VALERIE.
Pain had a new shape now.
It didn’t slice like a blade or pulse like old bruises. It coiled.
Silent. Constant. Slow.
I lay in my chamber, propped against velvet pillows, my hands resting over the barely-there swell of my stomach. The child inside me—once lively, kicking, stubborn—was quiet. And though Madam Rose swore the heartbeat was strong, the silence chilled me more than pain ever could. The bond magic was fraying. I could feel it in my bones. Where once Jason’s fire surged through me like warmth on a bitter day, now there was only ash. Dorian’s steadiness had become heavy. Jasper's moonlit calm—distant.
We were drifting apart and Callum had planned it that way.
The tension was palpable. Jason leaned against the window ledge, arms crossed, jaw tight. Jasper sat with mil
