Chapter 3

Elena

Isabella's soft sobs drew me back to reality. I blinked, my head throbbing.

"—she did it on purpose, Mom! You know she did!"

I shifted slightly and turned my head. Two figures stood near the door. Isabella was pacing back and forth, her gown creased and ruined, tears smearing her carefully applied mascara down her flushed cheeks. Mom held her trembling hands.

"Isabella, calm down, please. Your father already handled it."

"Handled it?" Isabella choked out, shoving Mom's hands away. "She fainted right as Aeron was kissing my hand! Everyone stopped looking at me, Mom! The photographers turned their cameras toward her! She ruined my night!"

"I know, darling, I know," my mother soothed. "Your father is furious. We will deal with her, I promise you. But right now, you need to go to your room and rest. Aeron’s mother called—she was very understanding, but we cannot afford to look unraveled."

"I hate her," Isabella spat, her voice trembling with venom. "I hate her so much. Why does she always have to ruin everything for me?"

I swallowed hard, my throat raw. My fingers tightened around the soft duvet beneath me. The sudden memory of the test—those two lines—stole the air out of my lungs.

Aeron Blackwood.

The child inside me belonged to Aeron Blackwood.

"M... Mom..."

My voice was barely a croak, raspy and weak, but it cut cleanly through the quiet room.

Both of them snapped their heads toward the bed. For a second, the silence was absolute. Then, the worry and softness vanished from my mother’s face, replaced instantly by an icy, terrifying fury.

Before I could even pull myself up into a sitting position, my mother crossed the room in three sharp strides.

SLAP!

The sharp, stinging blow cracked across my left cheek, forcing my head to jerk violently to the side. The throb in my skull exploded into blinding white spots.

"You utter, pathetic disgrace!" my mother screamed, her voice trembling with rage as she towered over me. "Do you have any idea what you did down there?! Do you have any concept of the embarrassment you brought upon this family?!"

I cradled my burning cheek, tears instantly welling in my eyes, blurring her furious face. "Mom—"

"Don't 'Mom' me!" she hissed, stepping closer, her fingers flexing as if she wanted to strike me again. "You made a complete mockery of Isabella’s engagement! You ruined your sister's big night!"

Isabella crossed her arms tightly over her chest, staring at me in disgust. "You couldn't even bear to let me have five minutes of happiness. You had to draw every eye in the room to your pathetic self."

"Isabella, it wasn't... I didn't mean to..." I gasped, pressing my hand over my stomach. "I couldn't help it—"

"I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses," Isabella cut in, wiping a streak of black mascara from her cheek with the back of her hand. She turned her back on me, looking at our mother. "I'm going to my room. I can't even look at her right now. It makes me sick."

"Go, darling," my mother said softly. "I’ll bring you some chamomile tea in a moment. Don't worry about a thing. Your father and I will make sure she stays out of sight for the rest of the week."

Isabella didn't give me a second glance. She yanked the door open and slammed it behind her, the loud bang echoing through the room even after she left.

My mother let out a long, exhausted sigh, running her manicured hand over her forehead. "Elena, I'm so disappointed in you."

"Mom!" I whispered. "You didn't even ask what happened. Aren't you the least bit curious about why I fainted?"

"You're just causing a scene," she replied. "Your sister's engagement was the priority, no matter the reason. How are we supposed to show our faces with the Blackwoods? You are the most selfish, ungrateful child a mother could ever be cursed with. Your father..."

"Mom," I sobbed, my throat tight. "Please..."

"I have no intention of listening to any more of your nonsense," she snapped. "Your sister is crying her eyes out because her big sister couldn't manage to stand still for one hour without creating a scandal! She needs her mother right now. The entire future of the Vale family rests on her shoulders, and all you can think about is your own pathetic need for attention!"

She turned her back to me, taking a step toward the door. "Just stay still in bed. If I hear a single sound from this room—"

"I'm pregnant!"

Mom froze.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Slowly, she turned around, her face pale. "What... did you just say?" she whispered, her voice barely a breath.

I gripped the duvet and swallowed. "I'm pregnant, Mom."

She walked toward me slowly, her expression laced with disbelief. "Tell me... tell me you're joking." She laughed nervously. "This is one of your stupid tantrums, right?"

I shook my head, teeth digging into my lip to stop the tears. "I'm sorry, Mom."

"You dirty, stupid girl," she breathed, her voice shaking with rage. "Who did you sleep with? Was it one of those trashy boys from the art school? Some lowlife you decided to use to spite us?!"

"No—"

"Do you have any idea what this means?!" she hissed, her hands slamming down onto the mattress on either side of my legs, trapping me. "If people find out the eldest daughter of the Vale family is carrying an illegitimate bastard right as Isabella is marrying into the Blackwood family—"

"It's not a lowlife," I whispered, shocking even myself.

My mother stopped, her jaw tightening. "What?"

I lifted my eyes to meet hers, looking straight into the cold, heartless gaze of the woman who had spent my entire life making me feel worthless.

"It's not a bastard, Mom," I repeated. "The baby... it belongs to Aeron."

The room went deathly still.

My mother’s face blanched. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. The air seemed to leave her entirely.

"Aeron..." she breathed. "Aeron Blackwood?"

"Yes," I sobbed, closing my eyes as the tears flooded out. "I'm carrying Aeron Blackwood's baby."