Chapter 15

17 months later

Amelia stared at the pregnancy test, watching with a familiar sense of dread as the single line appeared. Again. Just like last month, and the month before that, and every month for the past year and a half.

Not pregnant.

She dropped the plastic stick into the bathroom trash, burying it under tissues before Niko could see it. These private moments of disappointment had become her ritual. Test in the early morning hours while he slept, hide the evidence, paste on a smile when he woke. The weight of failure pressed heavier with each passing month.

She washed her hands as she studied her reflection. She looked every inch the polished princess the public had come to adore. Her dark hair was swept into an elegant chignon for the day's engagements, her makeup subtle but flawless. The newspapers called her "The Elegant Princess," praising her warmth at hospital visits and her genuine interest in education reform.

But behind closed doors, one question