Lara's POV
The pain had been overwhelming, waves crashing over me without mercy, but I clung to one thought with every breath I fought to take. I wanted my child safe. I wanted him here. I wanted nothing else. I pushed through every contraction with tears in my eyes, not from fear of dying, but from the fear of what waited for me once this was over.
I forced myself to forget Marco and Serene's plan. I tried to push away the thought of a future where my son would be taken from my arms. I tried to forget the prophecy, the promises whispered behind closed doors, the shadow of another woman waiting for the life that should have been mine.
All I could think of was him. My son. My little boy. My miracle. And I gave birth to a healthy baby boy, and the moment I heard his first cry, something inside me shattered and healed at the same time.
