Caspian Blackwood.
My fiancé.
The legendary titan from the capital, rumored to be infertile, a source of great distress for his family elders.

The speed with which he had agreed to my proposal had been startling.
"Why did you agree to marry me?"
I had asked him.
"We've never met. Is it only because of my... fertility?"
Caspian had smiled.
"You may not know me, but I've known about you for a long time. The Crimson Rose of New York City. Once you've seen her, you never forget."

His directness made me blush.
"Well... I'll keep my promise. Your... condition... won't be an issue for my constitution. Your family line won't end with you..."
I wanted to clamp a hand over my own mouth.
What was I even saying?

But Caspian simply scooped me into his arms and carried me toward the private garage.
"My little rose,"
he chuckled,
"do you know why rumors are called rumors? Because they aren't always true."
I went with Caspian to the capital.
He found the best surgeons in the world, and my face was restored.
The doctors told me that with a few months of rest and physical therapy, I'd be able to walk and dance just as I had before.
And I finally understood what Caspian had meant.
After three months of bed rest, Caspian consulted with my doctor.
"Well,"
the doctor had said with a cough,
"a... special kind of physical rehabilitation might also aid in Mrs. Blackwood's swift recovery."
After that, Caspian didn't leave my bed for a week.
Two months later, I was pregnant.
Caspian hired a revered traditional doctor to oversee my health.
He said I was carrying triplets.
The Blackwood elders were ecstatic and immediately began planning a grand wedding.
As it turned out, Caspian had no fertility problems at all.
It was a story he'd invented to escape an arranged marriage.
I didn't want to walk down the aisle with a large baby bump, and since we were already legally married, we decided to have the ceremony after the children were born.
As my belly grew, Caspian cleared his schedule to stay home with me, taking me for slow walks in the park.
I never expected to see my father and brother again.
They were no longer the impeccably dressed gentlemen I remembered.
Their clothes were torn and stained with grease.
They were picking through a garbage can for scraps of food.
I had heard whispers about their fate.
Former partners had severed all ties, their company had collapsed under a mountain of scandals, and they were buried in debt.
Their home, their cars, everything had been seized, but it wasn't enough.
Of course, Caspian had played no small part in their downfall.
Pampered their whole lives, they were too proud to take menial jobs, and had resorted to begging on the streets.
I just never imagined they would end up here, in the capital.
They saw me, and their faces lit up with disbelief.
"Elara!"my father cried, rushing toward me.
"It really is you! Look at your belly... oh, we've been looking for you for so long."
Caspian frowned, and his bodyguards immediately stepped between us.
"Please maintain your distance from Mr. and Mrs. Blackwood."
Kaelen blinked, studying Caspian's face.
"You're... the Blackwood heir? Elara, you married him? This is wonderful! Elara, our family is bankrupt! Dad and I have been hounded by creditors, we've been reduced to this! You have to ask your husband to help us!"
I looked at him, my expression unreadable.
"I think you're mistaken,"I said, a bitter laugh in my voice.
"My husband went to great lengths to help me destroy the Ashford family. Why on earth would he help you rebuild it?"
Kaelen's eyes widened.
"What? You were behind it all? Elara, how could you? We're family! Do you really think he loves you? Don't you forget, the baby in your belly is a bastard's! He's just amusing himself with you. Once he's bored, he'll throw you away! We're the only family you have!"
I laughed as if he'd told the funniest joke in the world.
"Family? The day you chose to sacrifice me for Sable, we stopped being family."
My voice turned to steel.
"And for the record, I took birth control pills the day I came home from the hospital. The children I'm carrying are not bastards. They are the legitimate heirs to the Blackwood family."
Kaelen finally realized the timeline didn't add up.
If the child had been from that night, it would have been born by now.
My father's face crumpled with guilt, and he fell to his knees before me.
"Elara, I was wrong. I'm so sorry. I didn't know that girl installed a camera... I swear, I didn't record that video. You have to believe me."
"We're family, Elara. Blood is thicker than water. Can you really stand by and watch your father and brother starve to death?"
"The video wasn't your doing,"
I said calmly.
"But what about the rest? Hiring men to cripple me, to disfigure me, to violate me... was that not your doing either, Father?"
He fell silent.
I continued, my voice gaining strength.
"My mother helped you build your empire from nothing. And when you had wealth and power, you cheated on her, raised another woman's child, and then you destroyed her own daughter for the sake of your bastard."
"Destroying the Ashford family wasn't just revenge. It was justice for my mother, and for me. My conscience is clear."
"You have your health. If you could swallow your pathetic pride for even a moment, you wouldn't be starving. Go away. You could kneel here until you die, and I will not help you. And I will never again call you my father. You don't deserve the title."