Chapter 209

Victoria thought Celestia stayed silent because she wanted answers too, so she shifted a bit and finally spoke, voice low and hesitant. “The baby… didn’t make it.” The words felt like knives. As the image of that tiny lifeless body flashed in her mind, her eyes welled up again. She was overwhelmed by guilt—just two hours before, they had been on the phone, her intent simply to offer comfort over Jareth and Isabelle. She hadn't expected that to end up hurting her instead. And now this. Celestia had already known, deep down, the moment she woke up. But hearing it out loud—hearing someone else say “the baby’s gone”—was like getting hit full force in the chest. The reality of it crushed down on her like a boulder, suffocating, painful, unbearable. There was a burning in her chest, like her heart was bleeding from the inside out, the bitterness crawling up her throat. Her nose stung, and suddenly her vision swam with tears she refused to let fall. She bit down hard on her lip, took a shallo