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Chapter 26
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2024-11-16 19:54:02Chapter 26: The Breaking Point
The castle had never felt so empty.
Karina wandered through the corridors, her footsteps echoing against the cold stone walls. Every room she passed—once familiar, once filled with the warmth of laughter and plans for the future—now seemed foreign. The air itself had grown thick with unspoken words, heavy with the things they could no longer say to each other.
Caden’s absence had hollowed out the spaces they once shared. The din of battle, the urgency of the war—those things had become his world. And Karina? She was left on the edges, an observer in a life she no longer felt a part of.
She had tried. She had tried so hard to make him see her—see *them*. But every time she reached for him, he pushed her further away. And now, even the moments they once shared, the glances, the touches, felt like cruel reminders of what they had lost. What she had lost.
But it wasn’t just the di
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Chapter 28: Fractured TrustThe castle was abuzz with whispers, rumors weaving through the stone halls like fire in dry grass. Karina had never felt more exposed. The news of her pregnancy had spread quickly, carried by the same mouths that had once praised her and Caden as a united force, an unshakable pair. Now, those same tongues gossiped in the shadows, speaking of her and the child she carried.But the most damaging rumor came from Lena.Karina didn’t know how it had started—whether Lena had told Caden outright or simply let the seeds of doubt take root in his mind. But it didn’t matter. What mattered now was that Caden believed what Lena had told him: that the child Karina carried wasn’t his. That it was Andrew’s.The news hit Karina like a blow to the chest. It was impossible, ludicrous even. There was no truth to it—*none*. But Caden... Caden believed it. Or at least, he had allowed himself to. His trust i
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Chapter 29: Shattered HeartIt had been four months.Four long months since Karina had turned her back on Caden—and since he had done the same to her. Four months since the rumors had begun, since Lena’s words had sown doubt in his heart, making him question everything they had built. The pain still lingered in Karina’s chest like an open wound, a constant, gnawing ache that never seemed to subside.Her pregnancy had been a bittersweet journey. She hadn’t told many people about it. Only a few trusted servants and advisers knew, and she had kept herself as busy as possible, focusing on the kingdom’s affairs, the things that mattered. She had kept her distance from Caden, avoiding him in every way she could, though it hadn’t been easy. Seeing him, hearing his name—he was everywhere. His absence had become a part of her life as much as his presence once had.But despite the months of pain and heartache, she was slowl
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Chapter 31: The MeetingThe storm had come out of nowhere.It started with a faint rumble in the distance, the sky darkening rapidly, as if the heavens themselves were preparing for a war. By the time the winds picked up, swirling dust and debris across the valley, Karina knew something was wrong. The boys—Luka and Silas—had been playing in the yard, their laughter ringing through the air, but now they were quiet, their small faces peering out from the window of their cottage as the storm began to howl outside.Karina felt it too. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Something—someone—was coming.She rushed to the door, her hand resting on the handle, her pulse racing. And then, through the howling wind and the rain that began to fall in sheets, she heard the unmistakable sound of hooves—galloping fast, as though the rider were in a hurry, desperate to reach their small home.Karina's heart skipped a beat as she
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