Chapter 195
Amica
Eight months later…
+15
Since the beginning of my pregnancy, Deckard has made it his life’s mission to ensure I have nothing but the best. The best doctors, the best care, the best of everything. He showers me with so much attention, love, and tenderness that sometimes I find it hard to believe he’s the same fierce man the world fears.
He treats me like a queen, and not once does he let me forget it.
Today, Deckard has an important meeting that pulls him out of Blackwater – just for a few hours, he promises
He paces like a caged beast, reluctant to leave my side even for a moment.
“I want you to come with me,” he insists, voice low and commanding.
–
but he’s restless.
I chuckle softly, reaching for his hand. “Love, I can barely fit into a car at this point,” I tease, rubbing my very round belly. “Besides, the doctors warned me against traveling. I could go into labor any minute.”
He frowns deeply, not convinced. “Then I’m not leaving. I’ll cancel it. I’ll stay until our child is born.”
“Deckard,” I murmur, cupping his stubborn jaw. “I’ll be fine. You’ll be back before nightfall. I promise to rest and not get
into any
trouble.”
It takes a long stretch of gentle persuasion, but finally–reluctantly–he agrees to leave. He assigns Leonard to keep watch over me, though the entire house feels like it’s on high alert. Deckard is still worried sick, but I can’t help but find it a little adorable… and a little exhausting.
Still, deep down, I know he’s only afraid.
Afraid to lose mo
Afraid to lose us.
And even though I’m craving just a sliver of breathing room from his overprotective shadow
After Deckard kisses me goodbye early that morning, I enjoy a quiet breakfast and, a few hours later, feel the restless urge to walk around the Manor. The day is calm, the air sweet, and I think some fresh breeze would do re–and the baby–some good.
I drift into the garden, settling for a while among the blooms, letting the soft wind play through my
But something catches my eye.
hair.
Just beyond the thick, horticultural–covered walls, I notice a strange outline a faint seam that doesn’t quite blend with the rest of the- structure. Curious, I rise slowly, supporting my heavy belly with one hand, and make my way over.
When I get closer, my instincts are proven right.
Hidden beneath the curtain of flowers and climbing plants, there’s a small gate. Almost ble unless you know exactly where to look.
Heart beating a little faster, I brush aside the vines and carefully pull it open.
A hidden pathway reveals itself beyond the gate, narrow and winding. The wind blowing from the path feels different–cooler, beckoning. It stirs something in me, something both curious and unexplainable.
I
Without thinking, I step forward.
I follow the path, taking in the mingling scents of wildflowers and earth. The world feels quieter here, softer. Time seems to slow down.
My steps are unhurried, but with each one, I feel the weight in my body shift, the familiar ache flaring in my lower back and hips.
I ignore it.
Lately, these aches are as common as my own heartbeat.
1/4
3:59 PM d
Chapter 195
Still, somewhere deep inside, a whisper of warning brushes my mind.
But I keep walking.
The road stretches forward into the unknown… and I follow.
I spot a bend up ahead. From where I stand, I can just make out the roof of a small house tucked away behind the trees–probably the gardeners‘ quarters.
Excited by the discovery, I press on, cager to see it up close. But the farther I walk, the more the house seems to stretch away from me, like it’s slipping just beyond my reach..
Damn, I’m tired.
This is more than just a casual walk.
A deep ache blooms in my back, and then lower–below my pelvis–tight and persistent.
Maybe it’s time to turn back.
I spin around, determined to come back and explore another day, but the moment I do, a sudden gush of warm liquid pours down my thighs, soaking into my dress and pooling around my feet.
I freeze.
What the hell?
Did I just… pee myself without realizing? No, no–wait.
Realization crashes into me.
My water just broke.
Shit.
Almost instantly, the pain surges, sharp and brutal. inside.
IL
feels like something is trying to claw its way out of me, tearing me apart from the
The contractions grip me without mercy, making it nearly impossible to move.
