Chapter 1After my best friend and I gave birth on the same day, I jokingly suggested we arrange a future marriage between our babies. My husband, Killian Thorne, instantly went cold. "They're siblings," he said flatly. "They can't get married."
For a second, I genuinely thought I'd misheard him. Then he smiled like he was discussing the weather. "On our wedding night, after we slept together, I slipped you sleeping pills. Hazel covered your face with lingerie so you wouldn't wake up, and we had sex right beside you until morning. That was also the night both of you got pregnant."
My mind went blank. Stiffly, I turned toward the hospital bed beside mine, where Hazel Whitlock lay with her eyes closed. At twenty, I'd taken fifteen stab wounds trying to save her life. She'd cried in my arms afterward and sworn she owed me forever.
Killian subtly stepped in front of my line of sight, casually blocking Hazel from view. "Relax," he said. "Hazel isn't trying to take your place. We'll all live together from now on. Legally, you'll still be my wife."
Every drop of blood in my body turned cold. Then the icy mechanical voice of the Arcane Pact echoed in my head. [Would the Contractor like to abandon the villain redemption mission and leave the Contracted Realm immediately?]
My eyes landed on the rosary beads wrapped around Hazel's wrist. Years ago, when Killian had nearly died in a car accident, I'd driven across three states to a remote cathedral and begged a priest to bless them for him. He never took them off after that. But today, while Hazel and I were both in labor, he hadn't hesitated to give them to her.
Killian calmly tucked her hand back beneath the blanket before turning toward me. His fingers brushed away the tears on my cheek. "You're a mother now," he murmured. "Why are you still crying so much?"
I slapped his hand away violently. "Why her?! Why did it have to be her? She already had a boyfriend! Were you really pathetic enough to become the other man?"
Killian glanced at the reddening skin on the back of his hand before lifting his eyes to mine, looking genuinely surprised. "You still think the boyfriend she never introduced you to was someone else?" A laugh escaped him, low and amused. "There were plenty of times you called while we were having sex. Hazel would shake so hard trying not to make a sound. Honestly, it was hard to stop once we started." His smile turned almost regretful. "Guess we won't get opportunities like that anymore."
I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted blood instantly. My throat felt packed with cotton. I couldn't speak for several seconds. Finally, my voice trembled out. "Why lie to me? If you'd told me the truth from the beginning, I would've let you be together!" If I'd walked away sooner, maybe I wouldn't have ended up this shattered.
Killian sighed softly, and for the first time, pity surfaced in his eyes. "How could we tell you after what happened back then?" he said quietly. "The night you got assaulted trying to save Hazel and lost the baby... Hazel was terrified. I was in the car around the corner with her. I stayed to comfort her, and we got carried away. By the time we realized it, we'd forgotten to call the police."
Something inside my head snapped. That night, Hazel and I had been leaving the movies when we were attacked in the parking garage. I'd fought like hell to hold the guy off so she could escape. Even while I was being beaten and violated, I kept telling myself Hazel would come back with help. She had to. But when I woke up, I was already in the hospital. Killian had held me in his arms, shaking so hard he could barely breathe. He'd sworn he would avenge me. And he had. At least, that was what I'd believed.
Now, looking at the calm indifference on his face, I finally realized something horrifying. Even love could be performed. If strangers hadn't found me that night, I probably would've died alone in that parking garage.
My hand shot toward the bowl of soup on the bedside cabinet. I hurled it at him. The ceramic bowl crashed onto the floor and shattered into pieces. Soup splashed everywhere. Killian had made it personally last night. He'd remembered to add peanuts because Hazel loved them. And somehow forgotten I was deathly allergic. The signs had always been there. I'd just never doubted him.
Killian stood motionless as soup dripped from his hair and soaked his clothes. He didn't even look angry. Instead, he let out a long breath. "You can hate me," he said quietly. "Blame me all you want. Just don't take it out on Hazel. She cares about you more than anyone. She just gave birth too, and postpartum depression is a real risk. Try to be understanding."
I clenched my fists so tightly my nails cut into my palms. Only then did the shaking ease slightly. The agony from the fresh stitches between my legs reminded me with every second that he knew exactly how fragile a woman's body and emotions were after childbirth. He simply didn't care about mine.
