Two

Chapter Two

The Man Who Knew My Father

“Please, don’t take me!” I begged, pressing my back against the door. “You can’t take me, please!”

King Miller stopped in front of me.

His cold eyes moved from my tearful face to the locked door behind me.

“Why can’t I?”

I stared at him, unable to believe his question. “Because I haven’t done anything wrong! I never agreed to this. I don’t care what my husband promised you, but you cannot force me to leave with you!”

“My men will not harm you,” he replied.

“But I don’t want to go with you!”

His expression remained unchanged. “Your husband has already accepted my terms. The agreement is settled.”

My heart sank. “Then take me back to my husband and tell him to return whatever he received from you! I don’t want your food or your protection. I don’t want anything from you!”

Miller stared at me for a moment before turning to one of his soldiers. “Take her to the vehicle.”

The soldier stepped forward, but I immediately moved away.

“Don’t touch me!” 

He reached for my arm. “That’s enough.” Miller’s cold voice stopped him.

The soldier withdrew his hand.

Miller looked at me again. “You will get into the vehicle yourself, or you will remain here when the infected arrive. The choice is yours.”

I looked toward the street.

People were running in every direction. Screams filled the air, and smoke rose from nearby buildings. In the distance, I could see several infected people chasing a group of terrified civilians.

I had nowhere to go.

My husband had locked me outside, and the man standing before me was my only chance of surviving the night.

I hated him for putting me in this position. I hated Ronan even more for making it possible but  I wasn’t ready to die.

With tears running down my face, I opened the vehicle’s door and climbed inside.

Miller followed me, and the driver immediately started the engine.

The journey to Miller's residence took almost an hour.

King Miller’s residence looked more like a fortress than a home.

Tall walls surrounded the property, armed guards stood at every entrance, and several vehicles were parked in the courtyard. Unlike the streets we had passed, this place seemed prepared for the disaster outside.

People were carrying boxes of supplies while soldiers checked weapons and guarded the gates.

Miller stepped out of the vehicle without looking at me. “Take her to a room,” he ordered a maid.

The woman nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

I followed her inside, keeping my head down.

“My name is Martha,” she introduced herself. “You can call me if you need anything.”

I said nothing.

She showed me a beautiful bedroom with a large bed, a private bathroom, and clean clothes arranged inside the wardrobe.

Under different circumstances, I might have admired the room. By  my son was still trapped with the man who had thrown me away.

“Please,” I said, turning to Martha. “Can you help me contact my husband? I need to know if my son is safe.”

She looked uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. I cannot do that without His Majesty’s permission.”

Of course. I was no longer a wife or a woman with a family. I was a possession that had been traded between two men.

After Martha left, I sat on the bed and cried until I had no strength left. I didn’t know how much time had passed when someone knocked.

“The King wants to see you,” a maid announced.

My heart began to race.

I had heard the rumors about Miller. Women entered his residence, but many never returned. People said he was ruthless and took whatever he wanted.

Now that I was under his roof, I feared I knew what he wanted from me.

I wiped my face and followed the maid.

With trembling hands, I followed the maid to his private office.

When I entered, Miller was sitting behind a large desk, reading some documents.

He didn't look up when I walked in, I stood silently, waiting for him to speak.

He continued reading, the  silence made me even more nervous.

Finally, unable to bear the uncertainty, I decided to get it over with.

I slowly took off my gown.

I slowly took off my gown.

Miller raised his head.

His eyebrows drew together as he watched me.

I swallowed hard and reached behind my back to unfasten my bra.

“Stop it!”

His cold voice made me freeze.

I quickly held my bra in place, staring at him in confusion.

“W-what?”

“Put your clothes back on.”

I blinked at him.

“Isn't this what you want, Your Majesty?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Didn't my husband promise that I would satisfy you?”

Miller rose slowly from his chair.

“No.”

I stared at him, unable to understand.

“No?” I repeated.

He looked at me as though I had said something ridiculous.

“This isn't the Camila I know.”

My heart skipped.

“The Camila you know?”

I quickly pulled my gown over my shoulders.

