Ashlyn lay back against the pillows. Her hand, trembling slightly, moved to her stomach. She pressed her palm against the flat, warm skin beneath her dress.
The Royal Physician's words echoed in her mind like a church bell. "The fetus still remains intact."
A wave of pure, dizzying happiness washed over her. It was a strange, cold kind of happiness, mixed with shock. She had lied. She had schemed. She had taken a pill to induce bleeding. She had thrown herself down stone steps. She had done everything possible to destroy a life she didn't even know existed.
And yet, the life was still there.
"A child?" she thought, her eyes widening as she stared at the ceiling. "I am really pregnant? It wasn't a lie? I actually have a shield?"
She felt a surge of invincibility. Fate was on her side. Fate had protected this child against the poison and the fall. This baby was meant to be. It was her ticket to power. It was her weapon against Marissa.
