Three

Chapter Three

The Woman From His Past

The vehicle stopped near my former home, and my heart immediately began to pound.

The street was almost unrecognizable.

Abandoned vehicles blocked the road, smoke rose from several burning houses, and terrified people ran in every direction. Somewhere nearby, a woman screamed for help, but nobody stopped to answer her.

The infected were everywhere.

I gripped the edge of my seat, struggling to control my fear. “Stay close to us”  Majesty’s guards commander instructed me as he opened the door. “We don’t have much time.”

I nodded and climbed out.

My eyes immediately searched for our house. I needed to find my son, nothing  else mattered.

The soldiers moved ahead, their weapons ready as we approached the entrance. I followed them, my heart aching with every step.

Then I saw them. Orion was standing near the doorway with his arms wrapped around Geo, my best friend.

The woman I had trusted with my secrets, the woman who had comforted me whenever Orion hurt me, the woman who had promised to stand by me no matter what happened.

Their lips were pressed together, for  a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

I stood there, staring at them, desperately hoping that my eyes were deceiving me but  they weren’t.

Orion was kissing Geo.

My husband was kissing my best friend while I was being forced to leave my home for his survival.

Something inside me broke.

One of the soldiers noticed what I was staring at. “Should I drag him over here, Your Majesty’s orders or not?” he asked angrily. Another soldier stepped forward, looking ready to beat Orion for what he had done to me.

“No,” I said quickly.

They turned toward me.

“Don’t touch him.”

I didn’t know why I said it. Perhaps some part of me still remembered the man I had married, or perhaps I simply refused to let anyone fight my battles for me.

Taking a deep breath, I walked toward them.

Orion noticed me first. His expression changed when he saw the soldiers behind me, but the surprise quickly disappeared. He glanced at Geo before looking back at me. “Kate?”

I stopped a few feet away from them. “Orion, Geo.”

My voice sounded strange, even to my own ears. I looked from one face to the other. “Is this your plan?”

Neither of them answered immediately.

Then Orion laughed. “Yeah, it’s our plan, Kate. And what are you doing here with soldiers?” He looked me up and down mockingly. “Don’t tell me the king doesn’t even want you anymore.”

Geo burst into laughter,I stared at her.

This was the woman who had held me while I cried over my marriage. The woman who had listened to me complain about Orion and encouraged me to be patient with him.

All that time, she had been deceiving me.

“You’re both disgusting,” I whispered.

Orion’s smile widened.

“Don’t act like a victim. You got what you deserved. You should be grateful I arranged a place for you with the king. At least you’ll have food and shelter.”

He spoke as though he had done me a favor.

As though selling his wife to another man was something I should thank him for.

I clenched my fists. “You sold me.”

“And you’re still alive, aren’t you?”

His words struck me harder than a slap.

I couldn’t understand how someone I had loved so deeply could look at me with such indifference.

My hands began to tremble.

I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to make him understand how much he had hurt me.

Instead, something strange stirred inside my body.

It began as a sharp sensation in my chest before spreading through my arms. My fingers tingled, and an unfamiliar force seemed to awaken beneath my skin.

I didn’t understand what was happening.

Then Orion opened his mouth again. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, Geo and I have better things to do than entertain you.”

Something snapped, before  I could think, I moved toward him.

My hand shot out and seized his neck, his laughter stopped, his  eyes widened as I lifted him slightly off the ground, my fingers tightening around his throat.

The soldiers froze. Geo stumbled backward, her face draining of color, Orion grabbed my wrist, struggling to free himself, but I barely felt his resistance.

I stared at him in disbelief. How was I doing this?

I had never been strong enough to lift a grown man like that. I had never possessed such strength.

Yet there I was, holding my husband by the neck as though he weighed nothing.

“Where is my son?” I demanded.

Orion struggled to speak. “Kate… let go…”

“WHERE IS MY SON?”

My voice rang through the street.

For one terrifying moment, I felt as though I could squeeze harder and end his life.

The thought frightened mec I didn’t want to kill him, I only wanted my child, I released him abruptly.

Orion fell to his knees, coughing and clutching his throat.

I staggered backward, staring at my hands.

What had I just done? I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t explain it, is this the power Albert was talking about “. 

“Where is he?” I asked again, turning toward Geo.

