"You're insane."
The words came out of me automatically, reflexively, because my brain couldn't process what the false healer had just claimed. Couldn't make sense of it.
"Am I?" She moved closer, and I finally saw past the disguise. Saw the real person underneath the healing magic and glamour. "Or am I the only one seeing clearly? Princess, that baby you're carrying was never naturally conceived. Could never have been naturally conceived between you and Prince Kael. Your timelines don't work. The biology doesn't match. But everyone was so desperate to believe in the fairy tale romance that no one bothered to check the basic facts."
"Elara, what is she talking about?" Elena's voice was sharp with concern. "What timeline issue?"
I tried to remember. Tried to think through the fog of exhaustion and pain and mounting horror. When had the baby been conceived? How far along was I actually?
