I had always known there was something hidden behind Jacob’s eyes—something dark, something unspoken. His gaze could burn like fire, but there were shadows buried so deep within him that even when he looked directly at me, I often wondered if he truly saw me at all.
For weeks, I told myself it was anger. Hatred. A curse I had brought into his life.
But I was wrong.
I discovered the truth the day Selene cornered me in the gardens.
It was one of the rare afternoons I had been permitted outside, my guards trailing close behind like wolves in my shadow. I clutched a book in my hands, reading softly, whispering stories to the small life within me, hoping the baby could somehow hear. Hoping my words might give him comfort where I had none.
The air shifted before I even heard her voice. Sele
