Chapter 1Pregnant me walked into my boyfriend's parents' house for the first time. They served me a full feast of GUTS. And I'd been VEGAN for years.
My own mother was in on it. SOLD me out for my useless brother's little business.
They called it a "loyalty test."
My half-sister, the mistress's daughter, laughed in my face. "Your mom spent her whole life as a doormat. You were born the SAME."
Pathetic. Watch me burn this whole family down.
The next morning, I got an abortion. Canceled the wedding. Blocked every single one of them. And my career? I made it explode.
And them?
My ex-fiancé stabbed that half-sister to death. Life in prison.
My mom? Changing diapers for my paralyzed dad in some hospital. Alone.
They wanted to destroy me?
Instead, they TORE each other APART.
--
The first time I went to meet my boyfriend's parents for dinner, his mom put out a spread that looked like a butcher shop threw up on her fancy china.
Foie gras. Beef tongue. Blood sausage. Kidneys. All the things I hadn't touched in seven years.
I've been vegan since college. And being pregnant made my stomach a ticking time bomb when it came to smells.
Just the sight of that platter sent a wave of nausea crashing through me.
I barely managed to swallow a piece of bread before I had to excuse myself.
Told them something urgent came up at work. Grabbed my purse and got out of there before I threw up on their Persian rug.
Later that night, Drakon Blackthorn texted me.
[Valora, I don't think I want to get married anymore. We should take a step back.]
[The only reason I even said yes was because this whole pregnancy thing caught me off guard.]
I stared at the screen for a long time. Didn't even cry. Just felt something cold settle in my chest.
The next morning, I still showed up at the county clerk's office like an idiot. Sat there in one of those plastic chairs until the clerk gave me the "sorry honey, we're closing" look.
Drakon never walked through that door.
Then I opened Instagram.
Zephyrine Cress had posted a story. "Can't even pass a basic pre-marriage test... yikes. I would never be one of those desperate girls who uses a baby to trap a man."
And attached was a photo of two hands clinking wine glasses. Red wine, fancy lighting. The man's hand had something I recognized immediately.
A fan-shaped birthmark on his wrist. Rare shape, like a little dried leaf.
I used to trace it with my finger when we were lying in bed. Told him once, "I should give this thing a name. Lucky clover?"
Yeah. That was Drakon's hand.
So he was with Zephyrine right now.
His whole family's little act at dinner, the cold looks, the way his mom kept smiling while serving me things she knew I couldn't eat, none of it was awkward cluelessness.
It was a setup.
A loyalty test.
And that thing growing inside me? In their eyes, it wasn't a baby. It was leverage. A leash. Something they thought would make me behave.
But here's the part that really got me. The day we found out I was pregnant, Drakon held me like I was made of glass. Promised me forever. Said he'd never leave my side.
That was three weeks ago.
Now his mom, his dad, even him, they all teamed up with my own half-sister just to see how much crap I'd swallow before I snapped.
Instead of building a family with me, they built a trap. And they didn't care about their own grandkid's future one bit.
Fine.
If nobody in that family wanted this baby except as a bargaining chip, then I didn't want it either.
That same afternoon, I called the clinic and booked an abortion. Then I texted both families, mine and his, and told them the marriage registration wasn't happening today.
No explanation. Just a fact.
I disbanded the "Vance Family" Signal group. Then left the "Ashford family" group too. Didn't say goodbye. Just hit delete.
And yeah, I called my boss. Told him I'd take that transfer to the Berlin office.
He sounded surprised but didn't ask questions. Good boss.
I got home that night and my phone started blowing up. Mom calling.
I hung up the first three times. Fourth time, she kept ringing nonstop. I finally picked up when I figured I could talk without screaming.
"Valora, listen," she said. "Drakon told me everything. They were just messing with you. It's this thing going around online. A loyalty test. Very popular."
Her voice had that fake calm she uses when she's about to gaslight me.
"I already made a new group. Don't hold a grudge against him, okay? You need to apologize to them right now. Just pretend none of this happened."
"Zephyrine was crying because of how you acted. Do you realize how immature you look?"
I just stood there in my kitchen, holding the phone, listening to her run her mouth.
