Talia POV
"Talia, you are accused of poisoning the Nightstar Pack, violating the Inter-Species Peace Act. According to criminal law, you are sentenced to three years of imprisonment. If you are dissatisfied with this ruling, you have the right to appeal..."
As I listened to the judge read my verdict, my mind went blank.
I turned my gaze to the plaintiff's seat, where Damon sat. His eyes were as cold as ice.
A bitter smile crept onto my face. "Damon, if I told you I truly did nothing, would you believe me?"
"No." He answered without a moment of hesitation.
I looked at Abby, sitting next to him, and my mind cast back to Carson’s words–
Talia!! Abby set us up. She was the one who told me to come save you, but Damon showed up right after.
I took a deep breath and faced Damon again. "Damon, it’s Abby! She is the one framing Carson and me!"
"Motive?" Damon sneered coldly, his eyes full of mockery. "Abby has countless scars on her body from protecting me and the Nightstar Pack. She would never do anything to betray the pack. But you? Your parents were killed by werewolves. I saved you out of kindness, but it turns out you got close to me just to seek revenge on werewolves!"
"No, that’s not true. I truly loved you! I can never dream of hurting you.”
"Love?! You rejected me—is that love? You slept with another man and even got pregnant—is that love? You poisoned my pack—does that count as love, too?" Damon’s expression grew grimmer, and his voice sharpened. "You’re not worthy of love, and you don’t deserve mine!"
Each accusation struck me like a dagger, and my knees buckled. I realized that anything I said wouldn’t matter.
"Your Honor, I’m pregnant. I request a suspension of my sentence," I said, placing my hand on my abdomen.
"You can give birth in prison.” Damon interrupted before the judge could respond. “Did you think being pregnant would shield you from the consequences of poisoning my pack? No way."
"Do you really hate me this much, Damon? I asked, tears streaking my face. “Do you want me dead this desperately.?"
Memories of our tender moments flooded my mind—his kisses, his caresses, his sweet words—all of it now felt like a cruel joke.
At that moment, I almost wished the child in my womb wasn’t his.
"I’m not as cruel as you! I only want you to face the punishment you deserve." Damon’s voice broke my reverie.
"Damon, I didn’t do it, believe me!” I screamed at Damon with all my might as two police officers escorted me away. “I didn’t do anything! One day, you’ll regret this—I hate you!"
He didn’t flinch. He didn’t even once look back.
***
Perhaps because I was pregnant, I was assigned a solitary room.
I received some special treatment with my meals. Even the doctor visited regularly for checkups. However, the room was damp and cold, without windows or sunlight. I could feel the weight of the environment affecting not just me, but also the little ones in my belly.
“I’m sorry. It’s Mommy who’s making you all suffer,” I whispered to my unborn children as I gently caressed my stomach while curled up on the small bed.
“Talia, someone’s here to see you,” a prison guard announced, knocking on my door.
I froze for a moment. Could it be Damon?
I hurried to the visitation room only to find Carson, not Damon.
“Carson?! You here? How did you manage to come here?” I asked, surprised. “Weren’t you imprisoned like me?”
“No, my father paid for my bail,” he explained.
I should have guessed. Carson came from a wealthy family. They owned a vast medical conglomerate.
“Carson, you and me both know nothing has ever happened between us, then why did the paternity test claim you as the father of my children? Did you do it on purpose?”
Carson gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
“Talia, I admit I’ve been selfish and arrogant before, and I might have caused you trouble. But I can’t do something this despicable, especially to you. I’m damn sure, Abby is behind all this. What I don’t understand is why she’s targetting us? ”
“I’m sorry, Carson.” I reached out and held his hand. “I didn’t mean to doubt you.”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” He gave an assuring smile.
“Can I ask you for a favor? Can you deliver the real paternity test for my baby—and yours—to Damon? Even though I no longer held any affection for Damon, I had to think about the three babies growing inside me. I didn’t want them to come into the world as orphans.”
Carson shook his head, regret etched on his face.
“Coming here was already done behind my parents’ backs. My father won’t even let me leave the house anymore. Besides, Damon already sees me as a criminal. There’s no way I can get close to him.”
I sighed in disappointment.
“No, problem.” I smiled at him.“Thank you for everything you did for me. I know it was you who made sure I was treated here gently.”
“What do you mean, me?” Carson looked puzzled.
“I mean the guards. They’ve treated me kindly—Giving me good food, no hard labor. Of course, it must be you.”
“No, It wasn’t me.” Carson confessed.
“Oh…if it is not you, who can be? Carson, I’m so worried. I just want my babies to be safe. They are my only family now.”
“ I promise I will do everything to ensure your children are born safely,” Carson said in an assuring tone. “It’s my fault you were falsely accused by Damon. If I hadn’t pursued you, maybe Damon wouldn’t have rejected his own children. I owe you that much.”
After Carson left, an uneasy feeling crept into my heart.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the doctor’s warning during my last prenatal checkup. I feared something might go wrong during childbirth.
The doctor had told me I was carrying triplets, and my uterine wall was stretched dangerously thin. The risk of severe bleeding during labor was high.
If something were to happen to me, who would take care of my children?
With this thought, I picked up the pen and wrote a letter to Damon.
“Damon, I want to see you—just one last time.”
