Ignoring the ache in my chest, I remained silent in the shadows and kept watching.

Augustine emerged from the bathroom with only a towel around his waist, water droplets tracing paths down his chiseled chest.

"Ready to be mine forever, my love?" he asked, his voice low and sensual as he approached Lucy.

She nodded shyly and untied the strings of her bra. "I've been ready for so long, Augustine. I want to be yours forever."

They came together, and Augustine’s fangs sank into her neck.

Blood trickled down her pale skin, but she didn't cry out in pain. She let out a soft moan of pleasure.

The ritual of The Embrace was performed with the most primal act of union.

Augustine drank her blood while they writhed together, their bodies entwined.

They even moved to the floor-to-ceiling window, letting the pedestrians below catch shadowed glimpses of their intimate dance.

Lucy seemed to revel in the thrill of being watched, pressing herself against the glass to expose more of her body.

"Look, Augustine, they're all watching us," she purred. "They must be so jealous that I have the love of a vampire Prince."

Augustine chuckled darkly, his movements becoming more feral. "Let them watch."

I calmly recorded every second of it. Then I sent the video to Clara with a short message:

"Play this at the banquet."

Clara’s reply was swift: "Understood."

Next, I sent a message to the elders of the Nightshade Clan.

"In seven days, I am returning home."

The High Elder, Damien, sensed something was wrong immediately. "Did Augustine betray you?"

"Yes."

"Damn him!" Damien’s reply was a furious curse. "I always said you couldn't trust a Slinter! Haley, you know the Nightshade Clan will always be your home."

The other elders sent messages of comfort, their words filled with disgust for Augustine and sympathy for me.

In the hotel room, the two were still lost in their sordid ritual.

I had seen enough. I slipped out of the hotel unnoticed.

Late that night, Augustine finally returned to the castle.

He reeked of Lucy’s perfume and the unmistakable scent of sex. He hadn't even bothered to hide the bite mark on his neck—a mark Lucy had left in the throes of passion.

He thought I was asleep, that I wouldn't notice such details.

He wrapped his arms around me tightly, whispering with false emotion, "Haley, I love you so much."

His hand stroked my hair. "Promise me you'll never leave me, alright? I can't lose you. I absolutely can't."

As he spoke, I could clearly smell the other woman on him.

Hypocrite.

The next day, Augustine left again, this time with the excuse of a clan council meeting.

"It will probably run late. I might not be back until late tonight," he said, kissing my forehead. "Get some rest. Don't wait up for me."

I nodded, watching him go.

Five minutes later, I was following him again.

Augustine didn't go to the council chambers. He drove to an old church on the outskirts of the city.

Lucy was already there, dressed in a pure white gown.

"Augustine!" She threw herself at him, pouting like a little girl. "I thought you weren't coming."

"How could I not?" He stroked her head fondly. "Now tell me, why did you want me to meet you at a church?"

Lucy bit her lip, putting on a wounded expression. "I know I'm just your lover. I can't compare to Haley. But…"

She paused, tears welling in her eyes. "Can't I have a ceremony of my own? Even if it's just for show, just something to make me feel like I have a place in your heart."

She clutched his hand tightly. "I won't compete with Haley for anything. I just want a ceremony to prove my love for you. Is that too much to ask?"

Augustine was silent for a long time, conflict warring in his eyes.

Finally, he sighed. "Alright. If it will make you happy."

Lucy's tears vanished, replaced by a radiant smile. She stood on her toes and kissed him. "I knew you cared about me the most!"

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a message from my best friend, Lila.

"Babe, where are you?"

I didn't hide anything. I told her everything that had happened.

Seconds later, she called, her voice seething with rage. "What? That bitch dared to humiliate you like that? Where are you? I'm coming over right now to gut her with a silver dagger!"

"Calm down, Lila," I stopped her. "It's not time yet. I have a much better plan."

Inside the church, everything was ready.

A priest stood at the altar. Augustine and Lucy stood before him, hand in hand.

Lucy was wearing a white wedding gown and a veil, looking every bit the bride.

The priest began the rites. "Do you, in the presence of God, wish to pledge your eternal vows?"

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.

Augustine gazed at Lucy, his voice soft and heartbreakingly tender. "Lucy, will you spend eternity with me?"

Tears of joy streamed down Lucy's face as she answered with a trembling voice, "I do! Augustine, of course I do!"

The priest beamed. "May God bless this union and grant you many children!"

Watching this absurd ceremony, I was thrown back five hundred years to my own wedding.

Before this very same kind of altar, Augustine had knelt on one knee and said to me with that same deep love in his eyes, "Haley, will you be my mate for all eternity?"

The same look, the same tone.

A cold laugh escaped my lips, but my eyes betrayed me, filling with tears.

So, to Augustine, our five-hundred-year love was just a script he could reuse.

A different woman, a different day, but the performance remained the same.

I fought to control my emotions, recorded the entire scene, and sent it to Clara.

In the church, Augustine was kissing Lucy, holding her as if they were truly newlyweds.

Back at the castle, I began to pack.

The room was filled with five hundred years of memories: photos of us, gifts he'd given me, souvenirs from our travels…

One by one, I tossed them into the fireplace.

The flames consumed the things I once treasured, just as they were consuming my past.

Finally, I picked up our portrait. It had been painted by the most famous artist of the time. In it, we were locked in a tight embrace, our eyes full of love.

I ripped the canvas in two and threw Augustine’s half into the fire.

Just then, my phone rang.

It was Lucy again.

"We took vows before a priest today. He said I'm his wife now, too."

"So what if you're the Princess? He's mine, too."