She sounded so proud of herself. Like she was being the reasonable one. The generous, forgiving mother who just wants everyone to get along.
But all I could think was: You sold me out.
She forgot that I know exactly how Zephyrine's mom got my dad to bring her home twenty years ago.
The mistress. The affair. The way my mom used to call that woman every name in the book.
And now? She's helping the mistress's daughter destroy my marriage. And calling me the immature one.
I didn't say anything for a long time. Just let her keep talking.
"You've always been like this, even when you were little," she went on. "So stubborn. Who do you think is going to put up with that attitude?"
"Honestly? The way Drakon's family treated you today? You kind of had it coming."
She didn't ask about the baby. Didn't ask if I was okay. Didn't care that it was nine o'clock at night and I hadn't eaten anything all day except a piece of bread.
She just kept going in circles, lecturing me, bringing up stuff from when I was twelve.
I knew she wouldn't hang up until I agreed with her. She's like a telemarketer that way. Just wears you down.
But I wasn't buying what she was selling this time.
Chapter 2
Then I got a video from Zephyrine.
She said she wanted me to see the whole thing. That it was just a joke. A little prank.
I watched it.
And I swear, my skin started crawling about thirty seconds in.
Seraphine, Drakon's mom, was the first one on camera.
"Valora has such a nasty temper. There's no way my future daughter-in-law is getting up at four thirty every morning to cook for this whole family. She'll never be easy to control."
Then Zephyrine laughed. "See? That's exactly why we're doing this loyalty test. Wear my sister down a little. What do you think, Drakon?"
Drakon shrugged like he was talking about the weather.
"Leave it to me. Mom, listen, she's been vegan forever. She can't even look at meat without gagging. So just make a whole table of the grossest stuff you can find. Liver, kidneys, tongue. That'll get her."
"Wait, she's not allergic to anything, is she?" Zephyrine asked. "Because if she was, we could really test her."
Alaric, Drakon's dad, actually hesitated for a second. "Let's not go that far. No allergies."
Then he added, "But I agree. This future daughter-in-law has a terrible temper. Imagine her running this household someday. Who could deal with that?"
And then my mom spoke up. She looked nervous, fidgeting with her sleeve.
"I don't know about this. I mean, she's my daughter. And now she has to go through some silly loyalty test?"
Everyone turned to stare at her. And she folded like a cheap lawn chair.
"I'm not saying I'm against it," she mumbled. "It's just that Valora is really stubborn. I'm worried if you push her too hard, she won't see it as a joke. Things could get out of hand."
Nobody said anything for a second.
But then Seraphine just kept talking about what organ meats to serve, and the conversation moved on like nothing happened. Like it was all just a fun game. Not even April Fools.
My mom watched for a minute. Then she jumped back in.
"You know what? It's fine. She's my daughter. No matter how mad she gets, she's only going to yell at me. Go ahead with your test. Even if she gets upset with you guys, I'll be the one to calm her down."
Drakon laughed. Zephyrine laughed. They were sitting so close in the frame, shoulders touching, like a happy couple meeting the parents.
Then my mom played her card. "I agreed to let my daughter cooperate with your loyalty test. So you have to help my son Corvus with his project."
That's when Alaric and Drakon looked at each other. Same smile. Same smug little nod.
And I realized—I've been used to this my whole life.
The rules. The favoritism. The way my brother's stupid business idea always mattered more than anything I ever did.
But I honestly thought getting married would change things. I thought my mom would finally have my back.
She always said, "I gave you life, but marriage is a woman's second life."
Drakon's family used to be in government. His dad had a real position, a lot of connections.
Then Drakon started his own investment firm, and everything went smooth for him because of who his dad knew.
So when I first met Drakon in college, my mom pushed me hard to lock him down.
Rich, connected, perfect son-in-law material. She even stopped being so tight with money. Gave me extra allowance. Bought me nice dresses. Loosened the curfew.
I thought maybe she was growing up too. Maybe she really loved me and just didn't know how to show it when I was younger.
But I was wrong.
I sat there watching that video, and it finally hit me. In her eyes, my loser brother's little business project was a million times more important than my marriage.
