Chapter Three: The Gilded Cage Breaks

"Don't you dare touch him!" Sebastian roared, his voice booming through the room like a crack of thunder.

He moved faster than Jasper's eyes could track. One second he was standing in the doorway, and the next he had crossed the room, his hand shooting out to grab Victoria's wrist. He twisted it hard. Victoria let out a sharp cry of pain, and the silver syringe clattered to the marble floor, rolling under the bed.

Jasper slid down the wall, his legs giving out completely. He was shaking so hard his teeth chattered. He wrapped both arms around his stomach, curling into a ball on the cold floor. All he could hear was the blood rushing in his ears.

"Sebastian!" Victoria gasped, trying to pull her arm free. "Let go of me! You're hurting me!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sebastian hissed, his blue eyes blazing with a fury that made Jasper's blood run cold. He shoved Victoria backward. She stumbled, catching herself on the edge of a dresser. "You come into my house, into my bedroom, and try to kill my child?"

Victoria smoothed down her red dress, her face twisting from pain into pure, ugly jealousy. "Your child? Sebastian, look at him!" She pointed a trembling finger at Jasper, who was still huddled on the floor, crying silently. "He is a freak! A man who can get pregnant! Do you have any idea how humiliating this is for me? For your reputation? I was doing you a favor!"

"You were doing yourself a favor," Sebastian snapped. He stepped closer to her, his voice dropping to a low, terrifying whisper. "You were trying to protect your precious reputation. You didn't want anyone to know that your fiancé fathered a child with another man."

"Of course I didn't!" Victoria screamed, tears of frustration welling in her eyes. "I am Victoria Sterling! I am supposed to have the perfect life, the perfect husband, the perfect family! I will not be made a fool of by a pregnant whore from the slums!"

"Get out," Sebastian said. His voice was deadly calm.

Victoria's eyes widened. "What?"

"I said get out," Sebastian repeated, his jaw tightening. "The engagement is over. I want you out of my house in five minutes. If I ever see your face again, I will destroy your family's company. I will take everything you have, Victoria. Every last diamond."

Victoria stared at him, her face going pale. "You can't do this to me. We've been together for three years. I love you!"

"You don't love me," Sebastian said coldly. "You love my money. You love my power. But you will never have me. Now get out before I have my men drag you out."

Victoria's eyes filled with hate. She looked past Sebastian at Jasper, her gaze dripping with venom. "This isn't over," she spat. "That freak and his bastard will ruin you, Sebastian. And when they do, don't come crawling back to me."

She turned on her heels and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Jasper couldn't stop shaking. He pressed his forehead against his knees, his whole body trembling. He had almost lost his baby. Again. He had been so close to losing everything.

He heard footsteps approaching. He flinched, expecting a blow or a harsh word. But instead, Sebastian knelt down in front of him.

"Jasper," Sebastian said softly. It was the first time he had ever used Jasper's name without a cold, commanding tone. "Look at me."

Jasper slowly lifted his head. His face was wet with tears, his eyes red and swollen. He looked at Sebastian, expecting to see anger or disgust. But what he saw surprised him.

Sebastian's blue eyes were filled with something that looked almost like pain. His hand reached out slowly, giving Jasper time to pull away. When Jasper didn't move, Sebastian gently cupped his cheek.

"Did she hurt you?" Sebastian asked quietly. "Did she touch you?"

Jasper shook his head, a sob escaping his lips. "No. You... you stopped her."

Sebastian let out a long, slow breath. The tension in his shoulders eased. "Good." He slid his hand down from Jasper's cheek, resting it gently on Jasper's hands, which were still wrapped protectively around his belly.

"I am sorry," Sebastian whispered.

Jasper blinked, sure he had misheard. "What?"

"I am sorry," Sebastian repeated. He looked down at Jasper's stomach, his expression unreadable. "I should have been here. I should have protected you. I underestimated Victoria's cruelty. It won't happen again."

Jasper didn't know what to say. He was so used to being hurt, used, and thrown away. He didn't understand why this cold, powerful man was being kind to him.

"Why do you care?" Jasper asked, his voice breaking. "You don't even know me. You paid for one night with me. I am just a freak who can get pregnant. Why do you want to keep me?"

Sebastian looked into Jasper's eyes. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, he spoke, his voice so low Jasper had to lean in to hear him.

"Because that night, you were the first person in ten years who didn't look at me with fear," Sebastian said quietly. "You looked at me like I was human. And when I left, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I tried to forget you. I buried myself in work, in meaningless relationships. But I couldn't." He paused, his thumb gently stroking Jasper's hand. "When I found out you were carrying my child, something changed inside me. I don't just want an heir, Jasper. I want you."

Jasper's heart hammered against his ribs. He didn't trust Sebastian. He couldn't. But something in those blue eyes made him want to believe.

The door suddenly opened. Jasper flinched again, but it was only the doctor, an older man with kind eyes and a gentle smile.

"Mr. Thorne," the doctor said, nodding respectfully. "I was told there was an emergency."

"Yes," Sebastian said, standing up. He helped Jasper to his feet, keeping a steadying hand on his elbow. "There was an incident. I need you to check on Jasper and the baby. Make sure they are both alright."

The doctor walked over and guided Jasper to the bed. Jasper lay down, his hands still resting on his stomach. The doctor pulled out a stethoscope and listened carefully.

After a few tense minutes, the doctor smiled. "Everything sounds perfect. Strong heartbeat. The baby is healthy."

Jasper let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Tears of relief streamed down his face. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you so much."

The doctor patted his shoulder. "You need to rest. No stress. No excitement. You are in a delicate stage of your pregnancy. You must take care of yourself."

"I will make sure he is taken care of," Sebastian said from the corner of the room. His voice was firm. "No one will harm him again."

The doctor packed up his bag and left. Jasper lay back against the pillows, his body aching with exhaustion. He closed his eyes, the events of the day crashing over him like a tidal wave.

He felt the bed dip beside him. He opened his eyes. Sebastian was sitting next to him, his back against the headboard.

"I will have your things moved to the main bedroom," Sebastian said. "You will sleep in my room from now on. I can't protect you if you are in a separate wing."

Jasper's eyes widened. "Your room?"

"Yes," Sebastian said. He looked at Jasper, his expression serious. "You are mine to protect, Jasper. And I take what is mine very seriously."

Jasper wanted to argue. He wanted to tell Sebastian that he wasn't a possession. But he was too tired. And honestly, a small, broken part of him felt safe with Sebastian there.

"Okay," Jasper whispered.

Sebastian smiled. It was a small, rare smile that softened his harsh features. "Good. Now rest."

Jasper closed his eyes and let himself drift. But just as he was about to fall asleep, Sebastian's phone rang.

Sebastian pulled it out of his pocket and answered it. "What?" he snapped.

Jasper didn't open his eyes, but he felt Sebastian tense beside him. The silence stretched on.

"I understand," Sebastian said, his voice suddenly cold as ice. He hung up the phone and stood up from the bed.

Jasper opened his eyes and looked at him. Sebastian's face was pale, his jaw tight.

"What is it?" Jasper asked, his voice trembling. "What happened?"

Sebastian looked at Jasper, his blue eyes filled with a terrifying, dark storm.

"My mother just arrived," Sebastian said, his voice flat. "She knows about you. And she knows about the baby. She isn't here to congratulate us, Jasper. She is here to end this."

Jasper's blood ran cold. He had escaped Linda. He had escaped Victoria. But now, a new, more powerful monster was waiting outside the door. And this time, he wasn't sure if Sebastian could stop her.