Chapter 4

Her tears fell harder now, dripping onto the test clutched in her hand.

She couldn’t stay.

Not here.

Not under Damian’s roof.

Not near Lysandra’s claws.

Not in a house where she was nothing but a womb.

Her baby deserved better.

Deserved freedom.

Deserved safety.

Deserved love.

That’s when her mind reached for the only person she trusted.

Adrik.

She had never needed anyone more than she did now.

Her hands trembled as she dialed his international number.

The call connected on the third ring.

“Sera?” His voice was warm, surprised, and instantly alert. “It’s late. Is everything okay?”

Her breath broke. “No,” she whispered. “I… I need help, Adrik.”

Silence. Sharp. Focused.

“What happened?” he asked, voice dropping into a seriousness she had only heard once before, the night he saved her from a violent patient during residency.

She wiped her tears uselessly. “You were right. I’m married to the wrong man,” she said. “I thought… I thought he cared for me. But he doesn’t. He never did.”

“Sera…” he said gently, his accent thicker when he was emotional, “tell me what he’s done.”

“It’s not just him,” she whispered, voice cracking. “It’s his world. His family. His… mistress.”

The word tasted like blood.

“I’m treated like a stranger in my own home. Lysandra humiliates me in front of him. She calls me a maid. A burden. And he...” her breath shook violently, “he doesn’t defend me. Not once.”

Adrik inhaled sharply. “He lets that woman insult his wife? In his presence?”

Seraphina pressed her forehead to her knees. “He doesn’t even look at me. I’m invisible here.”

“Sera…” Adrik’s voice was low and dangerous now. “You don’t sound safe.”

“I’m not.”

“What do you need me to do?” he asked immediately.

She exhaled shakily. “I need to leave,” she whispered. “I need to disappear before he finds out I’m pregnant.”

The line went silent.

Then Adrik spoke, voice steady as steel.

“Where are you right now?”

“In my bathroom,” she whispered. “Trying not to fall apart.”

“Sera. Look.”

She lifted her head, even though he couldn’t see her.

“You’re doing the right thing,” Adrik said softly. “Damian Blackwell will never give you a life. But I can help you build one. For you and your baby.”

A single sob escaped her.

“Please,” she whispered. “Help me.”

Adrik didn’t hesitate.

Not even for a breath.

“I’ll come,” he said. “Tonight. I know how to get around your husband’s security. I’ll get you out.”

Her heart clenched painfully. “Adrik...”

“Sera,” he interrupted, firm and gentle all at once, “you saved me more times than I can count during medical school. You believed in me when I nearly quit. Let me do this for you.”

Her tears flowed again, but this time, they weren’t just sad. They were grateful.

“Okay,” she whispered.

“I need you to listen,” he said. “Pack only essentials. Nothing that can be tracked. Hide your documents somewhere near your room. I’ll send a message when it’s time to move.”

“Alright.”

“And Sera?”

“Yes?”

“You and your baby will have a life. A real one. I promise.”

A small, trembling breath escaped her lips, the first hint of hope in weeks.

She hung up and stared at the pregnancy test in her hand.

“I’ll protect you,” she whispered to her unborn child. “I’ll give you a life Damian can’t touch.”

She stood slowly. Wiped her face. 

Pressed a hand to her belly.

She didn’t have power. She didn’t have allies. She didn’t have love from the man she once hoped would give it. But she had a reason to fight now.

A reason to run.

A reason to live.

And she had Adrik, the one person who had never looked at her like she was nothing.

Seraphina packed a small bag under the bed. Slipped her documents into her pillowcase. Then whispered to herself: “Just a little longer.”

By dusk, she was certain of one thing, she couldn’t survive another day in this house.

The mansion felt colder than ever. The servants whispered. The guards stared. And somewhere deep in the estate, Damian and Lysandra’s laughter echoed like a cruel refrain.

She stayed in her room the entire afternoon, clutching her phone, waiting. Praying for Adrik’s message.

Her heart thudded each time footsteps passed her door. Finally, near twilight, her phone buzzed.

Adrik: I’m close. Cameras temporarily looped. You have one hour. Be ready.

Her pulse kicked hard.

Her hand instinctively went to her belly. Tiny. Fragile. The only steady part of her trembling world.

“One more hour,” she whispered. “Then we’re free.”

Before she could gather herself, a knock sounded.

Not soft.

Not polite.

Sharp.

“Seraphina!” a bright voice sang. Too bright. Too familiar.

Lysandra.

The woman swept into the room without waiting for permission, wearing a tight silk dress and smug confidence.

She looked Seraphina up and down like inspecting dust on furniture.

“Oh, good. You’re still here.” Lysandra smirked. “Damian needs his tux pressed. Do be useful.”

Seraphina stiffened. “I’m not...”

“A maid? Yes, yes, we know.” Lysandra waved a hand dismissively. “But someone has to do it, and the real maids are with me downstairs.”

Seraphina’s jaw clenched. “Ask Damian...”

“Oh, darling,” Lysandra cooed, stepping close enough for her perfume to suffocate, “Damian doesn’t like bothering you.” She leaned in, voice dripping venom. “You’re too… fragile.”

Seraphina’s chest tightened.

Lysandra saw it. And smiled wider. “When you cry,” she whispered, “does he even notice?”

Seraphina looked away. She shouldn’t have. Because Lysandra’s laugh rang out, triumphant.

“Oh, sweetheart. I almost feel sorry for you.”

Almost.

“Anyway, don’t worry,” Lysandra said with a wink. “Damian has me for the things he actually cares about.”

Seraphina’s vision blurred for a heartbeat.

Not from jealousy.

Not anymore.

From clarity.

This woman wasn’t just cruel. She was a sign. A warning.

A mirror showing exactly what Damian allowed.

He let Lysandra humiliate her.

He let Lysandra treat her like staff.

He let Lysandra walk all over her marriage.

And Seraphina?

She was done.

“Is that all?” Seraphina asked quietly.

Lysandra blinked at the tone. Something had changed. Seraphina wasn’t pleading or shrinking.

She was finished.

Lysandra faltered only slightly before flipping her hair.

“Hmm. Yes. I suppose so. Damian and I are heading out for dinner. Again.”

Seraphina’s hands went to her stomach unconsciously, protectively.

Lysandra’s eyes narrowed.

“What’s that? Are you gaining weight already? Careful, darling. Damian doesn’t like...”

“Goodnight, Lysandra.”

Lysandra’s smile cracked. “Rude.”

She left with an irritated toss of her hair.