Chapter 26
Maureen**
They doubled the guards outside my door.
I noticed immediately.
Two during the day. Three at night.
Stefan hadn't shouted. He hadn't punished me publicly. He hadn't dragged me through the courtyard like an example.
That almost scared me more.
Silence from him meant calculation.
And calculation meant danger.
Nara wasn't allowed to stay long anymore. Our conversations were short, watched, careful. Even the healer spoke less when checking on me.
I was no longer just a slave.
I was a liability.
And an investment.
The baby shifted inside me again that morning. Stronger now. More present.
I sat on the edge of my bed and closed my eyes.
"I tried," I whispered to my stomach. "I tried to give you freedom."
The memory of Stefan's face that night haunted me. He hadn't looked furious.
He had looked… disappointed.
That made it worse.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come," I said quietly.
The door opened.
It wasn't a guard.
It was Stefan.
Alone.
