Chapter 187
Cassian
The hallways of the palace were silent—eerily so.
The kind of silence that didn’t bring peace… but war.
I walked alone. My bare feet brushed against the marble floors, my hands tucked behind my back as I tried to anchor myself in the rhythm of my steps. One. Two. Three. Four.
Anything to distract myself from the echo of her voice.
The banging on the door had stopped minutes ago.
But the sound—the desperation of it—still rang in my head like a cursed lullaby.
Each hit had been a reminder.
A reminder of what was growing inside her.
A reminder that even fate could be cruel.
I should’ve been able to sleep. I had faced worse. I had buried brothers in arms. I had watched the kingdom burn and rebuilt it with blood on my hands. But nothing—nothing—had ever left this
