Chapter 52

Aira POV

I didn’t even know how I left the hall or where my feet carried me. My head was spinning, and one thought kept chasing itself around my mind—how in the goddess’s name did that little brat find out about the secret I’ve guarded for twenty-seven years?

The child. The child I bore after Owen ghosted me. The child who reminded me of the betrayal that nearly broke me in half. I couldn’t bear to look at her, not even once, because all I saw was him. So I did what I thought was best, I gave her away. I found a couple more ready, more stable, who could raise her with the love I knew I couldn’t give. I buried that memory, locked it so deep I thought it would never rise again. But Bella… she found the key somehow.

I remember it clearly even now. I had lied to my friends, told them I was visiting my aunt for the holidays. The truth was, I was hiding. Hiding my swollen belly. Hiding my shame. Hiding the wound Owen left in me. When the time came, I gave birth wi