Nicholas held Elva safe and secure in his arms as he stood to his full height. Elva buried her face into the corner of his neck and shoulder. He gently patted her back.

He glanced down at Elva, his gaze so tender that it made my heart clench.

“There, there,” he whispered. “You are safe now.”

“Oh my God,” said one of the other girls in the room, fanning herself. “Of course he’s good with children.”

“Someone pinch me,” said another. “I think I’m dreaming.”

Nicholas’s soft expression hardened as he glared out at the rest of the room. “Whose child is this? Why is she here?”

I started forward, but the girl in the pink dress spoke before I could reach him.

“An outsider sneaked in, unless she’s a maid.”

Some of the other girls snickered at my expense.

“She can’t be a participant,” another girl fake-whispered, loud enough for half-the room to hear. “I thought we had to be virgins, and she’s got a kid.”

I wanted to disappear into a corner. Whether virgin or not, I was nothing compared to the rest of these girls.

My clothes weren’t as nice as theirs, and my figure wasn’t like what it had been at the Academy. I’d lost much of my musculature. I was skinny from too many nights of skipped dinners.

Elva’s wellbeing had always come before my own.

Her sake was the only reason I continued forward rather than hide in embarrassment. I stopped only when I reached Nicholas.

He looked at me, and I looked at him.

I’d forgotten how gorgeous his eyes were, golden brown with flakes of green. When we’d dated, I had spent hours looking at them, trying to memorize that color, but it had seemed different each time.

Before, when I’d stared long enough, I could earn a bashful smile from him. Now, his face was totally devoid of emotion. He looked at me like I was a stranger.

Did he… not recognize me?

changed, sure, but not enough to become unrecognizable. Unless he truly had sealed me away in his past

was simply pretending, to save face. I could be a great embarrassment to him, showing up here, years after leaving him, and with

Maybe he hated me.

girl in pink

said, and even his voice was monotone. Another moment of staring at me blankly, then

I followed him. He led me to an

please remember that per the selection rules, you aren’t to be alone with the

at the man,

is an exception,”

course, sir.” The man bowed

servant stepped forward and closed the door behind us, leaving Nicholas, Elva, and

sick. I had never imagined I’d meet

to say. What would he think of me, to see me as I was? To see me here, as

cried herself

his perfect façade

stayed gentle on Elva, his arm looped

you hide my child from me?”

I blinked once, twice, but, no, I couldn’t make sense of

Eloquently, I said, “Huh?”

his arms. She was three years

to recall the memory. We’d been so

in clumsy haste. I couldn’t remember where he was when he’d climaxed. But, hadn’t he been wearing a

seemed to slide into bewilderment. His

said, hoping to give him some

child from him would have been a

name. But she’s

moment, before the anger

he seemed to struggle to

between me and Elva. “She looks

But I wouldn’t tell that to Nicholas. Elva was mine in every way that mattered. I would

silence seemed to answer some unspoken question for him, and he started

What could

and he immediately cut off

he lowered Elva down onto one of the plush couches

be mad at Mommy,”

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