---- That wasnt survival, Zariyan.

That was you making a choice.

Her face paled, and her hand instinctively went to her stomach.

Don't, she whispered, her voice trembling No, he snapped, stepping closer, his towering frame casting a shadow over her.

L will.

Because while you were playing your games, Iwas out there tearing myself apart trying to find you.

Do you have any fucking idea how many nights...

His voice cracked but he held himself together.

How many nights I couldn't sleep thinking what they were doing to you...

haven't slept properly in months...

I would've burned kingdoms for you, Zariyan.

I was searching for an antidote...

for the sacrifice day and night.

And you His voice cracked, the weight of his anguish clear.

You let him touch you.

You let him own you.

You opened your mouth to take his shit...

when I waited for you all these yea ---- Chapter 499 Her voice broke as she shouted back, L was trying to live dammit! To return one day see you and Dad.

He shakes his head in a no.

His next words echoed like a gunshot, ripping her insides.

Tt was better if you died then.

You have changed Zariyan.

Because the Princess I knew? She would rather kill herself before submitting to a man.

And look at you...

You look no better than those bastard Vince's fuck doll.

And look at that...noveldrama

He even has his bastard kid inside you.

---- Chapter 500 The tent felt smaller than ever, the thick canvas walls pressing in on them like a suffocating prison.

The flickering lantern cast jagged shadows, mirroring the unspoken anguish crackling between them.

Damien stood rigid on the edge of the makeshift cot, his broad shoulders trembling in rage.

Across from him, Zariyan stood with her arms wrapped protectively around her stomach, her defiance faltering under the weight of his gaze Her lips trembled, her voice breaking with raw conviction.

You can hate me for it, Damien.

You can blame me for everything.

I dont care.

But not this baby, she said, stepping closer, her hand trembling as it rose in a futile plea.

This baby is innocent.

Damien let out a hollow, bitter chuckle, disbelief etched into the sharp lines of his face.

Don't you dare, he growled, his voice dangerously low, his eyes narrowing into piercing slits.

---- Don't you fucking dare call it a child.

Its an experiment.

A thing to destroy this world! Her arms tightened instinctively around her stomach as if shielding her child from the weight of his words.

That single gesture ignited a tempest within him, a torrent of emotions he could no longer suppress.

For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.

The silence between them was a chasm, vast and unbridgeable, filled with memories of who they had been and the aching truth of who they had become.

Regret flickered in Damien's eyesbrief, fleeting before his frustration consumed him.

He raked his fingers through his hair, his voice trembling as he whispered, Get out.

Zariyan froze, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes snap up to him in disbelief .

What? L said go, he repeated, his tone sharper now, a blade cutting through her resistance.

He turned away, his back a fortress of bitterness and heartbreak.

Go to the man who can still look at you with honor...