The Arcane Pact's emotionless voice rang through my mind again. [Would the Contractor like to abandon the villain redemption mission and leave the Contracted Realm immediately?] [Failure to choose within 24 hours will be treated as forfeiture. The Contractor will remain permanently inside the Contracted Realm.] [Countdown initiated...]
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Chapter 2
Fresh tears spilled down my face as I turned toward Hazel and screamed, "Hazel! How long are you going to keep pretending to sleep? Was sleeping with my husband really that exciting?!"
Hazel finally opened her eyes. Her face was pale as paper, and she couldn't meet my gaze. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at Killian. "How could you tell her?! How could you hurt her like this? I told you I didn't want a title or a future with you! I was going to leave after the baby was born!"
The second she said that, Killian wrapped his arms around her possessively. His voice shook with panic. "But I can't let you leave me, Hazel. That's why I had to tell her. Please don't go. This is all my fault. Don't move too much or you'll tear your stitches."
He used to speak to me that way too.
Killian had lost his mother young. His father was never home, and he'd been raised mostly by a nanny. Unfortunately, the woman had been a monster. Whenever nobody else was around, she abused him relentlessly. One day, when she nearly beat him to death, I'd barged into the house and stopped her. That was the day I pulled him out of hell.
Later, that same nanny retaliated by arranging for me to be kidnapped. Killian had clung to me desperately while they beat him bloody, refusing to let go no matter how hard they hit him. By the time adults arrived to save us, he was barely conscious. Even in the ambulance, he'd gripped my hand tightly, whispering over and over, "Don't leave me, Clara."
The way he treasured me back then looked exactly like the way he looked at Hazel now. The only difference was the woman in his arms.
I'd imagined this situation before. If we ever hit the so-called seven-year itch, what would I do? Every version of the future ended the same way. I'd drag Hazel out drinking for a few nights, cry my eyes out while trash-talking him, and eventually move on. I would've survived it. But why did the other woman have to be Hazel? Now who was left for me to cry to?
Hazel shoved Killian away and stumbled to my bedside, sobbing uncontrollably. "Clara, please don't cry. I'll leave tomorrow. You and Killian can go back to how things used to be."
I pressed my lips together so hard they hurt. Hazel had once been the beloved daughter of a wealthy family. When she was five, her entire family died in a car accident, leaving only her alive. Her relatives stole the family fortune and dumped her in foster care, where she was abused for years. After meeting her, I'd begged my parents to take her in. They treated her exactly like their own daughter.
I still remembered the first birthday she celebrated with us. She'd cried in front of her cake, and I'd laughed while telling her everything I had belonged to her too. Half my snacks. Half my toys. Half my parents' love. I just never expected she'd want half my husband too.
"Get out!" I shouted through gritted teeth. "I never want to see you again! You're a disgusting homewrecker!"
The babies started wailing from the noise, their tiny faces turning bright red. I picked mine up immediately, heart aching as I rocked the baby gently. Tears dripped helplessly down my face.
Hazel covered her mouth and sobbed harder. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Killian's expression darkened instantly. He picked up the crying baby beside Hazel before glaring at me with suppressed fury. "Hazel cared so much about you she couldn't bear hurting you even a little," he snapped. "She was my fiancée from the very beginning. You're the one who stole someone else's relationship."
I froze. Killian had once told me his fiancée died in a car accident years ago. When he and Hazel first met, they'd pretended to be strangers. They constantly acted like they couldn't stand each other. More than once, I'd even begged Killian to be nicer to her for my sake. I'd secretly been proud of myself for helping repair their relationship. Now I realized I'd been the joke all along.
I laughed so hard tears streamed down my face. Then I reached out and ripped the rosary beads off Hazel's wrist. The beads scattered across the hospital floor. "That's mine!" I screamed. "Neither of you deserves it!"
Cradling my baby against my chest, I forced myself to stand. Every step felt like walking barefoot across broken glass. Pain tore through my body, making me tremble violently. But I never stopped walking.
Behind me, Hazel burst into hysterical sobs while Killian shouted furiously after me. Then the Arcane Pact spoke again. [18 hours remaining. The Contractor is advised to make a decision immediately.]