She stared at me as though I were a monster.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Don’t lie to me!”

“I swear, Kate! I don’t know!”

I took a step toward her, and she immediately retreatedx the I heard it.

A faint cry came from inside the house, my  son’s cry.

I turned toward the sound and ran. “Baby!”

I rushed through the doorway, ignoring the soldiers calling after me.

I found him lying on the old sofa in the sitting room.

His clothes were dirty, his cheeks were streaked with tears, and his little body trembled as he cried. He looked exhausted, as though he had been frightened for hours.

My heart shattered. “Oh, my baby!”

I rushed to him and gathered him into my arms, he  clung to me immediately, putinv his face against my neck.

“Mummy…”

His tiny voice broke me. “I’m here, sweetheart. Mummy is here.”

I kissed his forehead repeatedly, holding him as tightly as I dared, he was in a terrible state.

I didn’t know whether he had eaten or how long he had been left alone, but I could no longer bear to look at his frightened face without feeling that I had failed him.

“I’m sorry, baby,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

He cried harder, I held him close and rocked him gently until his sobs began to quiet.

Then I stood, carrying him against my chest.

When I returned outside, Orion was back on his feet. He was still coughing, but the anger in his eyes had replaced his earlier amusement.

Geo stood behind him, keeping her distance from me.

I looked at the soldiers. “Let’s go.”

One of them nodded and opened the vehicle door for me.

As I climbed inside with my son, Orion stepped forward. “This doesn’t end here, Kate!”

I looked at him one last time.

For years, I had feared losing him. I had begged for his affection, endured his neglect, and convinced myself that if I loved him enough, he would eventually love me in return.

Now, as I watched him standing beside Geo, I felt nothing but exhaustion. “You’re right,” I replied quietly. “It doesn’t.”

Then I turned away.

The vehicle pulled off, leaving Orion and Geo behind.

I pressed my lips against my son’s forehead and closed my eyes.

I didn’t know what had happened to me outside that house. I didn’t know why I had suddenly become strong enough to lift Orion by his neck but  I knew one thing. I would never allow anyone to hurt my child again.

- 

By the time we arrived at Albert’s residence, my son had fallen asleep in my arms.

I carried him inside, thanking the soldiers who had accompanied me. I was exhausted, but relief washed over me as I realized we had made it back safely.

I was finally somewhere I could protect him.

As I entered the main hall, I noticed a woman standing near the staircase, she  was beautiful, elegantly dressed, and carried herself with the confidence of someone accustomed to being obeyed.

The maids bowed their heads as she passed. Even the guards greeted her with obvious respect.

I slowed my steps.

Who was she?

I had never heard Albert mention having a wife. Still, the way everyone treated the woman made me wonder whether she was his fiancée or perhaps his lover.

The woman turned.

Her eyes settled on me, then moved to the sleeping child in my arms.

She studied my face for a long moment.

I felt uncomfortable beneath her gaze.

Finally, she approached one of the maids. “Who is that woman?”

The maid glanced at me before answering. “His Majesty brought her here, madam.”

The woman’s expression changed slightly, she looked at me again, this time more carefully, as though searching for something familiar in my face.

Then she lifted a hand to her hair. “Why does she look so much like Kate?” she murmured.

I couldn’t hear the rest of her words clearly, but I noticed the sudden tension in her expression.

“Kate?” she repeated under her breath.

The maid nodded hesitantly. “I heard His Majesty call her Kate.”

The woman’s face went pale, for  several seconds, she remained completely still.

Then she whispered, almost as though she were speaking to herself. “No. That can’t be possible. Kate died years ago.”

A chill ran down my spine. I looked between them, confused.

Who was this Kate? Why did the woman believe she was dead? And why did she look at me as though my presence had just brought a ghost back to life?

I wanted to ask her what she meant, but before I could speak, she turned sharply and walked away.

I stood frozen in the hall, my sleeping son in my arms, I couldn’t understand anything.

I barely remembered my childhood. My father had died when I was young, and so many memories from those early years were missing.

Had I known Albert before? Was I the Kate this woman was talking about? And if I was, why couldn’t I remember any of it?

Was I simply too young to remember, or had something happened to erase those memories?

I looked toward the staircase where the woman had disappeared.

For the first time, I wondered whether my past held something far more dangerous than I had ever imagined.