Goodbye, My Once‑Upon‑a‑Time

My voice was hoarse, yet the affection threaded through it was obvious.

Jonathan reached out and pulled me into his arms. When he looked at Kelsey, his gaze turned icy.

"Kelsey, don't push your luck. What's between you and me has nothing to do with Nat. And don't forget how you ended up as Mrs. Caruso in the first place."

The threat in his words was unmistakable.

Kelsey's face went pale. She staggered back, one hand bracing her belly.

Only then did Jonathan seem to realize he'd said the wrong thing. His tone shifted as he scrambled to patch things up.

"I-If it weren't for Nat's accident back then… That's enough. I'll pretend none of this happened today. Just go back to Colline delle Rose and stay there."

"What accident?" Kelsey shrieked. "Didn't you send this woman to my father yourself? And I'm not going back. What's so great about that broken-down estate anyway?"

I'd already known the truth, but I could no longer suppress the hatred welling up in me upon hearing their plot spoken aloud.

My fingers clenched tightly into Jonathan's suit jacket, my knuckles whitening.

Noticing my reaction, Jonathan lowered his voice, rough and strained as he tried to explain, "Nat, that was an accident. I'll make it up to you."

I shoved him away, my eyes bloodshot.

"Make it up to me?" I demanded. "By marrying the daughter of the man who abused me? Or by letting her move into the estate I designed and allowing her to carry your child?"

Three years of suffocating misery came pouring out of me.

My vision blurred as I met his impatient gaze. My hands and feet turned cold, and my breathing nearly stopped.

Jonathan didn't love me anymore. Why would he feel bad for me?

I needed to calm down. The plan couldn't fall apart now.

I slammed into Kelsey as I passed her and strode away, but I hadn't gone far when her scream stopped me in my tracks.

She collapsed onto the ground, clutching her belly and wailing, "My baby! Natasha, you're trying to kill my child! Amore, save our baby!"

Her expression twisted in agony, but the theatrics were excessive. I could tell at a glance that she was acting.

What I hadn't expected was Jonathan rushing forward in panic and scooping her up. The worry on his face stunned me.

As he passed me, his voice dropped, and he warned, "Nat, you went too far. The baby's innocent. You're going to pay for this."

A bitter laugh escaped me when I saw the urgency in his eyes.

"When you sent me into the water dungeon, I was pregnant with your child, too."

Jonathan stopped in his tracks. He turned back, his gaze complicated and unreadable. "I'll give you another child. I'll make it up to you."

He knew all along.

The realization hit me like a muffled thunderclap. My mind went blank, darkness swimming in my vision.

I couldn't take it anymore and blacked out.

…

When I woke up again, everything around me was dark.

Only a faint light overhead reminded me where I was—Colline delle Rose's underground prison, where Jonathan used to lock up traitors.

A figure in the shadows noticed my movement and spoke slowly. "Nat, you've been very disobedient. How could you touch my child?"

"You disgust me, Jonathan. You killed our child with your own hands."

My throat was dry, and my heart ached.

He fell silent for a moment before replying, his voice carrying a trace of regret, "There will be other children. My child is your child, too. You're the real Mrs. Caruso. My children's mother can only ever be you."

"Stay here and learn your lesson," he added. "I'll come get you later."

With that, Jonathan turned and left.

I stared at his retreating form and cursed aloud, "Jonathan, you're a monster. You'll do anything for power. I won't let you get away with this!"

His response was a soft chuckle, followed by the heavy sound of the door locking shut.

I closed my eyes and tamped down the hatred surging inside me.

Then, I called Theodore. "Let's move up the plan. Come get me from Colline delle Rose."