Elena’s POV

I froze, the words caught in my throat. My pulse thundered in my ears, but reason quickly clawed its way back.

He and I? Impossible.

There were no children, no forced marriage, nothing left between us but bitterness, resentment, and a trace of hatred I could never quite forget.

Most importantly, Stella had not run away with a baby.

A shiver ran through me, chilling my bones as if I had been pulled from summer’s warmth straight into the heart of winter.

Every pore ...