第二章

Cold? I never thought Draven would see me that way.

I hastily wiped the tears from my face and took a deep, chilling breath.

"Then end it. End my pregnancy."

"No." Draven stopped dead, whirling around. His golden eyes burned with fury as he stared at me. "Are you insane? How could you even think that? I won't give up on your child or Sabine's. That's final."

The next day, clan guards appeared outside our room. Draven had locked me in.

He cut off all my communications.

One morning, I was woken by noise from downstairs.

I went down to see Sabine and her mother at the door, directing servants to bring luggage inside.

The moment her mother saw me, she sneered, "Some women have no shame. Clinging to a man when she's carrying another's bastard."

Then she wrapped an arm around Sabine's shoulder. "You foolish girl, suffering so much for Draven! And he still hasn't gotten rid of that bitch!"

"Mother, stop. This was my choice!" Sabine said, lowering her head in a show of false pity.

As her mother hauled luggage upstairs, Sabine shot me a mocking smile.

"So what if you're Draven's blood-mate? So what if my child isn't his? The mate's mark that belongs on his back? It's still bare."

I glared at her for a moment, then used my telekinesis to shatter the blood bag in her hand.

Sabine clutched her blood-splattered cheek, squeezing out a few tears as she looked into the distance.

"Isolde, why are you doing this to me? I don't want to take Draven from you," she cried theatrically.

"Isolde!" Draven's voice boomed from behind. "What did you do to Sabine?!"

I turned to see Draven seething with rage.

So that's what this was. A show for him.

Sabine's cries grew louder, catching her mother's attention. Her mother glared at me, her eyes full of venom.

"This bitch betrayed you! Why is the blood-bond not broken?" she demanded of Draven. "Draven, my Sabine will never be safe as long as she's here! If you don't throw her out, I'm taking Sabine home!"

Sabine threw herself into Draven's arms, sobbing, and shot me a triumphant little smile over his shoulder.

Draven was silent for a long time. Sabine’s smile faltered. Draven gently pushed her away. Then he walked to my side.

"You can take Sabine home if you wish. But I will not have my mate leave."

Sabine stared at us in shock, then stormed off.

"Draven, you have wounded my daughter," her mother hissed. "This isn't over. She's carrying your child. She needs to be cared for. Now, I demand you at least give her the best room as compensation."

Draven looked at me. I knew he was asking me to make another sacrifice.

I was moved to the abandoned sunroom on the first floor.

It was the sunniest room in the manor. Glass walls, glass ceiling. From sunrise to sunset, the sun streamed in, unobstructed.

Draven said it was for Sabine’s child. “It’s only for a few months.”

“Don’t worry,” he said, barely looking at me as he moved my things. “There are thick blackout curtains. Just keep them closed. The sun isn’t as dangerous for us anymore. It won’t be a problem.”

I said nothing.

That room was a death trap of sunlight. My heart went cold.

Even with the curtains closed, I could feel the heat seeping through. For me, weak with pregnancy, it was a slow poison.

Draven. He simply didn’t care if our child lived or died.

From that day on, I stopped crying. I stopped fighting.

I became the perfect prisoner, complying with his every arrangement.

I once tried to test Sabine, hoping to use her desire to get rid of me to my advantage. I asked for her help to escape.

But she just laughed with contempt.

"Help you? Isolde, don't you get it? Draven needs you. You're the villain in his story. It makes him look like a tragic, noble hero for 'protecting' me. Why would I ruin his perfect little play?"

Her words sent a chill down my spine.

My being here was part of her plan, too.

Every day after Draven came home, he would go to soothe Sabine first.

It was usually late by the time he came to my room.

So, I pretended to be asleep.

The room I lived in was practically a cell.

Sabine took over all the best rooms in the main castle.

One for her child, one for her meditation, and the rest to store her things.

Eventually, Draven started sleeping in her room to look after her, but one night, he stood by my bed and shook my shoulder.

"Are you asleep?" he asked softly.

I didn't respond. "I know you're not," he continued.

I turned to my right, my back to him. "What do you want?"

"Isolde, do you really hate me this much now? Do you really not believe in my love for you?" His voice was full of pain.

I felt a pang of pity for him, but I quickly shook it off. He didn't deserve any sympathy.

After everything he had done to me, how could he expect me to trust him?

I shed a few silent tears, making sure he couldn't see.

"Don't worry, I'll still have our child. But you should know, locking me in here isn't good for the baby. Let me get some fresh air. Lift the communication block. Let me talk to my brother. With all this drama in the family, I need to give him an explanation."

I mentioned my brother on purpose.

I knew they had never been able to trace my true origins. They would just assume I was talking about a normal family member.

Draven was silent for a moment, perhaps out of guilt, or perhaps my compliance had lowered his guard.

He slid in behind me, his cold body pulling me into an embrace. His lips brushed my ear, his voice hoarse.

"Okay, Isolde… As long as you're good, I'll give you anything you want."

His kiss was desperate, possessive, as if trying to prove something.

And I, enduring the nauseating scent of Sabine's herbs on him, lay there like a doll.