Chapter 17
Calliope’s POV
I gazed at my mother, her face etched with the same worry that lined my father and brother’s expressions. They had entered my room and settled beside me on the bed.
“You can talk to us, Calliope. We’re here for you,” my father encouraged gently.
“Yeah, sis, we’ll always be in your corner,” Leander chimed in supportively.
Grateful, I managed a small smile as I brushed away my tears. I hadn’t shared the full story with Leander when I reached out. In truth, I’d never confided in anyone about this, perhaps out of avoidance. Saying it out loud felt like conceding to its reality.
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“The last time I was in the hospital, the doctor had to perform surgery to save my life,” I began.
My mom nodded, recalling what I’d told them before. “You said you lost your baby. But you’ll have the chance to have plenty of children if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Tears streamed down my face as I met her gaze. “That’s just it, Mom. I don’t have that luxury anymore.”
Her expression turned to confusion. “What are you talking about, Calliope?”
“The doctor had to remove one of
my fallopian tubes to stop the bleeding. He said there’s a chance I may never have children again,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
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A heavy silence enveloped the room as the shock registered on their faces. Yet, I sighed and continued.
“When Lucian said he would never want me, it triggered something. I realized that if he found out I might never have kids for him, he’d reject me,” I confessed.
My mother embraced me, tears in her eyes. “Oh, my baby,” she murmured.
My dad and brother joined the hug, their silent support more comforting than words. I felt a weight lift just having shared my burden.
After some time, I pulled back and smiled at them. “I’m so lucky to have all of you as my family.”
Leander grinned. “Of course you are.”
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Laughter filled the room, and my father pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Get some rest, princess. Everything will be alright.”
It was then that a servant knocked on my door, her eyes wide with concern.
“There’s a man who’s threatening to set himself on fire if we don’t let him see you” she announced urgently.
We all knew who it was–Thaddeus. My father and brother stood abruptly, their bodies tense with anger.
“That bastard still has the nerve to show up here after everything he’s done,” my father growled.
I stopped them from bolting out the door. Somehow, crying through the night and
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confiding in my family had given me newfound strength.
I rose to my feet. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”
My father shook his head. “You’re still very fragile, Calliope. Let us deal with him.”
I offered a reassuring smile. “Trust me.”
Reluctantly, they stepped back and watched as I strode outside. Thaddeus looked disheveled, like someone who had just escaped an asylum. His hair was a mess, and a day’s growth of beard shadowed his chin.
“Calliope!” he cried out the moment he saw me. Rushing forward, he dropped to his knees, clasping my legs. “Please, Calliope, I swear I didn’t know,” he pleaded.
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“I lost my baby because you insisted I cook seafood for Zephyrine. And when I needed you, you weren’t there. Instead, you were with her because she had an allergic reaction,” I retorted, bitterness lacing my words.
“I didn’t know, I swear! Let me make it right,” he implored desperately.
I scoffed. “And how do you plan to do that? Or should we discuss how you left me bleeding and alone, prioritizing Zephyrine’s well–being over mine for three whole weeks? You’re heartless, Thaddeus.
!!
Tears brimmed in his eyes again. “Please, Calliope, let me make this right. Please forgive me. Tell me what you want, and I’ll do anything.”
“Oh, really? And what can you possibly do,
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Thaddeus? Besides shattering my life, what else are you capable of?” I screamed at him.
Thaddeus lowered his head. “I deserve this, Calliope. Yell at me, hit me if you must.”
“There’s no amount of suffering I could inflict on you and Zephyrine that would even the score for what you did to me.”
“Please, Calliope, give me a chance to make amends,” Thaddeus begged, his voice raw with emotion. “I love you. Come back to me.”
I laughed bitterly. “Can you return the child I lost because of you?”
His head hung lower in shame as he sobbed like a child, igniting my anger once more. He didn’t deserve to cry–not after what they had put me through.
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“Or perhaps you could give me back my womb so I can have children?” I shouted, tears streaming down my cheeks.
“Calliope?” Lucian’s voice suddenly broke through the air behind me, and a chill of dread ran down my spine.
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