choice he had given her: her child or her family. The sob that escaped her was a sound of pure, unadulterated despair.