Page 85 of The Alpha's Uncovered Mate

I cut him off. "I have the phone. There's something you need to see."

"What?"

"Norman's phone and his laptop. I have them," I repeat. "I'm messaging you an address. Come here."

I message him the details and then close the laptop, leaning against the headboard of the bed. I've slept for hours and yet I'm so tired. I want to close my eyes and sink into the abyss of darkness where it's safe and silent, where I'm not being tortured. My leg is throbbing. Each movement makes me want to scream.

I will have to see a healer, but I'm afraid Lydia will get in trouble. What if I ask her to meet me here?

I pick up the phone, and this time, I focus on the screen. My blood runs cold at the sight of all the missed calls and messages from Jonathon. I don't open the messages. I'm scared shitless right now. I put the phone down, my heart thudding in my chest. Hands unsteady, I reach for the motel phone. I call the infirmary, and the nurse who answers directs me to Lydia's cellphone. When Lydia answers the phone, she sounds taken aback to hear my voice.

"It's me, Cynthia. I need a favor," I tell her, my voice unsteady. "But please don't tell anybody about this."

"What is it?"

"I got attacked, and I'm in bad shape. I can't come to you, but can you come to me? Just make sure nobody finds out and that you're not followed."

She doesn't ask questions much to my surprise. "Alright. Give me your address."

It turns out she's in the area, and when there's a knock on the door twenty minutes later, I feel myself hesitate even though I know who it should be. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Lydia."

I let out a sigh of relief and hobble over to open the door.

Healer Lydia takes one look at me, and her face tenses. "Who did this to you?"

"It's not important." I sink back onto the bed. "I'm… Can you fix me?"

She cups my face with her hands, worry in her eyes. "Cynthia, you need to tell me who did this to you."

Her voice is gentle, and it brings tears to my eyes. "I can't. Please understand. I can't. I just need you to fix me so that I can… I'm tired, Lydia. I'm very tired."

The words are ripped from my very soul.

I am tired. Living has become such a chore now. I'm on the edge of the precipice. My reasons for living are fading away, one by one. The flame within me that has driven me to survive, to fight, is close to being extinguished. I have fought so hard and yet gained nothing. The most happiness I achieved was in those moments when I believed Adam was mine, that I was cherished.But all that was also a lie. Perhaps that's what broke me the most, to taste this exquisite happiness just to have it yanked away from me.

"Alright." Lydia gently urges me back onto the bed. "Lie still. This is going to hurt, but once I check what is wrong with you, I will have to break your leg and knee again to reposition it properly."

I nod, letting out a shaky breath.

I lie still when she runs her hands over my body, hovering just an inch from my skin. Her hands are glowing a soft yellow, warmth emitting from them. When she reaches my stomach, she pauses.

She does it again, and she pauses once again.

Lydia takes a step back, her eyes wide. "Cynthia, are you pregnant?"

Shock hits me like a punch in the gut. "Excuse me?"

"You're carrying a child within you. You're two to three weeks along." Lydia looks concerned. "You didn't know?"

My working hand clutches my stomach. "It's not possible."

"You are pregnant," Lydia reaffirms. "I double-checked. Why do you look so upset? This is a good thing."

"No, it's not!" I burst out, fear eating at me.

A child? I'm supposed to bring a child into this world when I'm still tied down as a slave?

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