Chapter 9%
I had been in the hospital for days, but time felt meaningless. Every second stretched into eternity, filled with nothing but pain and emptiness.
I had survived.M
But I didn’t feel alive.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw them–my babies. The ones I never got to hold, never got to name, never even got to say goodbye to. Their absence was a gaping wound that no amount of time could ever heal.}
And Lucien had the audacity to show up every single day.”
He stood outside my hospital room, knocking gently, his voice hesitant, filled with guilt. “Mara, please… just let me talk to you.”
Lignored him.
Every day, he tried. And every day, I stayed silent, turning my face away, pretending he wasn’t there.”
But today was different.
Today, I was ready.
I sat upright as the door opened, watching as Lucien stepped inside. He looked exhausted–his hair a mess, dark circles under his eyes- but I didn’t care.
He didn’t deserve to sleep peacefully while I suffered.”
Slowly, I reached for the divorce papers resting on the bedside table. The same ones he had once thrown at me like I was disposable.}
I stood up, walked toward him, and without hesitation, I threw them at his face.
The papers fluttered between us, scattering at his feet.
“I never want to see you again,” I said, my voice steady, emotionless. “Ever.“}]
Lucien flinched, his hands clenching at his sides. He bent down, picking up the papers, his fingers trembling as he flipped through them.
“Mara…” His voice wavered, like he was searching for the right words. “I know I hurt you, but-”
“Where are my babies?” I cut him off.”
Silence.
His eyes darted away, his jaw tightening.”
“They’ve already been taken care of…” His voice was barely a whisper. “They were buried in the cemetery.“>
Something inside me snapped.}
“You what?” My hands curled into fists, my nails digging into my palms.
Lucien swallowed hard. “I–I thought it would be best-“}
“You had no right,” I hissed, my voice shaking with fury. “They were my babies. I should have been the one to decide where and how they were laid to rest.”
I turned away before the rage could consume me. I refused to let him see me break again.”
Lucien called after me, but I didn’t stop.
I was done listening to him.
The cemetery was quiet. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the rows of headstones, the golden light stretching over the earth like a soft embrace. But there was no warmth here.”
Only grief.
Each step felt heavier, my body weighed down by sorrow. My hands trembled as I clutched the small bouquet of white lilies, my fingers tightening around the stems until they almost snapped.}
And then I saw them.
Two small graves.
No names. Just dates.
My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the cold ground.
A sharp breath shuddered through me as I reached out, tracing the letters etched into the stone. My fingers ghosted over the rough surface, over the final evidence that my children had existed–briefly, cruelly–before being stolen from me.
They were real.
They were here.
But they were gone.
A deep, gut–wrenching sob tore through my throat.
I had held on to the hope that this was all some nightmare, that I would wake up and find myself back in my old life–where Lucien loved me, where we were happy, where my babies were still alive. But standing here, staring at the proof of their absence, reality shattered through me like a knife.
Tears blurred my vision as I leaned forward, pressing my forehead against the cold earth.
“I’m so sorry” I whispered, my voice breaking.
Sorry for not protecting them.N
Sorry for trusting the wrong person.
Sorry for not seeing the truth until it was too late.
Memories crashed over me, one after another.
Lucien and I had once dreamed of a family. He had held me in his arms late at night, whispering about the life we would build. I had imagined Sunday mornings filled with laughter, tiny feet pattering across the floor, the warmth of love wrapping around us like a safety
net.M
We were supposed to be happy.
We were happy.N
Until Vanessa came into our lives.N
I had never seen it coming. Never thought that the woman Lucien once called his past would become my downfall.
She had slithered her way between us, planting doubts, insecurities. I had watched helplessly as Lucien changed–how his love became something cruel, something conditional.N
At first, it was small things. Missed dinners. Cold glances. Defensiveness whenever I brought up her name. Then it became full–blown betrayal, manipulation, the undeniable truth that he had chosen her over me.
And when she took everything from me–my happiness, my dignity, my children–he had let her.”
A fresh wave of grief consumed me, my sobs wracking my body. I cried until my lungs ached, until my voice was raw.
For the babies I would never hold.N
For the life I had lost.N
For the love I had once believed in but no longer did.
But then–slowly, painfully–I pulled myself together.N
I wiped my tears, inhaling shakily.
I couldn’t stay like this.
I wouldn’t.
I had lost too much, but I wasn’t going to let myself be destroyed.”
A voice broke through the silence.
pallini
www
I let you go once,” Rozen said from behind me, his voice firm. “I’m not doing it again.”
I turned to face him.
His expression was unreadable, but there was something steady in his gaze. Something solid.
“I lost everything, Rozen.” My voice was hoarse from crying. “Everything.”
He nodded. “Then let’s take something back.”
A flicker of determination sparked inside me.
I had spent too long being weak. Too long letting others decide my fate.
Not anymore.
I met Rozen’s gaze, my resolve hardening.
“I want to find Vanessa,” I said, my voice firm.
“And I want her to pay.“”
