Alle Kapitel von Contract marriage: I am the daughter of my husband's enemy: Kapitel 71 – Kapitel 80

Lucien’s POV, The pain greets me first. It feels like a sharp pounding at the back of my head that feels like someone buried an axe inside my skull and left it there for decoration.Then comes the smell. Antiseptic. Right.My eyes snap open immediately, and my head whiplashes, my vision blurred at the edges before finally focusing on the ceiling above me. I’m still lying on the floor of the battle. Voices echo nearby, and I realise they haven’t noticed I’m awake. Beside me, a medic is working on a syringe. “…completely insane,” Nikolai is saying.“She saved our lives,” Celene replies calmly.“She threatened to shoot me. Who did she think she was?”“She threatened to shoot everyone.”“Well, that’s not leadership, she just came in and assumed Lucien’s place.”“Admit it, she surprised you, too.”I blink slowly and turn my head slightly, and Nikolai notices first. I see his arm is bandaged and there’s blood on his face. I know it isn’t his.“You’re finally awake.”His voice sounds irr

Lucien’s POV, My head still hurts, but not enough to stop me from working.Unfortunately.Nikolai keeps trying to force me back into bed like I’m ninety years old and fragile. Mireya threatened to sedate me twice already. Dante suggested simply knocking me unconscious again. Idiots.The mansion looks like a battlefield survived by luck and violence. Blood stains still stretch across parts of the marble floors despite the cleanup already beginning. Half the guards are injured, three wings need repairs, and the west corridor smells faintly of whatever insane gas Elara pumped through the vents earlier.Which means she somehow managed to outsmart my entire security system months ago without me noticing.I should be furious about that.Instead, I feel something dangerously close to admiration.That’s a problem for later.Right now, I want to see Asher.I pause outside his room briefly because I know he might be sleeping, and I do not want to disturb him, before opening the door quietly.

Lucien’s POV, “Then tell me the fucking truth!”The room falls silent except for our breathing.She stares at me, startled, almost defensive, and I drag a hand through my hair violently because I can feel myself losing control.“You found out you were pregnant and you disappeared,” I say harshly. “Fine. I understand that part. The man you slept with wore a mask. You couldn’t find him afterwards.”Her jaw tightens slightly.“But when I brought that DNA test to you…” My voice drops when I remember the scene in the office. “I was terrified, Lucien.”“Of me?”“Yes!”I flinch at the brutal answer.“You’re Lucien Kórvac,” she says, her breathing uneven now, too. “You’re powerful and dangerous, and people fear you for a reason. I looked at Asher, and all I could think was what happens if your world reaches him?”Her voice cracks suddenly.“I didn’t hide him from his father,” she whispers fiercely. “I hid him from the world that comes with you. I wasn’t ready for my child to become a target

Elara’s POV, It’s been three whole days, and Lucien Kòrvac has practically vanished from the face of the earth.At first, I told myself I didn’t care. Well, I really didn’t because I knew he would come back, but my heart and body couldn’t help but miss him. Breakfast now felt unbearably quiet without his annoying habit of staring at me over coffee as if he could see through my skin or pulling my hair just for the sake of it.I haven’t heard his voice in seventy-two hours, and somehow the mansion itself feels colder because of it.Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.I slam my laptop shut harder than necessary and rub a hand down my face.“He’s working,” I mutter to myself for the hundredth time. “He’s probably busy.”Liar.Lucien has worked since the day I met him. That never stopped him from coming back. Why the hell is he avoiding me? Why can’t we talk this out like normal adults? We were fine for what? A day? And now, this?I mean, even Asher noticed. He keeps asking: “Where’s Daddy?”

Elara’s POV, I managed to get him out of the car. Actually, I walked out to buy him a lollipop, stuck it in his mouth, and dragged him out of the car. Unfortunately, he was still strong for someone drugged. He sat his ass down on the concrete floor and wouldn’t move until I went out again and bought him a teddy bear. And three different kinds of chips. And a fucking banana split.Luckily, there was a nearby mall open for twenty-four hours, else I’d have left him on the ground. Finally, he finishes his snack, and we get into the elevator. Now, he’s singing. “...danceeee the night awayyyyy, live your life and stay young on the floor,” he burps and grins at me. I grin back, praying internally for the elevator to go faster. “God, my voice is so beautiful.”The elevator dings before I can respond. Thank God.I drag him down the hallway until we finally reach Mireya’s condo and bang violently against the door.Several locks click almost immediately. Nikolai opens first. His expression g