Chapter 213: Chapter 213 Shattered Hope
Phoebe’s POV
Marcela’s words cut through me like ice.
I could see the pain in her eyes, but that didn’t soften the blow. She wasn’t trying to crush my joy—she was trying to save me and Perry from what she saw as inevitable disaster.
"Please, think about it again." Her voice cracked, almost pleading as she begged me to end my pregnancy. The timing was early enough that my health wouldn’t suffer much.
The cruelty of asking an expectant mother to abandon the child she’d longed for wasn’t lost on either of us, but Marcela felt cornered into brutal honesty.
My reaction was exactly what she’d expected. I shot to my feet, arms wrapping protectively around my stomach, glaring at her like she’d drawn a blade.
"Phoebe, please..." Marcela faltered, clearly torn about involving Perry. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him, not with the situation so complicated.
Perry was heading into battle, and this news would shatter his focus. Marcela wasn’t a warrior, but she understood that war left no room for distracted minds—distraction meant death.
Still, she knew she couldn’t convince me alone.
I shook my head, fixing her with a steely stare.
My lips pressed tight, fighting to keep my composure.
"Phoebe, please, you need to understand this."
I grabbed my notebook, scribbling furiously before shoving it toward her. [You told me yourself I’d be fine, that I could carry a child if I followed your care and drank your tonics regularly. I’ve done everything. You said I was healthy!]
Guilt flooded Marcela’s face as she pressed her lips together. "I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have given you false hope, but I couldn’t bear to crush your dreams."
She’d believed I wouldn’t conceive so easily—had convinced herself I might never get pregnant again, clinging to that assumption.
She’d been dead wrong.
Her confession hit me like a physical blow.
"I’m sorry, I don’t think this is viable given your current condition..." Tears threatened to spill from Marcela’s eyes. She knew she’d caused more damage than healing.
[So you never believed I could get pregnant again? That’s what you really thought? That’s why you said all those encouraging things?] My hands shook as I held up the note.
"I’m sorry."
Marcela didn’t deny it outright, but her desperate apology confirmed everything I needed to know. She’d truly believed I’d never carry a baby again.
"I know I was wrong to mislead you, but I meant no harm. I..."
I turned away, not wanting to hear another word. Before leaving the room, I scrawled a quick message and tore it from the pad, pressing it into her hands.
Marcela’s eyes dropped to the paper.
[I’m keeping this baby. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect us both. Don’t tell Perry until he returns from battle. Not a word. I want to be the one to share this news with him.]
That settled it. Marcela was sworn to secrecy.
If something went wrong during my pregnancy and Perry discovered she’d known, Marcela wouldn’t survive his rage.
I hurried toward the waiting car, fighting back tears. I refused to let the warriors accompanying me see me break down.
But Justin sensed something was off.
"Is everything alright, my queen?" His voice carried genuine concern.
I nodded and slipped into the car, asking the driver to take it slow—I felt queasy.
It was unfortunate Samuel couldn’t join us; the recent attack had left him bedridden. But Justin was here, and his familiar presence eased my loneliness.
Wade sat behind the wheel, occasionally catching my reflection in the rearview mirror. The young warrior could sense my distress.
Justin would nudge him to focus on the road when his glances lingered too long.
This was Wade’s first major assignment as a newly appointed warrior, and his eagerness to impress was obvious. But perfection wasn’t what I needed right now—I craved calm and silence while my thoughts churned.
My mind was deafeningly loud, and I desperately wanted to quiet it. But anxiety clawed at me, especially now that I’d confirmed the tiny life growing inside me.
——
Fiona gazed up at the stars, arms wrapped around herself as she hid from the others on the deck. The wind whipped through her hair, and exhaustion tugged at her, but she couldn’t face returning to her cabin.
She needed solitude to sort through her tangled emotions.
Today had brought too many revelations, and they were lucky Royal Beta Allen had secured them passage across the territory by water.
The problem was Fiona despised the man completely. Knowing she carried his child made her want to throw herself overboard.
As if summoned by her dark thoughts, Allen approached.
"So, here you are..."
