Chapter 3

Baby.

Valerius had essentially murdered the baby in my womb.

And now, he was planning for us to raise his beloved woman's child as our own.

A deafening ringing exploded in my ears.

My stomach convulsed in violent waves, the bitter taste of bile rising hot in the back of my throat. Tremors wracked my entire body, impossible to control.

The sound of running water in the bathroom abruptly stopped. Like I'd touched a live wire, I instantly backed out of his chat logs.

Valerius stepped out. "What are you doing?"

"Who gave you permission to touch my things?"

A wall of brute, irresistible force slammed into me.

I stumbled backward, the back of my head cracking violently against the sharp edge of the nightstand.

Agonizing pain exploded inside my skull. I clutched my head, the room spinning into a blurry haze.

Clutching his phone, Valerius looked down at me . "Do you not understand the concept of privacy? Don't think that just because we're bound by a Blood Pact, you have the right to cross the line."

This was exactly who he was.

He could still effortlessly seize the moral high ground, shifting all the blame onto me without a shred of guilt.

Perhaps the sight of my blood seeping into the carpet reminded him of the role he was supposed to be playing: the devoted husband desperately trying to conquer his rage issues.

He bent down and reached out. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Don't come near me!"

I screamed instinctively, my arms throwing themselves up to shield my head as my body desperately scrambled backward into the corner.

It was a reflex built over three years.

Over countless days and nights, this was exactly how he would approach me—drenched in violent rage.

Valerius's outstretched hand froze in midair.

"You went snooping through my phone first. That's why I lost control and pushed you. You brought this on yourself. Remember, never touch my things again."

With that, he walked away.

Looking down at his screen, an uncontrollable smirk crept onto his lips.

In that moment, absolute clarity washed over me.

He was a ticking time bomb. The second I showed even a hint of defiance, he would blow me to pieces.

In the dead of night, I booked a flight to the Neutral City-States for tomorrow evening. Then, I forwarded all the necessary documents to my lawyer to initiate the severance of the Blood Pact.

The next morning.

When I walked into the kitchen, Valerius was wearing an apron—an unprecedented sight.

He pushed a plate of charred, inedible fried eggs toward me, while his other hand carefully packed a highly luxurious insulated lunchbox.

"I let my temper get the better of me last night. I promise, I'll contact the medical team tomorrow. I won't hurt you again. Forgive me this one last time, hmm?"

I kept my voice deadpan. "I've listened to that exact promise for three years. How do you expect me to keep believing it?"

Valerius leaned in, trapping me completely in his shadow.

"I swear it," he said, holding my gaze with heavy solemnity. "This is truly the last time."

"Is it?" I lifted my chin, meeting his eyes square on. "Because if you hurt me again, we sever the Blood Pact. Forced annulment."

The ambient air plunged below freezing.

Valerius's mask of gentle devotion shattered instantly. His hand shot out, clamping down on my wrist with a brutal grip that threatened to crush the bone.

"Never. The Blood Pact is eternal. There will be no annulment."

His eyes bored into me, leaving a trail of ice in my veins.

"If you feel wronged, you can punish me any way you want. You can even take a knife and stab me. But leave? Absolutely impossible."

I took a slow, deep breath, forcefully softening my eyes, playing the part of the terrified, submissive wife yielding to his dominance.

"You're hurting me... I was just saying it."

Hearing those words, the raw violence in his eyes receded like a pulling tide.

"I'll skip the council chamber today," he said, casually ruffling my hair. "I'll stay home and keep you company."

Right on cue, his private terminal chimed.

Valerius glanced at the screen, a slight frown touching his brow. "I need to take this."

He turned and strode briskly into the study. Less than two minutes later, he emerged.

"Ilera, there's an urgent situation at the border. I'll come back to you as soon as I handle it. Stay in the castle. Don't go anywhere."

Without waiting for my response, he marched toward the foyer.

I turned and walked up to the second-floor terrace.

Down below, just outside the castle gates, Seraphina stood with her heavily pregnant belly. Valerius was hovering over her, a hand carefully shielding the top of her head as he guided her into his car.

Just as the car door was about to close, Seraphina suddenly tilted her head back.

Her eyes locked straight onto me where I stood on the balcony. Slowly, she parted her red lips, flashing me an utterly brazen, triumphant smirk.

I turned my back on the terrace and dragged out the luggage I had already packed.

It was time. To the airport.

Valerius felt an unshakable sense of unease. He just couldn't stop his mind from wandering today.

Seraphina was inside the clinic for her maternity checkup. Irritated, he pulled out his phone, opened his chat interface with me, then locked the screen again.

He didn't know why, but for the past hour, that profound anchor deep within his heart—the metaphysical weight tethering him to his other half's soul—had inexplicably become terrifyingly hollow.

A frantic buzzing from his phone shattered his thoughts.

It was the castle's head butler. Valerius picked it up, snapping, "Didn't I tell you to hold off on border reports until later?"

"M-My Lord..."

"Madam's lawyer just filed a petition with the High Court for a forced severance of the Blood Pact!"