The garden's shadows stretched long across the manicured lawn as I escaped the suffocating walls of the palace. My chest felt tight, each breath more labored than the last. Not from my condition—from the weight of living as a ghost in my own life.

I sank onto a stone bench beneath the ancient oak tree, its branches reaching toward the gray sky like gnarled fingers. The tears came silently at first, then built into body-wracking sobs that I muffled with my hands.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to no one. "I'm trying so hard to be strong."

The wind carried my words away, scattering them among the roses Adrian had imported from Europe because "they reminded him of my complexion." Everything was about appearance, about maintaining the perfect facade of our marriage.

I didn't notice the figure watching from the balcony above until a shadow fell across my lap. Looking up, I caught a glimpse of a tall figure retreating into the shadows of the east wing. Crown Prince Hayes. Adrian's younger brother. Our eyes met briefly before he disappeared inside.

Minutes later, a young servant girl approached with hesitant steps, carrying a woolen shawl and a silver thermos.

"From the kitchens, Your Highness," she murmured, avoiding my gaze as she placed them beside me. "The evenings are getting colder."

I wrapped the shawl around my shoulders, its warmth seeping through my thin dress. The thermos contained my favorite jasmine tea, prepared exactly as I liked it—with a hint of honey and a squeeze of lemon.

"Thank you," I said, but the girl was already hurrying away.

I never saw Hayes again that evening, but I felt his presence linger in the garden like a gentle guardian.

---

The royal library was silent except for the occasional rustle of ancient pages. I'd been coming here daily, searching through dusty tomes for any mention of prophecies similar to mine.

"Perhaps there's a pattern," I whispered to myself, pulling another leather-bound volume from the shelf. "Something Adrian missed."

My fingers traced over the gilt edges of books dating back centuries. The family archives were kept in a locked section, but Rose had stolen a key for me months ago.

"Just in case," she'd said with that knowing look that always made me feel less alone.

Today, a slim volume caught my eye—its spine cracked with age, the title faded to illegibility. When I opened it, the pages crackled beneath my touch.

"The Prophecies of the Western Lines," I read aloud, my voice barely audible.

As I turned the pages, my heart began to race. There, in faded ink, was a chapter devoted to "life-threatening ordeals" and their solutions.

"Physical interventions are temporary fixes," I read, my pulse quickening. "True resolution requires spiritual rebirth through connection with the earth's magnetic currents in the western territories."

Below was a map showing specific locations along the West Coast where these "magnetic laylines" converged.

"I don't need to die," I breathed, my hands trembling. "I don't need Adrian's divine medicine or Camryn's sacrifice. I just need to leave."

The realization hit me like a physical blow. All this time, Adrian had been trying to control my fate when the answer was freedom—my freedom to choose my own path.

I carefully tucked the book into my bag, glancing nervously at the library door. If Adrian discovered this, he'd never believe me. He'd think I was being dramatic again, seeking attention.

---

"More tea, Lady Camryn?" I asked politely, lifting the silver pot.

The tea gathering was Adrian's idea—a chance for Camryn and me to "bond" over our shared interest in "family expansion." The irony wasn't lost on me.

Camryn smiled sweetly, extending her cup. "Yes, thank you, Meadow. Your hospitality is so... thoughtful."

The way she emphasized the word made it sound like an insult. I poured carefully, aware of Adrian watching us from across the room.

"Just like sisters," he'd been saying all afternoon, his hand resting possessively on Camryn's shoulder.

As I handed her the cup, Camryn's eyes met mine with calculated malice. In one fluid motion, she stepped backward, caught her heel on her own hem, and crashed to the floor.

"Ah!" she cried out, clutching her barely visible bump. "Meadow pushed me!"

"I didn't—" I began, but Adrian was already there, lifting Camryn bridal-style.

"What were you thinking?" he hissed at me, his face contorted with rage. "She's carrying our child!"

"Adrian, please," I said calmly. "I didn't touch her. She tripped herself."

"Liar!" Camryn whimpered from Adrian's arms. "She stuck her foot out when I wasn't looking!"

Adrian's eyes darkened as he looked at me. "I expected better from you, Meadow. This jealousy is beneath you."

"Jealousy?" I repeated, stunned by the accusation.

"Enough," he snapped. "You're confined to the East Wing until further notice. We can't risk the heir's safety around your vindictive behavior."

As he carried Camryn away, her triumphant smile flashed over his shoulder—a silent declaration of war that I had just lost the first battle.

The East Wing had become my prison. Four walls of opulence that might as well have been cell bars. I spent my days pacing the Persian rugs, staring out windows I couldn't open, talking to myself because there was no one else to listen.