The people in that video all agreed in the end. One big happy conspiracy.
Zephyrine noticed I'd gone quiet. She texted me.
[You done watching yet?]
[I told you it was just a loyalty test. You're young too. Don't be such a sore loser.]
I should've just gone to work today. Would've saved me the headache and kept my perfect attendance bonus.
Instead, I wasted a whole day waiting for a guy who never showed up.
And tomorrow? I'm taking another day off.
Because that unwanted thing inside me? Just like me, it needs to be "taken care of."
I made the appointment for early morning. No breakfast. No second thoughts.
Just me and a choice I should've made a long time ago.
Chapter 3
The next morning, my mom showed up at my door with a greasy paper bag from that chain breakfast place. The one with the clown logo.
She didn't even knock. Just let herself in like she still lived there. Walked straight to my kitchen and started pulling out hash browns and egg sandwiches like she was doing me some huge favor.
I didn't touch any of it.
"Mom, I'm not hungry."
"How can you not eat breakfast? Are you still pouting about last night?"
I wasn't about to tell her I had an abortion scheduled in a few hours. That would've turned into a scene I didn't have the energy for.
So I just said I was meeting friends and would grab something later.
"You're not going to work today, are you?"
She didn't wait for an answer. "You know, you should've told me earlier. I would've had Drakon go with you to get the marriage license."
"He has a business trip today anyway. A man's work is way more important than yours. Guess you'll have to wait for another day."
I just stood there looking at her. This woman who raised me. And I felt like I didn't know her at all. Like I'd been staring at a stranger my whole life and only now noticed.
She saw my face go cold and immediately switched into her dramatic mode. The one where she plays the victim before anyone even accuses her of anything.
"I'm doing all this for you! You're pregnant. I know times have changed, but it's still not exactly respectable, and you're so stubborn anyway. The marriage license can wait. We're all family here."
I was tired of the act. "So my brother's stupid bubble tea thing absolutely has to depend on Drakon's family, right?"
She blinked. "Well, not exactly. Corvus is just an employee too. Even if the project works out, he'll only make a few thousand a month. Plus a tiny bonus at most."
I laughed. Not because anything was funny. "Right. So he could literally work anywhere. Same paycheck."
"How is that the same? Drakon's family has connections. Real ones. Corvus isn't like you. You're his big sister. You can handle hardship."
She caught herself halfway through the sentence. Saw how bad it sounded. How openly she was admitting that my brother mattered more.
Her face twisted for a second before she smoothed it over.
"I just mean I'm thinking about the future. For both of you."
Then she grabbed her purse, mumbled something about having errands to run, and walked toward the door. Didn't even say goodbye properly.
I didn't stop her.
I had booked a painless abortion anyway. Couldn't have eaten even if I wanted to.
And honestly? That whole performance of motherly love sitting on my kitchen counter? It was just frozen garbage reheated in a microwave. Same as always.
After she left, I walked to the front door and changed the passcode on the lock. Deleted her fingerprint from the system too.
She barely ever came over anyway.
This morning, she'd punched in the wrong code three times and ended up calling me to wake me up. I answered the phone half asleep and snapped, "You know you have a fingerprint, right?"
She said, "I forgot which finger you registered. It's been years."
If it wasn't for this whole disaster with Drakon, she wouldn't have shown up at all.
I bet next time she tries to come over, she'll have forgotten the new code and her fingerprint again. Conveniently.
Right before she walked out, I couldn't help myself. One last thing.
"Mom. When I was little, I used to wonder if you were even my real mother. But then I grew up and started looking exactly like you. Same face. Same everything. So I stopped asking."
She turned around, confused.
"But I'm still curious. We're both women. Both the same gender. And yet you don't seem to feel any pain for me at all. Don't you see that I'm just another version of you in this world?"
She didn't get it. Didn't want to get it. Just sighed like I was being a difficult child and bent down to tie her shoes.
"You're still giving me a hard time over that loyalty test thing?"
"Yeah, Mom. That's exactly what I'm doing."
But I wasn't going to fight her anymore after this. I knew she'd never try to understand me.
If she could, she would've figured it out twenty years ago.
