Chapter 2
Caleb's castle was right next door.
The two brothers' castles stood side by side, perched atop the highest mountain in the Northlands, giving the feeling that all the world lay beneath them.
But Caleb wasn't there. He spent most of his time patrolling the borders of the Northlands with his men and rarely came back.
The last time I saw him was on my wedding night.
The maids at Caleb's place were cold to me, too. They showed me to a small room and then left me alone, not bothering to serve me.
I figured out the kitchen myself and fixed something to eat.
On my way back, I heard the twins crying in the hallway.
I started to panic and rushed over.
When I pushed the door open, I saw Lilian standing by the stroller, with two maids by her side.
"Lilian, what did you do to the twins?" I yelled.
I rushed forward in panic, pushing Lilian aside.
"How dare you push Lady Lilian? Do you have a death wish?" one of the maids snapped, stepping up to slap me.
I dodged, grabbed her wrist, and shoved her back hard.
The maid hit the floor with a yelp.
"How dare you hit my maid?" Lilian snapped, her face darkening with fury as she glared at me. "I only wanted to see what kind of bastard you gave birth to.
"What's got you so worked up?
"Why? You think I'm here to steal your kids?
"Honestly, even if I killed them, Damien wouldn't care."
She stepped closer, her eyes flashing with a vicious warning.
"Damien told me you're nothing but a baby-making machine," she spat. "He doesn't have a shred of feeling for you.
"Those kids you had? They'll never get a shot at inheriting anything."
I scoffed. "If that's true, what are you so afraid of?"
Lilian's eyes narrowed, turning savage.
She seized my collar, glaring at me.
"What are you so smug about?" she spat. "You probably don't know me, do you? I'm the kind of woman who can't stand even the tiniest flaw."
With a violent motion, she swung her arm and sent the heavy iron candlestick toppling over.
Right beneath it was the twins' stroller.
The heavy candlestick hurtled straight down toward the twins.
"No!" I screamed.
Without thinking, I dove over the stroller, curling my back protectively around the twins.
The heavy iron corner crashed hard into my shoulder blade with a thump.
My clothes ripped open, warm blood pouring out and soaking the edge of the stroller.
Jolted awake by the crash, both children burst into heart-wrenching wails.
"Oops, I didn't mean to," Lilian gasped, pretending to be shocked as she covered her mouth.
But her eyes sparkled with undisguised delight.
Then she gave the two maids a sharp warning glare.
"Did you see that? Was it on purpose?" she asked.
The maids quickly shook their heads, terrified, not daring to make a sound.
Lilian flashed a satisfied smile, then turned and walked away.
Pressing my bleeding shoulder, I fought through the pain to calm the twins.
*****
Half an hour later, I managed to patch up my wound.
But I couldn't shake the fear that Lilian might try something with the twins, and Caleb still hadn't come back.
After thinking it over, I decided I had to talk to Damien.
When I saw Damien, he was sitting by the fireplace with Lilian, sipping coffee.
Before I could say anything, Lilian wrapped herself around Damien's arm, putting on her coy act. "Damien," she cooed. "I was only checking on the twins.
"They're your kids, after all. I love you, and I love them, too. I wanted to see what they needed, so I could get everything ready.
"But then she came running out, freaking out as if I were about to hurt her kids.
"She kept shoving me, and I ended up bumping into the candlestick by accident.
"Who knew she'd dive in front of it?
"I swear, I didn't mean to knock it over. It totally freaked me out."
She curled up in Damien's arms, her eyes red and tears falling instantly.
Damien patted her shoulder and glanced over at me.
His gaze paused on my wound for a moment. Then he frowned.
It wasn't a look of sympathy but irritation.
"Enough. Lilian didn't mean it, so quit acting like the victim," Damien said, his voice cold as ice.
I stood there, stunned, feeling icy chills crawl all over me.
Suddenly, memories hit me. When my family finally took me back, the fake heiress who took my place set me up constantly.
It was like how Lilian was treating me now.
My body started trembling uncontrollably.
With no one to back me up, there was no way I could take on these people.
"Okay, I got it," I murmured.
Suddenly, I let out a soft laugh.
That quiet laugh felt oddly out of place in the silent study.
Damien got a weird feeling for a moment, sitting up straighter.
I didn't spare him another glance. I turned and walked out of the study.
*****
Back at Caleb's castle, I sat by the bed, watching the twins sleep, my heart heavy with worry.
The thought of running away from here crept into my mind.
But the twins were still so little, and I was flat broke.
Where could I go?
All I could do now was pray that Caleb would come back soon.
I needed to tell him about the twins and let him protect our kids.