Evaline:
The days started to pass in a suffocating blur.
I had barely slept since that night. My mind was trapped in an endless loop of fear and doubt.
My episodes of nausea had only worsened. They crept in like an unwelcome shadow at the oddest times - early in the morning, in the middle of chores, and even when I was alone in my chamber.
The worst part was the helplessness.
I had no way to confirm what I already knew in my heart. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t sneak out and buy a pregnancy kit. I was a captive in this mansion, and was surrounded by guards and acres of forest. I had no friends, no money, and no escape.
But even if I could confirm it... what then? There was no way I could get an abortion. It wasn’t just about finding a place and enough money to do it, even escaping long enough to reach a clinic was impossible.
I was trapped.
My stomach twisted violently again, forcing me to lean over the sink in the empty servant bathroom as another wave of sickness rolled through me. My body heaved, but there was nothing left inside me to throw up.
My limbs shook from exhaustion as I wiped my mouth with trembling fingers. I slumped back against the wall as my chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths.
If things had been different, if my life hadn’t fallen apart the way it had, I might probably have felt happy about the idea of carrying a child.
But not like this.
Not after everything that had happened. Not after Ethan’s betrayal.
I still remembered the way he had looked at me when he rejected me...the disgust, the cold indifference. My so-called mate had cast me aside like I was nothing and chosen my step-sister over me.
And then the Rogue Kings had come, burning my world to the ground.
Now, I was possibly carrying the child of my ex-mate, a man I trusted and loved for as long as I could remember.
The thought alone made my stomach churn with something far worse than nausea.
I shook my head and forced myself to push those thoughts away. Right now, I had one goal - survival. I needed to stay unnoticed.
I had been trying my best to avoid the brothers, staying in the shadows, keeping my head down, and working as hard as I could to keep Sera off my back. The last thing I wanted was to run into one of the Rogue Alphas and give her another reason to make my life more miserable.
But it was easier said than done.
Servants were everywhere, and so were the guards who were stationed around the mansion all day and night.
There was no place I could hide, no moment I could be alone without someone watching. And amidst this all, my body kept betraying me in ways I couldn’t control.
The fatigue was the worst.
Even if I ignored the nausea, even if I forced myself to keep moving, the exhaustion made everything harder. My legs felt heavier, my head constantly ached, and every task seemed ten times more difficult than before.
But I couldn’t let anyone notice.
If Sera or any of the other servants saw how weak I was, they would take advantage of it. If the brothers saw... I didn’t even want to think about what they would do.
So I swallowed my pain and kept my head down.
- - -
The afternoon sun was a cruel reminder that time kept moving, even when my world felt frozen in place.
I was scrubbing the side hallways when I heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching.
I immediately stiffened. I tried to brace myself for another cruel remark, another sneer, but when I turned my head to look in the direction of the sound, I was met with a familiar, small figure.
Lily.
The moment she saw me, her face lit up with a wide, beaming smile.
"Eva!" she exclaimed and immediately rushed toward me.
I blinked in surprise as I watched her. "Lily...?"
She stopped right in front of me, her bright blue eyes shining with excitement. "I was looking for you! I haven’t seen you in so long!"
Something in my chest tightened. She was the only one in this entire mansion who looked at me with kindness. The only one who didn’t treat me like an outsider.
I forced a smile. "You shouldn’t be here, Lily. If someone sees you talking to me..."
She pouted at my words and crossed her arms. "I don’t care what they say. You are my friend!"
Friend.
The word felt foreign to me.
Had I ever truly had a friend?
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"That’s enough."
My body tensed immediately as I recognized the owner of the voice. At the same time, I noticed how Lily flinched.
I turned slowly and my stomach dropped at the sight of River standing at the end of the hallway.
His piercing dark green eyes locked onto me with that same cold intensity they always carried. He was taller than the other brothers, and his presence felt the most suffocating, like a storm waiting to break.
Lily immediately straightened and lowered her gaze. "I was just-"
"Go," River commanded.
Lily hesitated and glanced at me one last time before scurrying away.
I swallowed hard, keeping my head low as insteas of leaving, he started making his way toward me. My hands were clenching the damp rag in my lap as my pulse hammered against my ribs.
Even if I wanted to pretend to not be affected by his presence, I couldn’t. I was terrified and anxious as I knew my worst fears were about to come true.