Page 27 of The Dark Elf's Surprise Baby

She turns slightly at the sound of Jasper laughing loudly a ways from where she is standing. A small and familiar smile tracing over her lips and she grabs a small plate off of the food table.

My eyes widen.

No. It couldn’t be… could it?

“Demethys?” A persistent hand tugs at me again.

Without thinking, I push the woman away from me and move through the group that’s gathered around me. Two of thewomen huff as I push past them, the sound of which catches the familiar stranger’s attention.

She gasps softly and quickly turns away, ducking between people before disappearing altogether.

“Shit!” I hiss.

“Woah,” Kerym comes up from behind me. “Demethys, are you alright?”

“That woman.” I spin on my heel, my eyes glued to the guests that lazily stroll through the hall, their hands filled with drinks and plates of food while they socialize. “Where did she go?”

“What woman?”

“The woman that was standing right here!” I gesture to the table.

“Woman? I didn’t see anyone here.”

My heart squeezes.

Could it have been an illusion? My mind having been so focused on my imaginary future with Harper that now I’ve suddenly manifested a vision of her?

I feel my body grow heavy, my hand coming up to rest on my forehead.

“Demethys?”

Desperation clings to me. She had to be real.

Please, gods, let her be here.

Let this all be a sign.

13

HARPER

Iburst out of the hall, my breath catching in my throat.

Good gods, was that Demethys just now?

My heart hammers inside of my chest, making it hard to stay upright. I stumble my way through the gardens, finding an unoccupied bench facing the fountain that babbles pleasantly in the cool night air.

My body collapses onto it, my legs suddenly feeling numb and heavy.

I can’t believe it, that had to have been a hallucination, right?

There’s no way that Demethys is alive—after all of this time.

Tears prickle the corners of my eyes. My hand comes up to cup over my mouth as sobs threaten to choke out of me. It’s been so long since I’ve let my mind wander to thoughts of Demethys.

Usually I simply have dreams about him, wonderful and warm and full of that dimpled smile of his as he gazes down at me and our daughter while his arms tighten around me. Those dreams are the only pieces of him that I have left, other than our daughter, and I cherish them every morning when I wake up.

But this… my mind is certainly playing tricks on me.

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