LOGINInside, Blair sat on the sofa, her hand resting on her slight belly, while Roman stood nearby deep in conversation with Luca. Two-year-old Olivia was showing off her drawings to anyone who would look."Aunt Keira!" Olivia shouted, abandoning her colouring-in to run across the room. Keira bent down,
Olivia, growing restless, wiggled off Blair’s lap. “Can I go play with my blocks?”“Yes, but stay in the playroom,” Roman told her. “I’ll be there in a minute.”As Olivia skipped off, Roman pulled Blair to her feet and into his arms. “You look tired. You should have let me bring someone in to handle
“Mama! Look!”Blair looked up from her laptop to see her two-year-old daughter, Olivia, proudly showing off a crayon drawing that was mostly colorful scribbles.“That’s beautiful, sweetheart,” Blair said, genuinely impressed with the artwork of her toddler. “Is that our family?”Olivia nodded madly,
"Is that what you think?" Niko's voice was dangerously quiet. "That your only value is as a... what? A royal broodmare?""It's the reality of our position," she insisted. "The Wystovian crown needs an heir. You need an heir. And I can't—" Her voice broke.Niko crossed the distance between them in th
"I'm trying to protect him—""From what? From having a choice?" Keira's voice grew stronger. "You're deciding what's best for Niko without asking him what he wants. That's not protection, that's control."Amelia stared at her, startled by the blunt assessment."Look, I get it. The pressure is overwh
Amelia shook her head, the weight of her failure pressing down on her. "The doctors say there's nothing wrong with Niko, which means the problem lies with me. I'm considering stepping aside, letting him divorce me so he can marry someone who can actually give him an heir." She glanced at Keira, sudd
Sutton stared at her phone for another ring before answering, putting it on speaker as Keira had requested. “Uncle Peter?” Sutton’s voice was perfectly pitched. It was shaky, like she’d been crying. “Sutton.” Peter’s voice came through the speaker, and Blair felt her skin crawl at the fake concern
Her phone buzzed a few moments after Roman sat down: Every word is true. All of it. Had the shithead just told her he loved her during her own funeral? It was fake, but still. She felt like laughing, but also she wanted to cry. Just like Roman. Then it was Peter’s turn. Blair watched her uncle wa
Blair stared at Roman, her mind racing through a dozen different emotions. The silence stretched between them until finally she spoke. “You manipulated me,” she said quietly, her voice neither angry nor grateful—just stating a fact. “You let me walk in on them having sex.” “Yes,” Roman admitted wi
“Yeah, I’m not sure of the exact time frame. But I can tell you it’s not a sudden feeling.” His thumb stroked across her cheek. “I know the timing is complicated with everything that’s happened—” Blair silenced him by pressing her lips to his. The kiss was soft at first, tentative, then deeper. Whe







