I couldn’t tell how many days had passed since the last time I had seen daylight. I sat in my chamber, the heavy drapery suffocating the sunlight and leaving me with only the dangerous thoughts that threatened to drown me.

My stomach twisted in slow agony, the gnawing hunger rising as the little one I hosted sapped all my energy. A low groan slipped past my lips, frustration simmering just beneath the surface. How could my father allow me to suffer like this, especially now?

He knows clearly, deep within himself that I wasn't a whore. What happened was just... Fate.

I had tried to convince myself in the course...