Zara Fox's POV
The echo of the blow still resonated in my bones. Seeing my father smash his fist into Julian's face wasn't just a physical shock; it was an earthquake that shattered what little security I had left.
For a moment I swore he would kill him. That the fury he'd held back for years, that fierce fatherly protection, was going to consume him. And when I learned they knew each other… that my father knew who he was and still beat him… fear froze my blood.
I lied. Of course I lied. I said I was pregnant like someone throwing a life preserver into the sea without knowing if it would float. I needed to paralyze him. To stop this war of titans that threatened to bury me. And it worked.
The ceremony was beautiful… yes. But the most beautiful, the purest thing, was my little Alina'