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Chapter 3
I wandered down the hospital hallway with my baby in my arms, numb from head to toe. I should have hated Killian for betraying me. I should have hated Hazel for destroying the trust I gave her. But more than anything, I hated that the two of them had taken the most important people in my life away from me at the same time.
In a daze, I pulled out my phone and opened my photo gallery. One picture after another flooded my screen. Killian and me hiking before dawn to watch the sunrise from the mountains. Kissing in endless flower fields. Diving together in crystal-clear tropical waters. And in every single memory, Hazel had been there too.
I finally realized it. Somewhere along the way, our love story had stopped being about two people. It had become three. And I had never noticed.
I deleted over ten thousand photos. Then I stared at the glowing Arcane Pact interface floating in front of me and let out a bitter laugh. What had Killian really done wrong? He just didn't love me.
I tightened my arms around my baby as tears blurred my vision again. I'm sorry, sweetheart. Mommy can only leave you behind in this Contracted Realm. "At least let me stay with her a few more hours."
A pair of polished Italian dress shoes suddenly appeared in front of me. I looked up. Killian stood there, guilt and heartbreak filling his eyes. The next second, he pulled me into his arms. His familiar warmth shattered the last of my composure, and I broke down sobbing against his chest. Pathetically, a tiny part of me still thought maybe he loved me a little.
"I'm sorry, Clara," he said softly. "I lost my temper earlier and said a lot of things I shouldn't have. I never wanted to hurt you. I was just worried about Hazel. I was afraid she'd really leave with the baby. Stop being stubborn, okay? Ever since you walked out, Hazel's been crying nonstop..."
Hazel. That was all he cared about now. Any hope I still had was crushed by his own hands. Every breath felt like swallowing broken glass.
After a long silence, I cut him off. "Promise me you'll take good care of our daughter."
Killian froze for a second, then visibly relaxed. He cupped my face gently, his tone lighter now. "Clara, of course I will. I'll take care of both of you from now on. You just gave birth, so you need to focus on recovering..."
Before he could finish, his phone rang. The moment he answered, his face drained of color. "Don't panic. I'm coming right now." As soon as he hung up, all the tenderness vanished from his expression. His face darkened with fury. "Hazel's son was diagnosed with congenital heart disease. They still haven't found a compatible donor. She's already emotionally unstable, and then you deleted those photos, so now she's convinced you'll never forgive her. She's threatening to jump off the roof! Are you happy now?!"
Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed my wrist. "Come with me. Now."
He dragged me toward the rooftop. The violent tugging tore at the wounds from childbirth, and pain exploded through my lower body so sharply I almost blacked out. Warm blood trickled down my legs. Dizziness slammed into me wave after wave. I bit down so hard on the inside of my cheek I tasted blood, barely managing to stay conscious.
On the rooftop, Hazel stood outside the safety railing. Her face was pale as paper. The freezing wind whipped through her loose hospital gown, making her look so fragile it seemed like she might disappear at any second. The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up briefly before dimming again. Tears streamed down her face. "Clara... my baby is dying. And you won't forgive me, right? I've lost everything. Everything!"
She swayed dangerously at the edge. Before I could speak, Killian panicked. "Hazel, don't do this! Clara already said she forgives you. She came here to apologize!"
I stared at him in disbelief. The absurdity of it was suffocating. But Hazel didn't believe him either. Her eyes were unfocused, almost delirious. "You could never forgive me," she whispered. "Not if you found out the men who assaulted you back then... were hired by me. You'd want me dead."
Something inside me shattered completely. I lunged at her like a madwoman. But before I could reach her, a powerful arm yanked me backward. I turned around and met Killian's icy stare.
"Hazel was young and stupid back then," he snapped. "She made a mistake. Afterward, she was so guilty she almost killed herself several times. If I hadn't stayed by her side and helped her through it, she probably wouldn't even be alive right now."
I went completely still. Cold spread through my entire body. He knew. He had known the truth all along. While I drowned in the trauma of what happened to me, he ignored my pain completely. But Hazel, the person who destroyed my life in the first place? He pitied her.
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