The day before my wedding, I was assaulted on my way home.
They found me with a shattered spine and a face slashed to ribbons.
My fiancé's family, the Daltons, called off the engagement immediately.

My father held my broken body, sobbing, and promised to care for me forever.
My brother Kaelen gathered top surgeons to reconstruct my face.
But as I drifted in and out of consciousness before surgery, I overheard their monstrous conversation.
"We've already crippled Elara and ruined her face so Sable can marry into the Dalton family,"
Kaelen whispered, doubt in his voice.
"Now we're hiring brutes to violate her? Isn't this too far?"

"What do you know?"
my father replied coldly.
"Sable is infertile. I promised to remove every obstacle for her. Elara has a rare fertile constitution. If we don't break her completely, how will she agree to be a surrogate? Carrying Sable's heirs is the only use for her now."
The man I called father, the brother I adored—they were demons in human skin.

My world turned to ash.
With a steady hand, I called the one man in the capital rumored to have fertility issues—the titan Caspian Blackwood.
"Do you want a dynasty?"
I whispered.
"Marry me."
Kaelen hesitated.
"Dad, Elara's injuries are severe. Shouldn't we let the surgeons operate first? We can't let her be paralyzed for life. Sable is marrying into the Dalton family the day after tomorrow anyway. Elara's not a threat anymore. The baby thing can wait..."
My father's face hardened, and the sharp crack of his hand across Kaelen's cheek echoed in the quiet room.
"You fool! I never planned on letting her walk again. What if we heal her and she runs? What if she escapes where we can't find her? What becomes of Sable then?"
"And why shouldn't it be urgent? The Dalton heir had too much to drink tonight and spent the night with Sable. The Daltons have made it clear: if Sable produces an heir, they'll hand over control of the household to her. All these years, she's had to pretend to be the housekeeper's daughter. She's suffered enough. I have to make it up to her."
He continued, his voice softening with concern, but not for me.
"And it was Sable's first time. She must have been scared and in pain. Have the medical team take good care of her. As for Elara... we'll keep her fed. A breeding tool doesn't need legs. A womb is enough."
Kaelen’s voice dropped to a near-whisper.
"But it was Elara's first time too. And... all those men... can her body even take it?"
My father gently wiped a smear of blood from my cheek, his touch a vile mockery of affection.
His voice was resolute.
"The specialist said Elara is exceptionally fertile. I've calculated her cycle. Tonight, we need a guaranteed result. More men... might even mean multiple births. That would secure Sable's future even more."
"Tell those men to be thorough. Once the children are born, I might consider fixing her face. A reward from her father... Now, go get the aphrodisiacs. I don't want her struggling and screaming, attracting unwanted attention."
Beneath the thin hospital blanket, my fists clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms.
I could hardly believe what I was hearing.
Sable wasn't the housekeeper's daughter.
She was my father's illegitimate child.
My"attack"wasn't random.
It was a meticulously crafted trap, set by the two men I loved most, all to pave the way for their true treasure.
It all made a sickening kind of sense now.
Why my father brought Sable into our home the moment my mother was in the ground.
Why every business trip ended with two sets of gifts, with Sable’s always being more extravagant than mine.
"Elara, you're the heiress,"they would say.
"Sable's had a harder life. We need to take extra care of her."
And I, like a fool, never once doubted them.
I thought my family was noble, kind.
What a joke.
Tears escaped my eyes, tracing fiery paths into the open wounds on my face.
The sting made me gasp.
My father immediately bent over me, gathering me into his arms, his face a perfect mask of heartbreak.
"Elara, you're awake? Does it hurt? Seeing you like this... it's tearing my heart out. Don't you worry, the medical team is here. I'll have them start the surgery right away. I swear, I'll make you as beautiful as you were before."
Kaelen rushed over, motioning for a nurse to bring a syringe.
"Don't be scared, little sister. This is the good stuff, imported. I won't let you feel another moment of pain."
Their performance was flawless.
If I hadn't heard their conversation, I would have wept with gratitude.
I stared at the needle, its gauge thicker than a nail.
I knew exactly what was inside.
"No,"I managed to rasp.
"No anesthetic. The pain... it can't get any worse. I don't care."
My father's eyes welled up with theatrical tears, but his hand closed around the syringe Kaelen offered.
"My sweet, foolish girl. You might not care, but I do. Who has surgery without anesthesia? You'd die from the pain. I'd rather die myself. Think of your mother's spirit... how heartbroken she would be. Be good, now. It'll be over soon."
Without another word, he plunged the needle into the vein in my neck.
The drug acted fast.
A leaden paralysis spread through my limbs, stealing my strength, my voice.
"Good girl, Elara,"he cooed.
"We're going to get the doctors now. When the surgery is over, we'll all go home."
But I knew.
They weren't fetching doctors.
They were summoning demons.
The stench of sweat and a tearing agony consumed me, and my world faded to black.
When I opened my eyes, it was the next day.
My father was holding my hand, his eyes red and swollen.
"Elara, my poor girl. That monster... I didn't know he had accomplices. They disguised themselves as doctors to get to you, to finish the job. It's my fault. I failed to protect you."
Kaelen stood beside him, his face a mask of grief.
"Don't worry, sis. I've already made sure those men were sent to prison. No one will ever hurt you again."
I watched their charade, numb, clinging to one last, desperate hope.
"Father,"I whispered,
