LOGIN“Do you remember what he looked like?”“It’s all a blur. Sorry.”I nodded slowly, looking around again. I spotted Max on the other side of the yard, returning to his work with a group of other males.“What’s the labor for?” I asked. “Are we building something?”“We think it’s for an army. The stone
Natalia’s POVBy the end of the first hour, my shoulders were burning and my palms had gone from sore to numb. The rock I’d been assigned to break with a heavy pickaxe was dense and black, and I was expected to break it into small pieces, then place them on a large wagon. One of those awful gray thi
A pair of figures crossed our path as we walked across the roadway. We fell into step behind them naturally, matching their pace. Neither of them looked back.The water trough was near the center of the settlement. I spotted a short line of people standing in front of it. It wasn’t running water, bu
Natalia’s POVI jerked awake with a gasp.The red sky was the same as it always was. Max was curled on his side a few feet away, still asleep, his chest rising and falling slowly. Nothing had moved. Nothing had changed.I pressed my hand flat against the ground and steadied my breathing.The vision
Natalia’s POVThe report came back the following morning. I’d hardly slept that night, which was strange for me; usually, sleep came quickly and efficiently, serving purely as a means to regain my energy for another day of hard work.But last night, I kept tossing and turning. That pull in my chest
“It’s no use!” I heard her voice call after me. “He’s already gone, you stupid bitch! He’s not who you think he is anymore! You’ll all die here!”Her words struck me somewhere deep and painful, but I kept running. We didn’t stop until the hovel was well out of sight. Only then, once we were certain
“Oh my Goddess,” I whispered. “Max, Jane, what did you do?”The twins looked up at me with wide, guilty eyes. Jane’s lower lip was already trembling, but neither of them spoke.Lilith’s smirk grew into an all-out sneer. “See?” she chuckled, although there was no humor in the hateful sound. “I told y
Andrei & NataliaAndreiThe security footage didn’t lie. Lilith’s miscarriage had nothing to do with Max and Jane, and she’d been willing to let two five-year-olds take the blame for something that wasn’t their fault.The recording Natalia had played was even worse. Lilith had drugged her at the ban
“Look, Daddy!” Jane twirled in her dress. “Don’t I look like a princess?”“Yes, sweetheart. You do.”And she did. She really did. I still couldn’t believe that that perfect little girl with her raven hair and big green eyes was my child. Still couldn’t believe that Max, looking like a proud little A
Andrei & NataliaAndreiI waited outside Lilith’s door the entire time the doctor performed the examination. Inside, I could hear the muffled sounds of Lilith and the doctor talking for a long time. For over half an hour, I paced outside, ignoring the pointed looks from the guard stationed at her do







