Chapter 389: Pain
The potion was terribly bitter.
Bitter enough to make her face tighten and her brows draw together in instinctive disgust. The taste lingered on her tongue, sharp and unpleasant, burning slightly as it slid down her throat.
But the moment it settled in her stomach, she heard Zyren’s voice again.
"Hold her down and cover her eyes."
The order was cold. Immediate. Final.
Panic surged through Aria.
Using every last bit of strength she could gather, she tried to scramble off the bed. Her arms pushed weakly against the sheets, her body trembling as she attempted to move.
Savira didn’t even try to stop her.
Because Aria barely made it halfway.
She only managed to roll weakly to the edge of the bed before her strength failed completely.
Her body shook violently as fear overtook her. Tears began to spill down the sides of her face as quiet sobs escaped her lips.
"Please..." she whispered.
Even that single word drained her.
"Give... give me one more day..."
But it was already clear.
Zyren had no intention of giving her anything.
Savira moved quickly.
She caught Aria’s wrists and held them down, her grip firm but not cruel. Then she tied a cloth across Aria’s eyes, covering her vision completely.
Darkness swallowed her.
Aria struggled again, weakly kicking her legs, trying to push herself away.
It didn’t work.
Familiar hands grabbed her ankles.
She knew those hands.
Cold air touched her abdomen, making her body tense instinctively. She tried to twist away, tried to pull free—
—and then the pain came.
At first it was dull.
A distant, dragging sensation.
But it grew.
Slowly. Relentlessly.
Her body was too weak to resist it.
Too weak to stop anything.
And what made it worse—far worse than the physical pain—was the thought behind it.
They’re killing my baby.
The realization burned through her mind like fire.
Rage rose inside her, wild and violent, a desperate urge to fight, to hurt someone, to make it stop—
But she couldn’t even move.
And the person doing this to her...
Was Zyren.
The man she had forgiven.
The man she had chosen.
The man she believed loved her.
The betrayal cut deeper than the blade.
Memories flashed through her mind—how she had forgiven him despite what he had done to her family, how she had trusted him, how she had let herself believe he would never hurt her again.
He always will.
The thought settled heavily inside her.
He will make me love him... and then he will hurt me.
That is who he is.
That is what he is.
Her heart raced violently, the rhythm uneven, fragile, as though it might shatter inside her chest.
Zyren worked quickly.
He had lived for more than a century. He knew enough about the human body to cut with precision, to avoid what must not be damaged.
He knew that once the baby was gone, her healing ability would return.
He was careful.
Careful not to harm her more than necessary.
But his blade did not hesitate.
It took several long moments.
Then he reached inside.
And pulled the fetus out.
He didn’t look at it.
He simply placed it aside on the bed and immediately turned his attention back to Aria.
"Savira."
She stepped forward at once.
He handed her the blade, silently urging her to close the wound.
His eyes never left Aria’s face.
She looked even paler than before.
She had lost blood—more than he liked—but not dangerously so. Savira had already given her something to slow the bleeding.
His hands were still stained red when he moved closer and pulled her gently toward him, lifting her upper body so that her head rested against his thighs.
He began to stroke her hair.
"You’ll be fine," he murmured softly. "I promise."
The same promise as before.
But this time, it did not include the child.
He kept speaking quietly, almost to himself, his clean hand moving slowly over her head while Savira focused entirely on stitching the wound.
The fetus lay nearby.
It looked almost like a baby.
But the head was slightly misshapen. The small chest rose and fell weakly, struggling, clinging desperately to life.
Savira did not look at it again.
There was nothing she could do.
All she could do was wait.
Soon, it would stop breathing.
Then she would discard it.
Her attention returned to Aria.
Because Aria’s condition was worse than before.
The only hope now was that her ability would return—and quickly.
Zyren seemed to think the same.
He didn’t move from her side.
Aria remained awake. Savira couldn’t risk letting her fall asleep.
Her eyes were closed, but tears streamed constantly from the corners.
Pain moved through her body.
But most of it came from her chest.
From her heart.
She tried to turn her head away from Zyren’s touch.
Tried to move away from the hand stroking her hair.
But his arm tightened around her, holding her in place.
He wasn’t letting her go.
That only made the anger inside her grow stronger.
So she stopped trying.
She kept her eyes closed and pretended she was alone.
Part of her wanted to look.
To see the baby.
But she didn’t.
It will break me, she thought.
No... it will destroy me.
Her tears would not stop.
After some time, Savira finished cleaning and stitching the wound.
She moved to the side of the bed and carefully lifted the small body, wrapping it in cloth before holding it gently against her chest.
Then she turned toward the door.
She had almost reached it—
"Make a grave..."
The whisper was so soft she almost thought she imagined it.
Savira turned.
Aria’s lips moved slightly.
"...Call him..."
She paused.
A faint crease appeared between her brows.
She didn’t know the child’s gender.
She hadn’t even asked.
She searched for a name—
But the effort was too much.
Her body grew heavy.
Sleep pulled at her again.
Zyren made a small gesture.
Savira didn’t hesitate.
She left immediately.
The door closed softly behind her.
The room fell silent.
Zyren remained seated on the bed, Aria half-lying against him.
He had no intention of moving.
Not until she was fully healed.
Even then, he knew the wounds in her mind would take longer.
Much longer.
Still, he believed it would be fine.
There was nothing, in his mind, that another child could not mend.
Even if he had to use the fertility sphere Drehk once used to ensure it.