"I'm... highly fertile. Please, can you give me some birth control pills? Don't make me carry the child of a monster. I'm begging you."
The gentle façade on my father's face cracked.
His expression darkened.
"Elara. Those pills are for promiscuous girls who shirk responsibility. You are an Ashford. Our family name is everything. If word got out... what would people say?"
Kaelen chimed in.
"He's right, Elara. You're so badly injured, and those pills are terrible for your body. We can't risk it. And if... if you are pregnant, we'll raise the child. A child is innocent. I'll be the best uncle in the world. It'll be nice to have a baby in the house."
How utterly absurd.
They didn't want the world to think I was promiscuous, yet they were forcing me to bear an illegitimate child in secret.
Perhaps sensing his harshness, my father's tone softened again.
"Elara, don't worry. I promise, I will get you the best care and make you whole again."
He paused.
"It's just... the surgical team had a sudden emergency. They had to leave. And I don't trust anyone else with your face, your recovery. We might have to wait a little while..."
I knew what he was doing.
He was stalling, letting the optimal window for treatment pass.
He wanted me to be permanently crippled, a prisoner in his house, reduced to nothing more than Sable's personal incubator.
These were the men I had loved and respected my entire life, and their hearts belonged to an illegitimate child.
"It's fine,"I said, my voice flat.
"I wasn't expecting much anyway. I don't want to be here anymore. Take me home."
But when we arrived, my bedroom was unrecognizable.
The familiar linens were gone, replaced by blood-red silk.
The walls were covered in celebratory banners and balloons.
It was decorated like a bride's chamber on the eve of her wedding.
My eyes scanned the room and landed on my nightstand.
The only photograph I had of my mother and me was gone.
In its place was a large, framed wedding portrait of Sable.
When my mother discovered my father's affair, she had locked herself away and, in a fit of grief, burned everything that reminded her of their life together before dying of a broken heart.
I had pulled that single photo from the embers of the fire.
It was the last piece of her I had left.
Sable appeared in the doorway.
Her eyes flickered meaningfully toward my stomach before she linked arms with my father and Kaelen.
"Dad! Kaelen! You're back! Thank you for decorating my room, it's gorgeous. Getting married from here the day after tomorrow... I'll be the happiest bride in the world."
She held out a crumpled, sodden ball of paper.
"Oh, Elara,"she said, her voice dripping with false remorse.
"Dad said that since my wedding is a happy occasion, we shouldn't have any unlucky things around. He asked me to move your mother's picture to the storage room... but I'm so clumsy. I accidentally dropped it in a bucket of water. Please, don't be mad at me."
My hand trembled as I took the pulp from her.
It was my photo, soaked for so long it had disintegrated into mush.
I looked at my father.
A flicker of guilt crossed his face before it was gone.
"It's just a picture, Elara. Not that important. What's done is done. Sable didn't mean it."
"And Elara,"he continued, avoiding my gaze,
"I know the Daltons broke the engagement with you, but the business alliance between our families must continue. So, I've officially adopted Sable. She'll be marrying in your place. We'll let her use your bedroom for now. We can't have her getting married out of a guest room. Her in-laws would look down on her. It's all for the future of the Ashford family..."
I closed my eyes.
"Do as you wish, Father,"I said softly.
"I'm tired. I'm going to rest."
As I wheeled myself into the guest room, I heard peals of laughter from downstairs.
I guided my wheelchair to the door and peered out.
There they were: my father, my brother, and Sable, huddled together on the sofa, flipping through three thick photo albums, their faces alight with joy.
It was a perfect family portrait.
The first album was a chronicle of Sable's life, from infancy to adulthood, every picture taken by my father or Kaelen.
They had never once taken a photo of me.
That's what professional photographers are for, they used to say.
Why would we bother with that?
The second album was filled with pictures of the three of them together.
So that's where they went all those times Sable supposedly went back to visit her
"hometown"
while they were away on"business."
They were traveling the world together.
And the third album... it was filled with photos of Sable's deceased mother.
The mistress.
My father caressed the images, his touch full of a love I had never seen him show my own mother.
He pulled Sable into his arms.
"Sable, my dear, I will treasure these photos of your mother forever. I'll take them to my grave. I am eternally grateful to her for giving me a daughter as wonderful as you."
"And don't you worry,"he whispered.
"Those men were with Elara all night. She's definitely pregnant. As soon as that baby is born, I'll have it brought to you. No one in the Dalton family will ever dare to bully you."
Even Kaelen looked moved.
"I have to thank her too,"he said,
"for giving me a sister as amazing as Sable."
Watching the raw adoration on their faces, the wad of paper pulp in my hand felt like a cruel joke.
Mother, you loved the wrong man.
You gave birth to the wrong son.
And I... I gave my love and respect to the wrong father and brother.
Back in the guest room, I reached into a hidden compartment in the nightstand and pulled out a small bottle of pills.
My mother had taught me this.
She had worried about my fertility, about the dangers of the world.
Sometimes, bad things happen that are out of your control, she'd told me.
If you can't protect yourself in the moment, you must do everything you can to mitigate the damage after.
I swallowed a pill, then dialed the number for the one man who could help me.
The titan from the capital, Caspian Blackwood, rumored to be the sole heir to a dynasty, desperate for children.
"Do you want a dynasty?"
I asked."Marry me."