Chapter 2

Elowen Vale's POV

An awkward silence fell over us.

Caspian quickly handed the baby off to the nanny. He couldn't even bring himself to meet my eyes.

"Elowen, if you need someone to blame, blame me. Mara gave me a son. I have to marry her.

"The truth is, there's another reason I brought you back. I've received word that my uncle is getting married too. He's my grandfather's illegitimate son.

"He's ambitious, but he has no real power in the family, so I'm certain he'll try something while everyone's distracted by the two weddings.

"Mara can't protect herself. You two look almost identical, and you're far better at handling yourself, so..." He paused. "I want you to take her place at the wedding."

Once, I would've exploded. I would've torn into him without a second thought.

But at that moment, I was strangely calm.

That seemed to unsettle Caspian more than anger ever could. His frown deepened as he studied me.

He was just about to speak when Mara suddenly burst into tears and dropped to her knees in front of me.

"Elowen, I know you're angry, but please don't blame Caspian. That night, he'd had too much to drink. He thought I was you, and... well, the baby's here now. I'm begging you. If nothing else, have some pity on me."

She looked up at me through her tears. "My son is still so little. He shouldn't have to grow up being called illegitimate. And he needs his mother."

The sight of Mara on her knees was apparently more than Caspian could bear. "Mara, you know you're not well. Stop throwing yourself on the floor like this."

He shot me an angry look as he hurried to pull her to her feet. When he turned back to me, whatever guilt he'd shown earlier was gone.

"Elowen, she's your sister. Are you really going to just stand there and watch her beg you on her knees?"

Something inside me went cold.

Not once since he'd come for me had Caspian asked how I'd survived the past year. Yet one glimpse of Mara on her knees, and somehow I was the one he was mad at.

Then I noticed the necklace around Mara's neck.

My fingers tightened around the matching pendant hidden in my left hand.

They had once been a pair. One for Caspian, one for me.

He'd had a tiny tracking chip embedded inside each pendant.

"If you're ever in danger," he'd told me, "I'll know."

And yet, over the past year, I'd come close to dying more than once. I'd screamed myself hoarse, waiting for him to come. He never did.

I finally knew why. He'd given his necklace to Mara long ago.

The cruelest part was that I'd nearly gotten myself killed more than once protecting mine, refusing to let anyone take it from me.

After settling Mara into a chair and making sure she was alright, Caspian finally seemed to remember that, as far as he knew, I couldn't see. His tone softened.

"Elowen, Mara's been worried about how you would feel about all this. She can't marry me with a clear conscience unless she has your forgiveness. You really shouldn't blame her."

Mara had been trying to one-up me for as long as I could remember.

Forgiveness? Please.

She'd only done all this because she wanted me to know she'd won.

Fine.

If she wanted to gloat that badly, I was more than happy to give her one last reason to.

"With Mom and Dad gone, I'm the closest thing you have to a parent. It's only right that I see you safely married."

I closed my fingers around the necklace one last time, then opened my hand and placed it in Caspian's palm.

The moment he saw it, he froze. "Elowen... this is the one I gave you—"

I cut him off before he could finish. "The third of next month is a good date. You should get married then."

My eyes burning, I stumbled out of the room before either of them could stop me. But the instant I crossed the threshold, every trace of hurt vanished from my face.

A month. That would give Lucian more than enough time to put everything in place.

Caspian Hale would pay for what he did to me—every last bit of it.