?Chapter 402:


    “Your health?”


    My mouth opened, but no words came. How could I defend myself when even I didn’t have the answers? Before I could find something to say, Alice sprang to her feet.


    “This isn’t Makenna’s fault!” she shouted, ring up at Bryan, her fists clenched tight at her sides. The fear she once held for him was gone. “Your Highness, if it weren’t for Makenna carrying your child, she wouldn’t be in this state! Her body wouldn’t be deteriorating like this! What right do you have to me her now?”


    The room fell into stunned silence. Bryan’s face darkened, his icy gaze locking onto Alice. Dominic’s expression mirrored his cold fury.


    “How do you know?” Bryan demanded, taking a step forward.


    Alice froze. She must have realized she had touched upon a dangerous truth. Panic flickered across her face. “I… I—” She faltered under their cold stares, the words dying on her tongue.


    I couldn’t let her bear the brunt of their anger. Forcing myself to sit up despite the pain searing through me, I grabbed her arm and pulled her to my side.


    “It was me. I told Alice. If you want to punish someone, it’s on me.”


    “No!” Alice protested, her voice breaking with desperation. “It’s not her fault, it’s mine!” She gripped my hand as if refusing to let me take the me.


    I held her gaze, shaking my head slightly. Then I turned back to Bryan and Dominic, my chin lifted in defiance, daring them to challenge me.


    Finally, Bryan let out a weary sigh, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Forget it,” he muttered, the fire in his tone dimming to embers. “I’m not ming you, Makenna. Just… take better care of yourself.”


    I lowered my head, emotions tangled in knots, my voice barely a whisper. I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes. “I understand.”


    Then Dominic broke his silence, his voice cutting straight to the heart. “Makenna, what caused this emotional breakdown? What upset you so much that it led to this?”


    g?lnσνe??s has the stories you love


    His question struck hard, freezing me in ce. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Dominic’s eyes narrowed, sharp as des, studying my face as if he already knew the truth.


    “Was it… because of yton?”


    “No…” The denial slipped from my lips instinctively, but it felt hollow, unconvincing. I couldn’t even look him in the eye.


    Dominic didn’t waver. His gaze pierced through me. “The day you fainted, word spread across the pce—Molly is pregnant with yton’s child.”


    Makenna’s POV:


    The revtion that Molly was carrying yton’s child hit me like an ice-cold wave, a stabbing pain tearing through my stomach. A strained groan slipped from my lips as I clutched at my abdomen, my face draining of all color.


    “Makenna, what’s wrong?” Alice’s voice trembled on the verge of tears as she darted around me anxiously, desperate to help yet helpless.


    “Dominic, shut your mouth! Enough!” Bryan’s roar cut through the tension like a de, his fury aimed at silencing Dominic.


    But Dominic was unmoved. His eyes darkened as he fixed his gaze on me, piercing through every fragile wall I had left, cutting straight into the rawest part of my soul.


    “Makenna, does yton matter that much to you?”


    His question hung in the air like a cruel challenge. Even Bryan, who had just tried to silence him, froze. His gaze grew heavy with the same unspoken demand, both of them waiting for my answer.


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