Chapter 3

Liora's POV

When I woke up, Tallulah was resting her head on the edge of the bed. Hearing movement, she snapped her head up and grabbed my hand, her swollen eyes immediately brimming with tears again.

"Liora, you're finally awake! You scared me to death. You've been unconscious for three days."

My heart constricted. Tomorrow was the day I was scheduled to leave the Black-Fig Pack.

Tallulah bit her lip. "There's something I must tell you. When the doctor examined you... he found out you were over a month pregnant. Because of the fall, you suffered massive blood loss... The baby couldn't be saved."

I froze on the bed, my hand slowly pressing against my lower abdomen.

"Are you saying... I had a baby?"

Before I even had the chance to rejoice over its existence, I was told it had already died.

The door was suddenly kicked open.

Kael barged in, his face dark with fury. "Liora, you caused Zinnia to lose her baby! How could you be so malicious?"

I propped myself up on the bed. "Zinnia was never pregnant. She used a fake belly to deceive you. She deliberately fell that day, waited for me to approach, attacked me, and then framed me. All you need to do is pull the surveillance footage from the bridal shop, and you'll know the truth."

"Shut up!"

Kael rushed to the bedside and grabbed my neck, his fingers tightening relentlessly.

"She just lost her child, and you're still using these lies to humiliate her? You make me sick. I won't give you another chance to hurt her."

Tallulah threw herself forward. "Let go of Liora! She just had a miscar—"

Kael released me and shoved her back against the wall.

"Whose sister are you? Taking the side of an outsider over your own brother?"

"The Cranberry Pack died saving our entire tribe! She is not an outsider!"

"If you lie for her again, I'll banish you from our territory!"

Tallulah glared at him fiercely. "You will regret everything you did today!"

Kael yanked the IV needle out of the back of my hand, grabbed my arm, and dragged me off the bed. The moment my feet hit the floor, a tearing pain shot through my abdomen, and I collapsed heavily onto my knees.

Tallulah lunged forward. "She's still bleeding!"

"This is what she owes Zinnia."

Kael dragged me into the neighboring ward and slammed me down in front of Zinnia's bed. Two guards immediately pinned my shoulders.

Leaning against her pillows, Zinnia burst into tears the moment she saw me. "Liora, I know you love Kael, but my baby was innocent! Why couldn't you even spare him?"

Kael immediately held her hand. "Don't be afraid. I'll get justice for our child."

"Now that the baby is gone, what's the point of me living?"

"We will have more children in the future."

I, who had actually lost a child, was sprawling on the floor, my hospital gown soaked in blood. Zinnia, who had never been pregnant, lay comfortably in bed, enjoying the comfort of the child's supposed father.

"Kael, have a doctor examine her right now," I raised my head. "A miscarriage leaves physical evidence. She can't fake it."

Zinnia trembled violently as she sobbed. "Are you saying I used a child to deceive Kael?"

"Enough!" Kael pointed at the floor in front of Zinnia's bed. "Apologize to Zinnia. Admit that you killed her child. Otherwise, I will break off our engagement immediately and marry Zinnia instead."

Three days ago, those words would have broken me. But at this moment, the emotional bond between us had completely vanished. Five years of love had boiled down to nothing more than a sickening joke.

I pushed the guards away, supported myself against the bed frame, and stood up with difficulty. I looked at Zinnia and said, "I'm sorry."

Triumph flashed in her eyes. "As long as you truly repent, I am willing to forgive you."

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not confessing to anything," I interrupted her. "This apology is meant for myself. I can't believe I wasted five years of my life on a man not worth a dime."

I turned to Kael. "The engagement is off. From this moment on, who you marry or love has nothing to do with me."

Tallulah rushed over to support me. I walked right past Kael without looking back.

Kael stood frozen in place, watching me disappear through the doorway, a sudden emptiness hitting his chest. He instinctively wanted to chase after me, but Zinnia grabbed his hand, crying, "Kael, I only have you left."

He suppressed that strange sensation and remained in the room.

It wasn't until late at night that Kael returned to his quarters. He pushed open my room door—it was empty. The wardrobe, document drawers, and luggage racks were cleared out. Even the Cranberry Pack crest I kept on the nightstand was gone.

He immediately dialed Tallulah's number.

"Where is Liora?"

"She's gone."

"Tell me where she went!"

"She's left to fulfill her alliance marriage with the Pear Pack. By the way, before you dragged her off her hospital bed and forced her to apologize to Zinnia, Liora had just lost her own baby."