LOGINONE YEAR LATER MELANIE The fitting room backstage at the academy’s grand hall is a chaotic blur of silk, mannequins, and rushing assistants.I stand in the center of the room, adjusting the final draped fold of a deep crimson velvet gown on my lead model. My hands tremble slightly, but it isn't from fear—it’s the electric thrill of finally doing what I was always meant to do.For years, my dream of attending fashion school was buried beneath survival, fear, and hiding in the shadows. Now, surrounded by my own sketches pinned to the walls and the hum of sewing machines, I am weeks away from graduating, and tonight is my very first student exhibition runway show.The heavy velvet curtain at the back of the fitting room is pulled aside."Mommy!"Penelope’s excited whisper cuts through the backstage noise. She hurries in wearing a tiny custom ivory dress—one of the very first pieces I designed for her—her dark curls styled in soft ringlets.I drop to my knees instantly, ignoring the str
MELANIE It feels weird to be here again, after what? Months of not speaking to her, my mother. We decided that if we were going to make this official, we were going to have to let them know. My mother sits opposite us, her hands trembling as she sets her crystal glass down with a sharp clink against the cloth. Beside her, Lucas looks like a man who has suddenly been handed a sentence he cannot appeal."Have you all lost your absolute minds?" my mother gasps, her voice rising in a desperate, breathy strain as her eyes dart frantically between the four of us. "The three of you—with her? What will people say? The press, the board, society... if word of this ever gets out, it will destroy this family's reputation! You are supposed to be siblings for heaven’s sake!”Lucas slams his heavy palm onto the table, making the silverware rattle. "It's unnatural! It’s a scandal waiting to break! You are stepsiblings, for God’s sake! How do you expect to explain this to the world? What are you goi
MELANIE I sit at the wide mahogany desk in Valentin’s home office—the very room where this nightmare started seven days ago—watching the smooth, rhythmic flickering of the fireplace. Penelope is downstairs in the sunroom, her soft laughter echoing faintly through the corridor as she paints with her tutor.Valentin and Cassian step inside, bringing with them the sharp scent of cold autumn air and dark coffee. They both wear dark, tailored three-piece suits, their ties slightly loosened at the collar.Valentin walks straight toward me, his heavy steps unhurried, his dark eyes locked onto mine with that quiet, magnetic intensity that always makes my pulse quicken. He stops beside my chair, reaching out to rest his large, warm palm flat against the back of my neck—his thumb tracing the smooth, unblemished skin where the tracker used to be. A silent, daily reassurance for both of us."It’s done," Cassian says, leaning his hip against the edge of the desk and setting a thin, official state
MELANIEThe heavy iron gates of the estate hum open, welcoming us back into the sanctuary I tried so desperately to leave just days ago.I rest my head against the leather headrest of the SUV, watching the familiar gravel drive slide past the window. My lower abdomen still throbs with a dull, persistent ache, but the physical pain is nothing compared to the quiet, heavy warmth settling deep inside my chest.Before the tires even come to a full stop in front of the grand entrance, the front passenger door flies open."Mommy!"Penelope’s tiny voice pierces through the afternoon air. She breaks free from the tutor at the top of the steps and comes barreling down, her dark curls flying around her face, her eyes wide with uncontainable joy.My heart swells to the point of aching. I try to move, to step out of the car to meet her, but Valentin’s large hand rests gently on my knee, holding me in place."Careful," he rumbles softly, his dark eyes fixed on mine with that unyielding, possessive
MELANIEThe heavy silence hanging in the sterile air is suffocating.The doctor looks between our faces, sensing the explosive tension coiling tightly in the room. She clears her throat softly, tucking the small plastic vial into her pocket. "I will... leave you all to discuss this. Call the nurse's station if you need anything."With a quiet click, the door slides shut, sealing us inside.The second the latch catches, the dam breaks."How could you?" I snap, my voice cracking as I push myself up against the pillows, glaring directly at Valentin. The betrayal tastes like ash in my mouth. "You put a foreign object inside my body? Without my consent? Like I'm some piece of property you own?""If I hadn't, you'd be dead in a ditch right now, Melanie!" Valentin’s deep voice cuts through the room like a whip. He doesn't step back; he steps closer, his massive frame towering over the edge of the bed, his dark eyes burning with an intensity that strips the breath right out of my lungs. "Bran
MELANIE The light is the first thing that hits me—soft, pale, and filtered through thin white curtains.My eyelids feel heavy, stuck together as if I’ve been asleep for a lifetime. A dull, aching weight anchors me to the mattress, and every small breath brings a sharp, pulling soreness deep in my lower abdomen.I try to move my fingers, but my right hand is held tight inside a warm, broad palm."Melanie?"The voice is rough, low, and laced with a quiet desperation that cuts straight through the fog in my brain. I force my eyes open, blinking against the haze until the shapes in the room sharpen into focus.They’re all here.Cassian is sitting right on the edge of the hospital bed, his heavy fingers wrapped around mine, his thumbs stroking the back of my hand with a rhythm that feels almost frantic. Xavier is leaning against the wall at the foot of the bed, his arms crossed, dark shadows painted under his eyes as if he hasn't slept in days. And Valentin stands at the bedside window, h