I still didn't reply.

As I was about to leave the room, a sharp, violent pain shot through my chest.

It was a tearing agony, as if someone was repeatedly stabbing my heart with a silver knife.

I clutched my chest and collapsed to the floor, curling into a ball of pain.

The old wound. It was acting up.

A hundred years ago, Augustine had been struck by a silver dagger in a battle with werewolves. He was on the brink of death.

To save him, I had given him a massive amount of my own heart's blood, pulling him back from the edge.

I survived, but ever since, my heart would occasionally seize with this excruciating pain. Only Augustine’s blood could soothe it.

With a trembling hand, I dialed his number.

One ring, two, three…

No answer.

I gritted my teeth and dialed again.

The pain intensified, and my vision began to blur.

Finally, the call connected.

I was about to speak when I heard Lucy's whining voice. "Augustine, I feel so awful… being a new vampire hurts all over…"

"Shh, I'll help you feel better," he cooed back at her.

I heard rustling on the other end. He was clearly comforting her, completely unaware that the call was connected.

I opened my mouth, wanting to tell him my old wound had flared up, that I needed his blood.

But as another wave of agony crashed over me, I passed out on the cold floor, my world fading to black.

When I woke up, I was in a bed at the vampire hospital, the sterile scent of disinfectant filling my nose.

The first thing I saw was Augustine’s face, etched with worry and fear.

He sat by my bedside, his eyes full of guilt. He looked haggard.

"Haley, you're finally awake!" he said, gripping my hand. "The doctors said you almost…"

His voice broke. "It's all my fault. If I had been with you, this wouldn't have happened."

Looking at his hypocritical face, I asked in a hoarse voice, "Who were you with?"

For a split second, panic flashed across Augustine's face, but he quickly composed himself.

"I was in negotiations with the Rhine Clan representatives," he explained softly. "You know how tricky the recent territory disputes have been. They required my personal attention."

He gently caressed the back of my hand.

"Thank the gods Clara found you and called me immediately. The moment I got the news, I dropped everything and rushed over."

His voice trembled. "Haley, I can't lose you. You know you're the most important person in my life."

He even had tears welling in his eyes as he said it.

If I hadn't personally heard him with Lucy just moments before, I might have been moved by his heartfelt performance.

I closed my eyes, unable to look at his deceitful face any longer.

"I'm a little tired," I said weakly.

Augustine placed a soft kiss on my forehead. "Then get some rest. I have to take care of a few urgent matters, but I'll be back to stay with you soon."

The moment his footsteps faded down the hall, Lila burst in.

"Haley!" She rushed to my bedside and squeezed my hand. "I heard your old wound acted up. You scared me to death! How are you feeling?"

I gave a bitter smile. "Still breathing."

Lila’s expression hardened with fury. "Haley, I just saw that woman you told me about! She's on the third floor, in the maternity ward."

"I saw her holding a bloodline report from the clinic, and Augustine looked ecstatic. He was muttering things like 'I'm finally going to have an heir' and 'this is a gift from the heavens.'"

A strange silence fell over the room.

Lila looked at me, worried. "Haley, are you okay? You've gone pale."

But I was unnaturally calm. I even started to laugh.

The sound was jarring in the quiet hospital room, startling even Lila. "Haley, you…"

"Lila, I'm going to tell you a secret," I said with a smirk. "A hundred years ago, Augustine and I tried for a child. For a whole year, nothing happened. We finally got tested. It turned out that during his fight with the werewolves, it wasn't just his heart that was damaged. His bloodline was permanently corrupted."

Lila's eyes went wide. "You mean…"

"He lost the ability to have children," I said, looking her straight in the eye. "But to protect his dignity and authority as a Prince, I had the family physician conceal the truth. We announced that my body was too weak and needed long-term recovery."

Lila covered her mouth in shock. "Gods, Haley… so now…"

"Now, he's celebrating a child that isn't his," I said, and this time, a real laugh escaped me.

For a hundred years, I had protected his secret with my own reputation. Now, it seemed, there was no longer any need.

Furious, Lila paced the room. Suddenly, she stopped, a wicked glint in her eye. "I have an idea. After that Lucy bitch has the baby, let's mail Augustine the bloodline test results. I want to see the look on his face."

I nodded, and we shared a dark smile.

The next afternoon, Clara came to the hospital to give me a report.

She seemed to be struggling with something, opening her mouth to speak several times before closing it again.

"Just say it, Clara. What happened?"

Clara took a deep breath. "My lady, yesterday I saw… that woman, Lucy. She was wearing your nightgown and has moved into the master bedroom of the castle."

Even though my heart felt like it had turned to ash, a sharp pain lanced through it at her words.

That master bedroom had been our sanctuary for five hundred years.

And now, Augustine couldn't wait to give it all to Lucy.

"I see."

Clara looked at my face, her own eyes turning red. "My lady…"

"It's alright, Clara," I said, patting her hand. "It will all be over soon."

As night fell, Augustine arrived.

He carried a bouquet of red roses, his face a perfect mask of concern.

"How are you feeling? The doctor says you can be discharged soon." He sat by the bed. "I've had the kitchen prepare your favorite restorative blood soup. It will be waiting for you when you get home."

Looking at his charade of a devoted husband, I suddenly wanted to rip the mask off. "Augustine," I began softly, "I want to ask you something."

"Anything, my love."

I looked him straight in the eye. "Have you betrayed me?"

For a second, his expression faltered, as if someone had suddenly choked him.

But the look vanished in an instant, replaced by one of confusion. "Why would you ask that, my love?"