Chapter 62: An Electrifying Storm of Power, Pain, and Pregnant Fury
[Imperial Palace – Council Room / After the Shatter]
"I feel like..." Lucien’s voice wavered, thick with unshed tears. "I feel like I’m just a person carrying your child, Silas. Not your love. Not your husband. Not your partner. Not the person you fight beside."
His words lingered like a curse.
Sharp. Echoing. Final.
The silence that followed was heavy enough to bend time. Even the flames in the hearth seemed to shrink. Lucien turned away, one hand protectively cradling his belly, the other clenched tightly by his side. He didn’t look at anyone. Not Silas. Not Adrien. Not Elise.
And Silas...
Silas stood frozen.
"My love..." he finally said, voice cracking under the weight of regret. "Let’s talk. Please. Let’s go back home and—"
Lucien turned his head sharply, his voice slicing through the room like a blade: "NO."
Silas blinked. "What... what do you mean, no?"
Lucien slowly turned back, eyes red, face pale, voice steady—but stripped of softness. "I said I’m not going back. Not to the Rynthall estate. Not with you."