Chapter 4

Lyra's POV 

I woke up to the sound of the machine beeping steadily beside me. The sterile smell of antiseptic and disinfectant choked me… this is one reason I never liked hospitals. My head banged, my body ached, the emotional pain adding its own weight as well.

The door creaked open, a nurse stepped in, her face soft, yet unreadable. Behind her came a doctor with a clipboard in his hand. His expression was professional… calm but there was something in his eyes that portrayed pity or something like that. 

“Mrs Lyra,” he began carefully, approaching the bed. “You're awake. That's good. You collapsed due to shock and some internal strain..”.

“My baby. Tell me about my baby”. I cut him off desperately, clutching my stomach… panic already setting in.

The nurse looked away. The doctor's lips pressed against themselves before he finally spoke. “I'm sorry. We did everything we could. But…. You lost the pregnancy”. 

The words sliced through me. I screamed in horror as the realization hit me again. I curled up like folding into myself was going to save me from the realization that had just hit me. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks. 

My baby. Gone.

The life I had just shared with Dorian a few hours ago.the hope. The dream of holding our child. Stolen - like everything else.

I was shaking uncontrollably when the door opened again. Heavy footsteps rushing to me. A voice… deep and familiar….. too familiar.

“Lyra..”. He said pulling me into one very comforting embrace. 

My head snapped up. I stared breathless. “Liam?”

He nodded, pulling me back in and for a moment, the years between us melted away. “It's me… you actually did scare the hell out of me, I'm really glad you're better now”.

“I lost my baby”. I said… the tears welling up in my eyes again. 

“Oh dear” He said, his eyes filled with pity…. “It's okay.. we'll walk right through this…. Together”

Liam…. he was the second guy in our band before our group scattered. He was our drummer then so he was not part of the competition that had shattered everything. He was the one who saved me the night before. He was among those who attended the concert.

Later that day… after I had gotten better. We talked, reminisced on the good old times… the five of us, the band, the rehearsals, the arguments, the joy. We had been inseparable once. Until Seraphina started everything.

“You left”, I whispered. “Why?”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I sent to medical school. It was always the other dream. But I never left music completely…. I I started a small agency on the side.

His words were calm. I swallowed hard, then my voice cracked as I spoke, “Liam you saw the video right?”.

His expression shifted tightening. “I saw it, yes. But I also saw your face when it played. There was no guilt of anything…. Just the look of confusion and worry”.

I felt relieved a bit, at least someone believed me.

It's not what they think…. “That night…. The night in that video… it wasn't like that”. 

His brows furrowed. ”Tell me”.

So I did.

The words poured out. 

 “It was my birthday. Dorian told me he had a surprise. He booked a hotel room and told me to wait for him there. I… I waited, but he never came. I thought maybe he got caught up, maybe something happened, but then… someone offered me a drink while I waited. Now, I think about it…. It was all a set up. I was so naive.”

My hands shook as I remembered. “The drink was drugged. I don’t remember much after that. Just darkness. When I woke up, I was in a strange bed, terrified and confused. Dorian never asked. He never even showed up. And now…” My voice cracked. “…now Seraphina somehow has that footage.”

Liam’s jaw tightened. “Which means it was never random. Dorian was aware and if Seraphina was with the tape… it means they had been working on this for a long time now.”

Before I could respond, a voice came from the television at the corner of the room, distracting our conversation. The news anchor was reading out the breaking news. 

“…Breaking news tonight: Dorian’s Secret Wife Exposed - Pregnancy Scandal Rocks Concert.

My heart stopped.

Onscreen, a swarm of reporters surrounded Dorian, microphones flashing, cameras glaring. His face filled the screen, they were all throwing different interrogations at the same time.

“Yes it's true,” he said flatly, looking into the cameras. “Our marriage was meant to be private….. but after what happened last night, after that betrayal, I can no longer remain in that marriage. I'll be filing for divorce”. I'm grateful, however I'm grateful for Seraphina Drayke. She has always had back. She's been by my side from the very beginning. Without her, none of this would be possible”.

The footage cut to Seraphina sliding her arm through his, smiling like the devil in a designer dress. The cameras exploded in flashes, immortalizing the image.

I clutched the sheets so tightly as my heartbeat thudded heavily behind my chest. Something hotter than grief burned within me now; Rage. And the hunger for revenge surged through my blood.

The grief of my lost child, the lies, the humiliation, the stolen songs, the betrayal of a husband I had built from scratch - every wound fueled my fury.

“They think they’ve won,” I whispered, almost to myself. Trembling and laughing out loud.

“Lyra…” Liam’s voice was cautious, as though he sensed the storm building in me.

I turned to him slowly, my voice trembling but certain. “They stole my voice once. They stole my songs. They stole my baby. But I swear to God, Liam… This is where it ends, they must surely pay.”

My fists clenched. My tears dried on my cheeks.

“Dorian. Seraphina. You wanted to bury me?” My lips curled into something between a sob and a vow. “Fear My Return!”.