Lily sank to her knees in the middle of the living room, tears streaming down her cheeks, her voice trembling with every word.

"I didn't mean for things to turn out like this,"she cried, clutching her abdomen as though the confession alone could reverse time.

Lucien’s eyes snapped toward her, dark with fury.

"Didn't mean to?"he echoed coldly. "Then why didn’t you take the pills, Lily? Why didn’t you stop this before dragging everyone down with you?"

Lily flinched, but she didn’t speak.

The room was thick with silence, the kind that weighed on the chest like a boulder. Damon leaned against the wall, still sore from D’Argon’s blows, while...