Semua Bab Alpha Regrets After Banishing Me And Taking My Son: Bab 31 - Bab 40

Kimberley’s POVI watched Mother tie her cloak strings and wanted to scream. They were leaving. Going home to their warm house where they could pretend their daughter was living happily ever after.“Don’t go yet.”My parents turned, and I saw surprise flicker across their faces.My chest was tight. Six years of holding this secret was killing me slowly, and I couldn’t do it anymore. The lies were poison in my veins.“Kimberley?” Mother moved closer, her face creasing with concern. “What’s the matter, sweetheart?”The endearment almost undid me. When was the last time someone had called me sweetheart and meant it? When was the last time anyone had looked at me with genuine affection?“I need to tell you something.” My voice sounded strange, hollow. “About my marriage. About Ulysses and me.”Father’s forehead wrinkled. “Is everything alright?”No. Nothing was alright. Nothing had been alright for six years.I bit my bottom lip until I tasted blood. How could I say this without destroying

Hazel’s POVI grabbed my treatment bag and slung it over my shoulder, checking the latches twice. The worn leather was soft under my fingers—Elena had given it to me years ago when I’d first started learning.Elena. I swallowed. She was getting sicker every day, and the healers wanted more money for the stronger medicines.I had to finish this job quickly. Earn enough gold to pay for Elena’s treatment.And if I was very lucky, I’d take Liam with me when I leftVoices drifted up from the main courtyard below my window. Uma’s delighted and cheery laugh made my ribs ache.“We’ll need to leave early tomorrow,” Uma was saying to several attendants. “The journey to neutral territory takes most of the day, and we want to reach the medicine vendors before they close.”I moved closer to the window, starving for the sound of her voice. Oh, how I wanted to join that conversation, to fall back into the friendship we’d shared for years.Uma spotted me through the window and waved enthusiastically,

Hazel’s POVI pushed through the tent flap and found Ulysses dismissing the last of his advisors. Maps and battle reports covered every surface, but he was clearing everything away.“That will be all for now,” he told a young officer. “Hold all interruptions unless Jacob’s forces are at our gates.”The officer saluted and left. Suddenly the tent felt smaller, more intimate. Ulysses turned to me with that warm smile that made my stomach clench with rage.“I hope you’re settling in well,” he said, genuine concern warming his voice. “Is the room we prepared suitable? Are the meals adequate? If there’s anything you need—blankets, books, different food—please don’t hesitate to ask.”The gentle attention in his voice made fury flash through my chest. When had he ever asked the real me about my comfort? When had he cared if I was warm enough, fed enough, happy with my accommodations?Never. Not once in three years of marriage.I sneered inwardly at his solicitous behavior. He’d never shown su

Hazel’s POVI sat frozen, staring at Ulysses’s relaxed face in the dim tent.I couldn’t process it. My mind kept circling the impossibility of what he’d just confessed. How could fated mates—people supposedly destined by the Moon Goddess herself—go six years without consummating their bond?That wasn’t how mate bonds worked. The pull was supposed to be irresistible, overwhelming, biological. Yet here was Ulysses, lying before me with his face half in shadow, admitting the exact opposite.But it hadn’t. Six years of marriage and he’d never touched her.I forced myself to hold steady, to maintain my role as the detached hypnotist. This was the most delicate part of the treatment. One wrong word and I’d derail everything.But inside, my thoughts were spinning wildly. Six years. Six whole years of marriage and nothing.“Can you tell me more about why this happened?” I asked gently. “Between fated mates, physical connection should be natural.”Ulysses lay before me, his breathing uneven des

Hazel’s POVMy blood turned cold. Liam was sick?I ducked into an alcove where I could watch without being seen. Every maternal instinct I had was screaming at me to run to my son, but I forced myself to stay hidden.Alice stood slightly apart from the group, twisting her hands in her apron. She kept trying to lean closer to Kimberley, opening her mouth to speak, but the other servants kept interrupting.“Excuse me, Luna,” Alice tried, her voice barely audible over the noise. “I need to speak with you—”“What now?” Kimberley snapped, not even looking at her.“Liam has a fever.”Kimberley’s face didn’t change at all. She looked at Alice with the same mild annoyance she’d shown when discussing table runners.“I heard you the first time.” she said flatly. “And?”The casual indifference in that single word made my stomach drop. Alice blinked, clearly thrown by the response.“And…If it gets worse—”“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Kimberley said dismissively, already turning back to her attendants.