I try to take a step—but my legs won’t carry me far. The pain has me rooted to the spot.
All I want to do is sit, or squat, or curl up into myself. I don’t know–anything to relieve this unbearable pressure.
I clutch my belly, breathing hard, panic starting to claw at the edges of my mind.
The baby is coming.
And I am all alone.
I cry out in pain, my voice tearing through the quiet.
The urgency of this labor hits me like a brutal wave, and it shocks me to my core.
The doctor said it shouldn’t be for another few weeks.
But this–this right here–is anything but normal.
The pain is unbearable. The urgency terrifying.
Tscream again, louder this time, praying that someone, anyone, might hear me. Maybe someone from the hut. But it’s too far. I am too far
My legs buckle, and I can’t move anymore.
I collapse onto the grass, lowering myself carefully onto my back.
I might have to do this myself.
2/4
+15
Chapter 195
Tears burn in my eyes as I try to breathe, sucking in sharp, broken gasps. I exhale in desperate shudders, but the cries keep escaping me -loud, raw, and full of fear.
I brace myself, clutching my swollen belly.
I have to push.
I bear down with everything I have, but the pain is blinding. My strength is slipping away, but I have to do this.
I push again, harder, feeling something heavy and impossibly real forcing its way through me, stretching, tearing, burning.
Screaming, I reach down instinctively.
I feel a small, slick head pressing free.
With trembling hands, I guide it, help it along, and then–suddenly–the tiny body slips into my hands, wet and warm, sliding through a slimy slope of birth.
It’s here.
My baby.
I cradle her carefully in my arms, and her first cry erupts into the open air–strong, fierce, full of life.
A girl.
A beautiful, perfect little girl. My heiress.
The most beautiful baby I have ever seen.
Though weak, I gather her against my chest, holding her as close as my trembling arms will allow.
Tears blur my vision, but I manage to pull out my breast, offering it to her.
Her tiny hands flail blindly until she finds the nipple, latching on and suckling hungrily like a starved little creature from the stars themselves.
I close my eyes, breathing deeply, hoping to regain enough strength to make my way back to the Manor.
But then-
A sharp, fresh pain rips through me, wrenching a scream from my
I glance down in horror to see more
throat.
a gushing out of me, thick and dark
E
Panic seizes my chest.
What the hell is happening?
I just had the baby–why am I still in so much pain?
Another wave of agony strikes, and I realize-
Something else is pushing its way out of me.
Another baby?
Oh no…
Terror grips me.
I’m too weak to do this again. My body is trembling violently, my legs frozen and numb, my strength nearly drained.
But if I don’t push… if I don’t fight through this….
The second baby might not survive.
Tears stream down my cheeks. I hold my little girl tighter with one arm
4:00 PM
Chapter 195
again–pushing with every ounce of broken strength left inside me.
I cry out again, louder this time.
Oh no,
I am too weak to push, but if I don’t, the baby will not survive.
With the last strength I can muster, I push harder, my cries ripping through the air, startling all the creatures of the woods.
The birds above flee from the trees, their wings flapping frantically.
If only they could carry a message for me–to call someone, anyone, to help me.
Again, I assist my little baby, guiding the tiny life out of me.
This time, it’s a boy.
There, in that sacred moment, I bear two children: a heir and an heiress to the Blackthorn Castle.
They are the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
Even Even though I am weak, I don’t want to let go of my babies. I hold them against my chest, crying and laughing all at once.
But soon, a crushing blackness swallows me whole, and I fall into deep unconsciousness.
The next time I open my eyes, I find myself lying in a warm, well–lit room.
My clothes have been changed, and all the mess I made has been carefully cleaned up.
Everything smells of lavender and new beginnings..
I quickly sit up, my heart racing.
I spot a comfy little court beside me where my baby lies peacefully, wrapped in soft linen.
But as my vision sharpens-
I see only one baby.
Only my little heiress.
Where is my little heir?
AD