“Do you know me from somewhere?”

“Yes.”

He walked around his desk and stopped a few feet away from me.

“You are Camila, the daughter of Richard.”

The room seemed to spin around me.

I stared at him in disbelief.

Nobody in this place had mentioned my father's name. In fact, I rarely spoke about him because he had died when I was young.

“How do you know my father?” I whispered.

Miller's expression changed slightly.

“Years ago, I worked for him. Your father trusted me more than most people. Before he died, he entrusted you to my care.”

I shook my head.

“No. That's impossible.”

“It's the truth.”

“My father never told me about you.”

“He didn't have the chance.”

Miller paused before continuing. “I had to leave on a mission shortly before his death. I promised him I would return, but by the time I came back, I learned that he was dead. I couldn’t find you then, no matter how hard I tried, and when I later did, you were married .”

My eyes filled with tears. “So you left me?”

He said nothing.

“You promised my father you would protect me, yet you left me alone! Do you know what I've been through? Do you know how difficult my life has been?”

“Camila-”

“No!” I interrupted him. “You don't get to say my name as if you have the right to comfort me! You knew my father, and you knew he trusted you with me. Yet you stayed away all these years!”

Pain crossed his face, but it disappeared almost immediately.

“I am sorry.”

I laughed bitterly. “Sorry? You bought me from my husband instead of simply helping me! You frightened me so badly that I thought you intended to use me like all those other women!”

“I never intended to sleep with you.”

“Then why did you make me come here?”

“Because I needed to bring you somewhere safe.”

I stared at him. “You could have told me that!”

“Would you have believed me if I had approached you and told you that your husband was not the man you thought he was?”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

Miller continued. “Your father was a good man, Camila. He was respected by many people, and he knew how to recognize the character of those around him. If I had simply walked up to you and told you that your husband would betray you, you would have defended Ronan. You would have believed the man you married instead of a stranger.”

I looked away.

I hated that part of his words made sense. “But you didn't have to let him sell me to you.”

“No,” Miller admitted. “I didn't.”

He paused before continuing. “He sold you to me. He was the one who approached me and offered you in exchange for the things he wanted. I had been trying to find a way to get you close to me for a long time, but I never imagined he would make it so easy. I thought I would have to find another way to bring you here, but he initiated the arrangement himself.”

I stared at him, unable to believe what I was hearing.

Ronan had not only abandoned me. He had willingly handed me over to another man without even asking for my opinion.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to ask Miller why he hadn’t come for me sooner, why he had allowed me to live in misery when he had known who I was.

But I couldn’t afford to break down, nor  now.

My son was still out there, and I had no idea what would happen to him if the infected reached our house.

I pressed my trembling lips together and wiped my tears.

“I need to take my son away from him,” I said, my voice trembling. “I can't leave my child with Ronan. I need to bring him somewhere safe.”

Miller's expression hardened. “He refused to let you take your own child?”

“He didn’t let me”

Then Miller spoke again. “Camila, what happened to your power?”

I slowly raised my head. “My what?”

“Your power. You possessed it years ago. Surely you remember.”

I stared at him, completely confused. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

His eyes narrowed. “You mean to tell me you've forgotten?”

“I don't even know what power you're talking about!”

Miller studied me for a long moment before releasing a quiet breath. “We will discuss it later.”

Miller stared at me for a moment before nodding. “Alright. I'll send soldiers  to bring him here.”

Then he turned toward the door. “Call my personal guards.”

A soldier appeared almost immediately. “Your Majesty?”

“Take a team to Camila's former residence. Bring her son here safely. No one is to harm the child.”

“I’ll go with them,” I said immediately.

Miller turned to look at me. “Are you sure you can handle it?”

“Yes, I will,” I replied firmly. “I need to see my son with my own eyes.”

Miller studied my face for a moment before nodding.

“Alright. Go with them.”

I followed the soldiers outside and climbed into the vehicle. As soon as everyone was settled, the driver started the engine.

I watched through the window as we left Miller’s residence, my heart pounding with fear and hope.

I only prayed that we would reach my son in time.