137
~Damon’s POV
"I’m sorry... I didn’t an to worry you..."
"Don’t you dare apologize," I said quickly, my hand brushing her hair back from her sweaty forehead. "You don’t ever apologize for being unwell. Just rest."
Her eyes fluttered closed again, and I froze, terrified she had lost consciousness.
"Lisa!" I shook her lightly, and she groaned softly, still breathing. Relief washed over , but my heart kept pounding as though I had just fought a war.
Within minutes, the royal healer rushed into the room with the guard behind him. He bowed deeply.
"My lord."
"Check her now," I ordered, pointing toward Lisa. "Tell what’s wrong with her."
"Yes, my lord."
The healer walked quickly to the bed, his bag of instrunts in hand. He began checking her pulse, pressing gently against her stomach, listening closely with his tools. I stood behind him, pacing the room restlessly. Every passing second felt like hours. My palms were sweating, and I couldn’t stop staring at Lisa’s weak form on the bed.
Finally, the healer straightened and bowed again. His voice ca out carefully, as though he was unsure how I would take the news.
"My lord... Lady Lisa is pregnant."
I froze. For a mont, I thought I misheard him. The word rang in my ears over and over again.
"Pregnant?" I repeated, my voice cracking slightly.
"Yes, my lord. She’s with child."
I turned to look at Lisa, my mind spinning, my chest rising and falling quickly. Pregnant?
I dismissed the healer with a nod, but his words stayed in my mind. Lisa is pregnant. My chest felt heavy, and for the first ti in a long while, I didn’t know how to feel.
"Make sure she gets checked on daily," I told him firmly before he left. "She must have everything she needs, rest, food, dicine. I don’t care what it costs."
"Yes, my lord," he bowed and left quickly.
When the door closed, silence filled the room. Lisa lay on the bed, her face pale, her eyes distant. I sat beside her, trying to keep myself calm for her sake. I reached out to touch her hand, but before I could say anything, tears started rolling down her cheeks.
Her voice trembled, soft at first but sharp enough to pierce . "The child... it belongs to you. To you and your brothers."
I felt my whole body go stiff. My chest tightened as if soone had gripped by the throat. "I know..." I whispered, though my voice felt hollow.
Her tears spilled faster now, streaming down her cheeks in ssy rivers. She pressed her hand against her stomach, like she was holding back a storm, like the little life inside her was sothing heavy, sothing unbearable. "This child," she choked out, "is the result of your maltreatnt. Do you understand that, Damon? You didn’t want . None of you loved . And now I’m carrying... this."
Her words cut through like a blade being driven straight into my chest. I couldn’t even breathe properly. My lungs felt too small, my guilt too big.
"Lisa, no..." My voice cracked, my hands trembling as I reached for her shoulders. "Don’t say it like that. Please don’t."
She shook her head violently, pulling back from my touch as if my skin burned her. "It’s the truth. You think I don’t rember how it felt? Being tossed aside, being nothing more than... than a burden you didn’t even want to look at. And now I’m supposed to carry a piece of that pain with for the rest of my life?"
"Lisa..." My throat was dry, words scraping out of . "I was wrong. We were wrong. I..."
"You don’t get it!" she snapped through her sobs, her whole body trembling. "I didn’t want this! I don’t want to carry the child of people who hurt , who saw as nothing. Every ti I feel it inside , I rember everything you did. The way you looked at , the way you made feel like I didn’t matter. Do you know what that’s like? I don’t want this child, Damon. It’s like a curse and I don’t think I can love the baby. He or she is a reminder of pain and agony. And I don’t want to hate my child. What should I do, Damon? I need a solution, Damon."
I bit down on my lip until I tasted iron. My chest burned. Her pain was raw, spilling out like it had been locked away too long, and I had no shield against it.
"I thought..." she whispered, almost breaking into silence. "I thought maybe... one day... I’d be seen. That maybe you would want . That maybe I’d be more than just so... unwanted girl in your palace. But now..." She broke again, curling into herself, hands clutching her belly as if she wanted to tear the mory out. "Now I’m just a vessel. A vessel of your mistakes."
Her words shattered sothing deep inside . The desperation in her tone, the way her voice cracked with each sob, it was unbearable. I brushed away the tears streaming down her cheeks, my thumbs trembling against her damp skin. "Lisa, listen to ," I whispered firmly, almost pleading. "You’re not a burden. You’re not sothing to be pitied. And no matter what’s happened before, this child is innocent. You are innocent."
But she kept shaking her head, curling in on herself like she wanted to disappear. "You don’t understand, Damon," she choked out. "If they know... if your brothers know, they’ll only see as a reminder of what they did. I’ll see it in their eyes every single day. The disgust. The hatred. I don’t think I can survive that."
I frowned deeply. "Lisa, they have the right to know. They must...."
"No!" she scread suddenly, her voice echoing in the room. Her body shook as she clutched my hand. "Please, Damon. Don’t tell them. I can’t bear it. I can’t live with their rejection again. Please."
I stared at her, my heart breaking at the desperation in her voice. For a long mont, I couldn’t say anything. Finally, I sighed and pulled her gently into my arms, letting her cry against my chest.
"Alright," I whispered, stroking her hair. "Alright. If that’s what you want, then I won’t tell them. Not now."
She clung to tightly, her tears soaking through my shirt. "Promise ," she whispered.
"I promise," I said, even though deep inside, I knew this secret would eventually co to light.
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