Chapter 554
Chapter 554:
A surge of hope sparked within me, faint but alive, like the first glimmer of dawn. Yet I knew escape would not be simple. The palace was a labyrinth guarded by vigilant soldiers. And Bryan and Dominic would never let me go willingly.
“Do you have a plan?” I asked. “The palace… it’s heavily guarded. Bryan and Dominic…”
Clayton nodded, gently smoothing my hair. “I’ve thought of everything. All you need to do is trust me.”
“How?” I pressed, fear and curiosity intertwining. “What are you planning?”
Without a word, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a small, round pill, holding it out for me to see.
“What… what is that?” I asked, even more confused.
He tilted the pill in his palm. “This will make you appear… lifeless. Once you take it, you’ll slip into a state so close to death that no one will question it. Then, I’ll arrange a ‘funeral’ and use it as a cover to get you out of the palace.”
Makenna’s POV:
“This plan is dangerously bold!” My pulse raced as I stared at the pill in my palm, a cold sweat prickling the back of my neck. My voice cracked with anxiety as I whispered, “Does it… really work? What if we get caught?”
Clayton’s warm hand closed around mine, and his confident smile sent a current of reassurance through me. “Trust me,” he murmured, his voice like a soothing melody that contradicted the chaos in my chest. “Just leave everything to me, Makenna. I’ll handle it swiftly.”
“Okay.” I drew a shaky breath and nodded. Trust wasn’t something I gave lightly, but Clayton had earned it over time. “I believe you, I’m just—”
My throat closed up, suffocated by the shadow of grief. The memory of the child I lost had a habit of sneaking up on me, unraveling my composure in an instant.
Clayton’s gaze softened, a brief flicker of sadness breaking through his stoic mask. “Makenna, don’t you want to leave this place behind and come with me?”
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I bit my lip, fighting the fresh wave of anguish. “Your Highness, I do want to leave. But I can’t rest until I know the truth about my child’s death. I can’t just accept that he’s gone without understanding how or why.”
The light in Clayton’s eyes dimmed, and suddenly, his expression soured in a way that made my heart sink.
“What is it?” I pressed. “Did you find something?” My voice rose, desperate. “Please, I need to know. I’m his mother—I deserve to know the truth!”
A heavy silence stretched between us, cutting into me like a blade. Clayton hesitated, his jaw clenched. At last, with a sigh that seemed to come from the deepest part of him, he said, “Makenna, the child did pass away shortly after birth. The doctors concluded it was sudden infant death syndrome.”
“Sudden infant death syndrome?” The phrase tumbled from my lips, foreign and cruel. My world spun as disbelief sank its claws into me. “No… how can that be?”
Clayton’s hand tightened around mine, his grip the only thing tethering me to reality. “It’s rare,” he explained, “but it happens. Especially with newborns from the Lycan clan, who are at greater risk. My father, Bryan, Dominic, and I questioned the doctors and nurses endlessly. We combed through every piece of evidence, but everything confirmed it. There was no foul play.”
I stared at him, shaking my head in denial. “No!” I choked out. “I refuse to believe it!”
The grief tore through me. I felt as though I were losing my mind. Clayton pulled me close, and I buried my face against his chest. His heartbeat was steady, a gentle rhythm that somehow began to soothe the storm within me.
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