Baby after One Night with the Prince

Tanya's POV.

I stumble out of the palace and into the gardens, feeling tired and mildly nauseous. I make my way to the edge of a large pond, focusing on the sight of starlight glistening on the surface of the dark water. Someone approaches me, and I wince when I realize Ayana and Lily join by the pond, ruining any chance at peace and quiet.

Not here. Not now. It's been a long night, and I'm in no mood to be tormented further. The King's voice still rings in my ears; the secret of Marco's sitting heavy in my heart. Not to mention the crushing sorrow of everything I saw in Marco's old room. The way Lily smiles at me so innocently makes my skin crawl.

"My dear Tanya, is everything all right?" Lily asks. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

I did, and she knows it. She's the one who showed me the ghost of her past relationship with Marco.

"I just needed a moment alone and some fresh air," I say softly. I don't have the energy for any more drama. I just want to hide from all of this and rest for a while.

"Well, I'm amazed you're still in the palace at all," Ayana says, with none of Lily's forced politeness. "It's not like anyone wants you here."

I don't answer. The last thing I want is to get involved in some kind of confrontation with her.

"It's a pity that you even showed up tonight," she goes on. "Everyone knows you don't belong. Prince Marco is the Second Prince of Mador, and you? You're just a charity case at best, a horrible mistake at worst. He can dress you up and dance with you, but we all know the truth. You are nothing."

My grip tightens on my purse at the sting of her words.

"It will be such a shame when your marriage falls apart. It was scandalous when Lily and Marco broke up, but he inevitably gets fed up with you and tosses you aside; it will be downright pathetic."

"And I'm sure you would be delighted if we broke up," I say, my voice soft but firm. "Just like you were happy when Marco and Lily broke up. After all, it can't be easy seeing the guy you like with another girl."

I'm surprised by the strength of my own words; not aggressive but just defensive enough that Ayana gawks at me. Too much has happened tonight; my heart feels sore and raw from everything I've learned. I don't want to fight, but I've been pushed too far this time. This time, I won't stand by as she attacks my marriage. She's not just insulting me; she's insulting Marco, and that cuts too deep for me to stay quiet.

"What are you talking about?" Ayana snaps, her wide eyes darting from me to Lily. She sneers at me, looking ready to claw my face off, but I don't recoil. I stand my grown, finding courage within me that I did not know I possessed at the thought of everything Marco has endured. His father betrayed Marco's mother, rejecting his fated mate just like Lily betrayed Marco when she chose to be with Eric. Marco endured heartache and injustice, but he was still kind enough to marry me and rescue me. How dare Ayana call that marriage pathetic?

"You've always liked Marco, haven't you? Even when he was dating your friend, Lily. Is that why you hate me so much? Because I'm married to the man you're obsessed with?"

Ayana steps towards me, baring her teeth.

"Shut up, crazy bitch. You're talking nonsense!"

"I saw you on Valentine's Day, you know. I saw you at the restaurant in the rain, watching us. That was you, wasn't it? I never wanted to cause any trouble. I never wanted to bother anyone, but you sent those roses and the note as a prank to hurt me. It was all you, wasn't it?"

"Shut up!" she says again.

"Your crush has made you bitter, Ayana, but that doesn't give you the right to hurt others. Making other people unhappy won't make you feel better."

"I said, shut up!" she shrieks, shoving me back so hard that my purse falls out of my hands. I reach down to pick it up. Before I can get it, Ayana swoops in and grabs it, spitefully throwing it into the pond.

***

No!

What have I done? I stare in horror as the golden little clutch plops into the water and starts sinking. Ayana stares at me with a wicked smirk, haughty and triumphant. How can she be so cruel?

There's something precious in that bag, something more valuable than any accessory. It's the same purse I wore to the auction, and a sickening realization twists my stomach into a knot. The jewels named after Marco's mother, the Marie Gorriete Earrings, are still inside that bag.

"Please help me! I have to find it," I say as I rush to the edge of the water.

Neither Lily nor Ayana moves an inch, clearly uninterested in assisting me. My eyes scan the pond as my heart pounds furiously in my chest. Those earrings were a family heirloom left to Marco by his mother before she died. If I don't do something, that treasure will be lost to the depths of the enormous pond and lost forever.

But I can't swim.

I'm equally mortified and terrified as I watch the purse disappear under the surface. I've already hesitated too long. It's now or never.

I hike up the hem of my gown and kick off my heels before stepping into the murky waters.

"What are you doing?!"

"I have to get it back," I call out, ignoring their scoffs and Ayana's malicious laughter.

I trudge deeper into the cold pond; the floor is slippery with seaweed and mud under my bare feet. I move further away from the edge; my eyes fixed on the last spot where I saw the purse before it sank. Marco's mother was a gentle and beautiful woman. Those earrings are the last thing she left behind for her son. I have to find them.

The water is up to my neck now, and I frantically rummage through the dark water in search of the purse. Marco gave those earrings to Lily as a token of his love and trust, and she tossed them aside, auctioning them off. But I could never do that to him. I cough as the water gets into my eyes, but I keep going deeper and deeper.

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When my hand finally grasps the familiar material of the little handbag, I could cry with relief. Somewhere in the distance, I hear the commotion of a crowd gathering by the edge of the pond, but I barely register it. I kick at the darkness, my dress heavy with water. My slippery fingers unclasp the little latch on the purse, and I rummage blindly through its contents until I feel the ornate, solid shape of the earrings in my hand.

I clutch them tightly, but I've gone too far into the pond, and my feet can't touch the bottom anymore. I flail, kicking at the emptiness around my legs and gasping as I try to keep my chin above the surface.

Several people have gathered outside. In the distance, I see Lily looking around frantically and then throwing herself into the pond. Figures rush toward the pond. With a loud scream and a tremendous splash, Lily deliberately jumps in, and all I can do is keep struggling against the weight threatening to drag me down.

Not for the first time, I wish with all my might that I had a wolf to shift into and give me strength, but all I can do is gasp for air as my limbs grow cold and sore with effort. My muscles scream against the strain, my head growing light as my body becomes heavier.

I can't swim. I can't even float as water seeps into the fabric of my gown and drags me down. Everything is becoming blurry as I fight to stay on the surface, coughing and gasping. But there, in the distance, I see him.

Marco and Eric run towards the pond, and I cling to hope like a life raft as the princes rush towards me. No, not towards me. I realize in a daze that the gathered crowd is pointing at a spot closer to the edge, where Lily threw herself in. Lily flails and screams, splashing about as everyone's attention is drawn to her.

Help me! Please! I want to cry out, but my lungs burn with the cold, and my chest is tight and icy.

Marco beats his brother to the edge of the water and jumps in gracefully. But his focus is centered on Lily's thrashing form, and I realize that he's not coming to rescue me. He doesn't see me.

I can't hold on any longer. The darkness wraps itself around me like a shroud, and the water pulls me under. A distant, childish part of my mind wonders if Marco will miss me. The last thing I see is his handsome frame reaching for Lily before the cold consumes me, and everything fades to black.