Chapter 57: Prisoner

Chapter 57: Prisoner           A few days had passed and Noelle slowly began to recover. Her body, though weak, was no longer in constant pain, and the dizziness that once clouded her mind had started to fade. The color was returning to her face. Her movements were steadier and though exhaustion still crept up on her quickly, she was no longer the fragile woman who had nearly bled out in Valerian's arms.   Valerian had expected the worst when she finally learned about the miscarriage, but surprisingly, she took the news with calmness. There were no tears, no anger, no overwhelming grief—just a numb sort of understanding. She wasn't sure if it was because she had already braced herself for it or if, in some way, a part of her had seen this as inevitable.   At the very least, she didn't have to make a difficult choice anymore.   Because the truth was, even if she had hated where that child had come from, it had still been hers. The thought unsettled her more than she wanted to admit.   W