Chapter 1

LYRA 

I stared at the paper in my hands in disbelief, tears streaming down my cheeks and I squeezed it. 

“I’m sorry, my lady.” The doctor whispered. I looked up quick enough to catch the pity in her eyes. 

My whole life and essence was over, yet all I could think about was one thing; Xander was going to kill me. He would kill me, and no one would dare raise a brow because he was the late alpha’s son, the next in line for the throne of Redmoon. 

I swallowed hard and forced a smile. 

“Thank you, doctor Paak. You’ve been great help to me during these times.” 

“You’re welcome, my lady. If there’s anything you need, perhaps help with breaking the news to your husband the prince…” 

“No.” I cut in. Only realizing how I had snapped after. 

“I’ll be fine.” 

The last thing I needed was for Xander to hear that I might never be able to conceive a child for him after my third miscarriage from another source that wasn’t me. The miscarriage had been bad enough, and the doctor had advised me not to consider carrying a child in my womb again. 

My own body rejected all my babies. How was I supposed to deal with that? 

“Welcome, my lady.” The servants at the door greeted as I scurried past them. I moved fast so they wouldn’t catch the fear in my eyes, but I caught the pity in theirs. Everyone had seen them rush me out of the palace with blood gushing from between my thighs. They knew that I had returned from the hospital without my baby, again. 

“Lady Lyra!” Ophelia, my personal hand maid, called out as she hurried towards me. 

“You’re back.” The tone of her voice told me all I needed to know, but I refused to believe it, not until I saw it with my very own eyes. 

For the past six years, my husband had not hesitated to disgrace me in our marriage, no matter how hard I tried to please him. It wouldn’t be the first or last time he was making me appear like a fool in front of the servants. 

“Is he in?” I asked, fighting my tears back. 

“He is.” Ophelia replied. I swallowed hard. 

“When did he get back?” 

“As soon as he dropped you at the hospital. We had all expected that he would be with you during the…” she stopped and looked away from me while I rolled my eyes. 

“You can say the word, Ophelia. I’ve gotten more used to it than you think.” 

She didn’t reply. 

My heart shrunk painfully in my chest, he hadn’t even waited to see if I’ll survive. 

“Fine then.” I swallowed my tears and held my head up. My world was about to crash and burn right under my nose. Xander had been looking for every reason to leave this marriage for years, and whenever that happened, I would break the news of my pregnancy to him, just so he would love me, just so he would stay. 

Not anymore. There would be no more pregnancies to hold him by. 

I ran up the flight of stairs to the corridor where my husband’s room stood. The hairs on my body stood erect on my skin. Fear coursed through my veins, sending shivers down my spine. 

I paused in front of his door and swallowed my saliva so hard my throat hurt. 

There he was, Xander my darling husband of six whole years, on our matrimonial bed with another woman. 

She sat beside him at the edge of the bed, tongues intertwining and lips locked together in a rather loud kiss. He didn’t bother to lock the door this time. It was very clear that he was done with me. 

My fingers clutched the sides of my dress,. 

This wouldn’t be the first time he was cheating on me. He had been doing this all through the six years of our marriage, but he had respected our bond enough to do it behind closed doors and outside of the palace. It didn’t hide anything though. Everyone who knew us knew that Xander was in love with one woman, and that woman wasn’t me. 

I wanted nothing more than to rush to her and choke her until she felt a bit of the misery their presence had caused in my life, but I shook my head and forced the thoughts away. 

She wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth it. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest as I staggered backwards. I didn’t have it in me to confront him. 

I had begged for so many years. Begged him to give me a chance, begged him to love me back, yet even in my most vulnerable moment, a moment that could have claimed my life, he was in the arms of another woman. 

There was nothing more to say to either of them, so I walked out of the corridor. 

No one, not even the guards or maids said any word to me. They walked past me, speaking in hushed tones, but I could hear them. Pity, laughter, mockery. Those were the three most distinct emotions I could detect from them. 

I didn’t know which one it was, but as I stood in front of the palace gate and looked back at the tall mansion, I vowed to do one thing; to hurt Xander as much as he had fucking hurt me! 

I broke down into tears just as the sky opened and the rain poured on me, adding to my misery.

***

A taxi to the farthest club from the palace was my last resort. I stopped at a mall to get a red dress thigh high dress and matching red leather boots. I was no longer going to seat around and watch Xander hurt me. 

Some might say it was the pain of losing a third child in five years that was driving me crazy, and they could have been right. Others might say the constant betrayal of my husband had pushed me down my cliff, and they would have been equally as correct. 

However, when I appeared in the club with my high heeled boots and thigh high dress, and a bottle of cognac in my hand whose content I didny hesistate to push down my throat, nothing mattered anymore. I blended into the darkness and rowdiness of the club. I was far away from the palace, no one would ever guess it was me. 

I threw my hands in the air and allowed my hips sway to the beat of the music. I had never tasted alcohol in my life, but I was going to drown my sorrows in as much bottles as I could to…

“What the fuck?!” The male voice screamed loudly as I emptied my throat on his white colored shirt, creating a hideous map made of vomit. 

“Eww.” 

“Oh my goodness.” 

“She had so much to drink.” Random voices were heard as the crowd slowly shifted away from us. 

I couldn’t look away from the mess I created on an innocent man, nor could I ignore the steam of annoyance that exuded him. 

“I cannot believe this! Why would you keep on drinking if you know you had gone far past your limit?” 

That voice. 

My gaze rose to his face. Blue eyes and shimmering dark hair, a pointed nose that rested above pale red lips adorned by dark moustache that connected with the beards underneath his chin. 

Was it cruel fate? Or was it just a coincidence that the man I had puked on looked just like Xander, my husband? Did I have a thing for barging into and ruining the lives of people that looked like him? 

I broke into tears. I didn’t know what else to do. 

“I’m so sorry.” There and then, every pent up frustration I had gathered in my heart came rushing out. 

“It’s not my fault. It’s not my fault I can’t keep a baby alive in my womb. It’s not my fault that he doesn’t love me! It’s not my fault!” 

His eyes narrowed on me, glazed with confusion. 

“Miss, are you alright?” 

I pushed my hair away from my face and saw his eyes shine with recognition. Did he know me? 

He placed his hands on my shoulders and tried to calm me down. 

“I’m so sorry for ruining your shirt, for ruining your night, for ruining his life.” I could have imagined it, but I swear his jaw hardened at my last sentence. 

The handsome stranger placed his palm on my cheek and brushed my tears off my eyes with his thumb. No one had ever, not even my husband, touched me with so much affection and care. 

“It’s alright. You didn’t ruin anything.” He spoke softly. Something about his blue eyes gazing directly at mine made my heart race.

“You could NEVER ruin anything.” 

That was the most my sanity could take, and I lost it. In a frenzy, I grabbed him by his collar and placed my lips against his.