But I was never the one.
It had always been Vanessa.
A broken sob slipped past my lips as I curled tighter on the floor, fingernails digging into my palms. I had been so foolish. So blindly in love.
And now I was here—being punished for something I never did.
I must have drifted into an exhausted sleep, because the next thing I heard was the sound of something clattering beside me. A plate had landed roughly on the floor, food scattering across the marble. Some of it rolled beneath the furniture.
Lucien stood over me, his expression unreadable—hardened by fury or apathy, I didn’t know which.
“I told you to eat,” he said sharply. “You think starving yourself will fix anything?”
I opened my mouth, but before a single word could leave, the butler cautiously stepped forward.
“Sir… she’s pregnant. She’s not well. We should call someone. A doctor, maybe—”
“Shut up,” Lucien snapped, his voice turning to ice. “You open your mouth for her again, and you’ll be looking for a new job.”
The butler shrank back, eyes lowered in submission.
Lucien’s attention shifted back to me, his eyes cold and brimming with disdain. “Eat it. Off the floor. Or don’t. I don’t care if you starve.”