Except Luna. My beautiful white cat was the only creature who didn't look at me with pity or suspicion. She curled against my legs at night when the loneliness became too much to bear. She purred when I cried, as if she understood the weight crushing my chest.

"You're all I have left," I whispered, stroking her soft fur as she stretched across my lap. "Just you and me against the world."

Luna blinked her amber eyes, tail twitching as if in agreement. Sometimes I wondered if she was the only one who truly saw me—not as the fragile princess or the barren wife, but simply as Meadow.

The knock at my bathroom door startled me from my bath. I'd been soaking for nearly an hour, trying to ease the constant ache in my chest.

"Who is it?" I called, wrapping myself in a towel.

"It's just me," came Camryn's honeyed voice. "I was passing by and thought I'd check on you."

My stomach clenched. Camryn never "just checked" on anyone. Everything she did was calculated.

"I'm fine," I replied, quickly dressing. "You shouldn't be in this wing. Adrian said—"

"Oh, I know what Adrian said." Her voice dripped with false sweetness. "But we're practically family now, aren't we? I thought we could bond."

I emerged from the bathroom to find her sitting primly on my bed, stroking Luna. My cat was unusually still, allowing Camryn's touch despite her normally wary nature.

"What are you doing?" I asked, moving toward them.

"Just being friendly," Camryn smiled, holding something small between her fingers. "I brought her a little treat. Animals love me."

As I stepped closer, Luna suddenly jerked away from Camryn's hand. Her body went rigid, then began to convulse. A terrible yowling sound tore from her throat as she thrashed across the bedspread.

"Luna!" I screamed, lunging forward. "What did you do?"

Camryn stood, smoothing her dress. "Nothing. Cats get sick all the time."

Luna's eyes rolled back, showing only whites. Her body twisted in agony as I gathered her into my arms.

"She's just playing," Camryn said with a shrug. "You're so dramatic."

I cradled Luna against my chest, feeling her small body seize with pain. "Help me! She needs help!"

Camryn backed toward the door. "I should go. You seem... unstable."

Luna's convulsions grew weaker as I ran my fingers through her fur, trying to soothe her. Her amber eyes found mine, filled with a trust that broke my heart.

"Stay with me," I begged, tears streaming down my face. "Please, Luna. Stay with me."

But her body went limp in my arms, her final breath a soft whisper against my wrist.

---

"She poisoned her!" I screamed, running through the palace halls with Luna's lifeless body clutched to my chest. "Camryn killed Luna!"

Staff scattered from my path as I raced toward Adrian's study. My bare feet slapped against the marble floors, my hair wild around my face.

Adrian looked up as I burst through the door, his expression shifting from surprise to alarm.

"Meadow, what are you—"

"Look!" I thrust Luna toward him. "Look what she did!"

Adrian's eyes widened at the sight of the dead cat. Before he could respond, Camryn appeared in the doorway behind me, her face streaked with tears.

"I didn't mean to," she sobbed, her hand protectively cradling her barely-visible bump. "I just wanted to be nice to her cat. I had no idea..."

"Stop lying!" I whirled to face her. "You fed her rat poison. I saw you!"

Camryn's tears flowed freely now. "I would never hurt an animal. You're having another episode, Meadow. The doctor warned us about your hysteria."

Adrian moved between us, his face tight with exhaustion. "This has gone far enough."

"Far enough?" My voice cracked. "She killed Luna! My Luna!"

"Perhaps you should lie down," Adrian said, his tone clinical. "You're clearly not well."

"I'm not well?" I laughed hysterically. "Your mistress murdered my cat, and you're worried about my mental state?"

Adrian's jaw tightened. He pressed a button on his desk, summoning the guards. "Remove... that," he gestured to Luna's body. "And call Dr. Morris. He should sedate Her Highness."

---

"I saw her do it!"

Rose's voice echoed through the hallway as she stormed into Adrian's study without knocking. Her normally composed face was flushed with anger, her eyes blazing.

"How dare you!" she shouted, pointing at Camryn who had remained in the room. "How dare you murder an innocent creature and blame it on my lady!"

Adrian rose slowly from his desk, his authority challenged. "You forget yourself, Rose."

"No, Your Highness," Rose stood her ground, chin lifted. "I forget nothing. I saw this woman enter the East Wing. I saw her with the poison from the garden shed."

Camryn's face paled. "You're lying!"

"I know the truth," Rose continued, her voice steady despite the risk she was taking. "And so does everyone who isn't blinded by your manipulations."

Adrian's face darkened to a dangerous shade. "You question my judgment?"

"I question your heart," Rose replied, her loyalty to me overriding all else. "The man who would let his wife suffer such cruelty is no man at all."

The silence that followed was deafening. Adrian's hands curled into fists at his sides, his eyes cold with a rage I had never seen before.