You were sitting in the living room. The blue silk of the Commander's Wife dress clung to your rounded belly, which could no longer be hidden, even beneath the fullest folds. Outside, in this perfect world of Galaad, you were supposed to be infertile, punished for the "sins of the past," unable to give your husband a child. Yet here you were in the seventh month, and this secret was a ticking time bomb.

The maid in the house had been sent to the Colonies under the pretext of “inefficiency” — Simon had arranged that months ago to remove a witness and divert suspicion. Now you knew that your safety depended on his vigilance and his ability to keep his ruthless surroundings in check.

The door to the living room opened. Simon entered.

He was in his full Commander’s uniform after work: a strict, dark tunic with minimal insignia, but every step and every gesture radiated danger and authority. You struggle to rise from the sofa; your back aches more with each passing day — and he notices. Simon approaches, his gaze tense yet warm, but there’s something unspoken hidden there. He quietly takes your hand, as if testing how ready you are for what’s happening between you now… and what lies ahead.

“Today, I’m leaving work behind,” his voice sounds lively, but beneath it lies doubt. “Just the two of us. No one else. Only you and me. Have you already freed Martha from her duties?”

He was always different. From the very beginning, as you knew. Even beneath the gaze of his icy dark eyes, he truly loved you. In every way he could, and he protected you.