Page 97 of The Deadliest Game

The curtains were open, and I looked out of them as I took deep breaths. I wasn’t underground. They couldn’t hurt me. I—

Antonio cleared his throat, and I looked back at him as his jaw clenched, his eyes flickering with an emotion I couldn't quite place. Was it guilt? Regret? Or something else entirely?

"It was the only way," he mumbled. "I had no other choice."

"Choice?" I echoed, my voice trembling with fury. "What about my choice, Antonio? Have you ever considered that perhaps I have a say in my own future?" I hadn’t been given a choice when they threw me underground and bound me to a chair.

Holy shit, I was trapped just like before. I took a big, gasping breath.

The Canciller held up his hand. "Your future is with the commonwealth," he reiterated, his voice dripping with condescension. "And your marriage to Antonio will ensure you remain devoted to our cause."

As the reality of my situation sank in, I felt my chest tighten, the weight of the Canciller's words pressing down on me like a vise. This was not the life I had envisioned for myself—bound by duty and shackled to a man who claimed to care for me, yet had made such a monumental decision without so much as a thought for my feelings.

But what choice did I have? I had almost been in the same situation with Isaac. I wanted to be with Antonio, which meant this should’ve been a positive choice. With a single command, the Canciller could destroy everything I held dear. And so, with a heavy heart, I bowed my head in acquiescence, accepting the chains that bound me to both Antonio and the oppressive regime that sought to control us all.

"Let us discuss the terms of this agreement," Canciller Duarte said. He tapped a finger against an ornate document on the grand table between us, its ink still fresh and gleaming in the dim light.

“First, you both shall be wed within two months from this day." His gaze bore into mine, a cruel glint in his eyes. "And within a year of your marriage, you must conceive a child, thus doing your part to bring forth a new generation to serve the commonwealth. Since you have no living father, I will happily give you away at your wedding.”

My heart raced at the thought of such an intimate deadline. But what hurt me the most was the idea of bringing another life into a world so cruel. For the first time, flashbacks to the night of the bombing returned without destroying me. I didn’t curl under the table or scream for help.

Instead, I saw the faces of the children I had saved. It was like I held the babies in my arms and pleaded with fate to spare us while we huddled under beds and waited for the chaos to end.

So much had been lost that night. I loved children and wanted them to be happy. I had been nothing more than a child when my step-father beat my mother to death, and my brother died.

My past was the reason I didn’t want to be married. Revealing my Blood Magic had been a fear for so long, and now that it was shown publicly, I was easing myself into the idea of being married out of need. But never love. I couldn’t let anyone hurt me like my mother had been broken.

Maybe, if I could’ve been assured that my son or daughter wouldn’t be hurt, I couldn’t do this…

But… As things were, I could not fathom having a child with Antonio when my trust in him had shattered like fragile glass. I snapped out of my thoughts, but before I could voice my protest, the Canciller continued.

"Additionally, Antonio will continue to report to me about your conduct," he said, a smug smile playing on his lips as he glanced at Antonio. "He has a talent for keeping his wives in line."

Antonio flinched.

I looked at him with new eyes. If we were compelled to have a baby, despite my deep reservations, what kind of father would he be?

Right now, he was looking tormented. That wasn’t what I wanted for a child. “What does that mean?" I demanded of the Canciller while continuing to look at Antonio in disbelief.

"Indeed, it was Antonio who informed me of my daughter's involvement with that evil group, Los Fanáticos. She wanted her own parents dead, so she was taken care of," the Canciller continued as if he were talking about the weather and not his daughter.

His daughter's death.

Which Antonio had a part in. When we met after the audition, he had told me he was concerned about being labeled a sympathizer. The truth was staring me in the face, and yet… I didn’t want to believe it.

Yet another father sacrificing his daughter.

"Antonio," I whispered. "Is it true?"

His eyes met mine for a moment, filled with guilt and sorrow. Then he looked away, unable to face me any longer.

"Forgive me," Antonio choked out, but the damage was already done.

"Forgive? You did something noble for all of us," Canciller Duarte said brusquely. Antonio flinched, but he didn't deny it.

If it were possible to rip my heart from my chest and crush it, I would’ve done just that. Not only was I being forced into a marriage and a future I had no say in, but the man I had thought cared for me—perhaps even loved me—had been nothing more than a puppet of the Canciller. I was going to bring a new life into a living hell.

It hurt worse than the pain in my leg. I needed to get out of here.

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