The day I went to surprise my blood-bound, Damien, with my pregnancy report, I found out his childhood sweetheart, Lia, was also pregnant. But, with a vampire hunter's child.

To protect her and her child from being killed, he lied to the whole Clan, saying her child is his own pure-blood heir.

Meanwhile, my child who was actually his true heir was labelled as bastard .

He promised me he would clear my name and declare our child his once Lia delivers her child safely.

He left me alone at home and went to different location with Lia to help her deliver her child safely.

However, his family broke through my den and stabbed me in the stomach with the wooden stake the same day he left me for Lia. By the time he returned, it was already too late.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Salvatore, your pregnancy report came positive this time." The Alchemist of our Coven announced while pushing the paternity test toward me.

Tears of joy rolled through my eyes.

Finally, the moment came I was so desperately waiting for. Now, Damien and I could take our Eternal Vow, receive blessings of the Elders and raise our lineage.

Damien and I, had been together for five years yet our blood union was still due. It's because his parents still had not accepted me because of my poor background.

Damien had always been there to comfort me and tell me that his parents will eventually recognise me once I give them the heir to the house, considering I was still a pure blood vampire like them.

Then, he will hold a big ceremony for me, announce me his blood-bound and take eternal vow with me.

Clutching the paternity test in my hands, I rushed to see Damien at his parents' house. However, my legs got frozen before they could step inside as his mother's voice echoed through the hallway.

"Since Lia is pregnant with your child, why tagging that parasite along? Get rid of her quickly!"

"A girl with no estate, no backing. But Lia... she carries the Salvatore name in her womb now. The Elders are already ecstatic. The lineage is secured."

I felt the paper of the paternity test crinkle in my trembling grip. Lia? Damien’s childhood friend? She had been away for months.

"Mom..." Damien pressed her hand softly, "Serene knows no one. If I kick her out, where would she go? I don't want Lia to take anyone's curse. So, let her be in the house for a while."

"Besides, she is as obedient as a servant in the house. Why must you be against her every time?"

Though Damien took my side in front of his mother, however the words he used, ripped my heart.

So, that was what I had been in his eyes. A servant.

"Besides..." He turned to face Lia. Gently wrapping his hands around Lia's belly, he said, "Having more women at home will be good for my baby to be well taken care of."

I watched his eyes fixed at Lia's belly, the affection in his eyes. The very same affection I wanted him to have for our baby. But, not anymore.

I turned to leave. But, Damien's gaze caught my sight and he chased after me immediately.

Holding my hands outside his parents' house, he said, his voice almost hoarse, "Wh-When did you arrive, Serene?"

"Soon enough to see your true face, Damien." I said, my voice sharp.

He quickly grabbed me in his arms, saying, "Don't take me wrong, Serene. The child Lia is carrying, is not mine."

"She has been raped by a vampire hunter to save me from them. But, the child is innocent, and she wants to give birth."

"Our Clan will not accept his child, not when someone claims it as his." He said, his heart beating against mine.

"Must it be you then, sacrificing our relationship for the sake of your old love?" I asked.

"Don't be so petty, Serene!" He broke our hug, "She saved my life! I thought you would understand."

"Understand?" I smirked, "Yes, I understand, Damien. But, what about my baby then? What will come out of it now?"

"Wh-What?" Damien's eyes widened. It was hard to depict if it was shock or excitement, "Serene, you-"

"I'm pregnant." I declared. I saw his lips curling up to form a smile before a pitiful voice sounded from behind.

"Damien..." Lia came in between us, her eyes filled with tears and her hands wrapped against her belly, "You said... you will take my baby as yours and will never let anyone know that it's-"

"And, I'm still standing by my words, Lia." Damien said, his voice firm. "But, Serene is my blood bound. She deserves to know the truth. I can't lie to her."

Her lips curled up into a smug smirk, her eyes laced with ego shot a sharp glance at me before it landed back on Damien as she said, "Then you should tell her the whole truth."

"Tell her that you are going to announce our Eternal Vow Ceremony to the clan and declare her a mistake, making her your slut. And now that she is pregnant, her child will be called a bastard... born from a slut."

"Lia... Stop it," Damien groaned, "please!"

Lia quickly formed a pitiful face. Covering her belly, she said in a pretenous voice, "Don't scare my baby. If you don't want to accept it, just say it. Don't traumatize him like this."

Damien who was earlier mad at her quickly walked past me and pulled Lia in his arms. "I'm sorry, Lia. I didn't mean to scare you or the baby. Just don't take your anger on Serene. She is innocent."

I watched them being so lovey dovey before my eyes while my child just called a bastard by Lia and soon by everyone.

I wiped the corner of my eyes, clutched the paternity test reports tightly in my hands as I said, my voice laced with horror. "It's better to kill the baby before it's born than letting it be called a bastard."

"Since you are reluctant to abort Lia's child, let me make this sacrifice then."

"Serene..." Damien called my name, his eyes red, "Do not ever say that word abort before me. You and your child is equally important to me. I'll not let you do anything foolish, okay?"

Equally important?

How come?

The child I was carrying was his, his own blood while the child Lia was carrying belonged to a vampire hunter, yet in his eyes they both were equal.

Did he expect me to be happier for considering my child as important as to some bastard child who was not even his?

However, before I could react or say something in my child's defense, Damien's mother, Emily walked out of her mansion.

A smirk appeared on her face as soon as her gaze landed at me. Her lips twisted as she barked, "What the hell is this slut doing at home?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, Damien. Do not bring your bitches at our house."

"Mom please..." Damien protested, "I love Serene. So, be polite when talking to her."

"Lia is pregnant with your child. Bearing the hier to our lineage and you dare speak for your slut?"

"I feel so sorry for Lia who has to tolerate this woman throughout this time." Emily said, looking pitifuly at Lia who quickly made a pitiful face, saying, "It's okay, Emily. For the sake of my child's happiness and my love for Damien, I can bear anything."

"You shameless filthy!" Emily turned to me, "If there was another woman, she would have walked away already. But, you have to be the third wheel in my son and daughter-in-law's life."

Daughter-in-law? Lia?

They hadn't taken the eternal vow yet and I was Damien's blood bound. Everyone in our clan knew it.

"And what is that you are holding in your hands so tightly?" She narrowed her eyes looking down at my hands.

Damien and Lia's face instantly turned pale as she walked up to me.

I put my hands behind, instinctively protecting the paternity test reports. But, Emily twisted my elbow and snatched the report from my hand.

I saw her eyes frowning and her face turning pale as she finally read the report.

"Y-You are pregnant?"

Though the question was directed at me. But, she turned to look at Damien who was already frozen at his place.

"You got both Lia and Serene pregnant?" She asked, this time her fury was at her own son.

Damien remained silent. He seemed panicking. Just then a voice echoed from behind.

"Serene got laid with one of the servant and got pregnant. The child in her womb is not Damien's." Lia said, "She is carrying a bastard."

Blood ran cold in my head. I watched Lia pointing her finger at my womb, calling my precious baby a bastard.

I could not hold myself anymore. I walked forward. I gave a short glance to Damien who didn't seem affected by Lia's words. Then, I turned to Lia and a voice echoed very loud.

THWACK!

I slapped Lia.

I slapped her for calling my child a bastard.

I slapped her for snatching my child's right.

I slapped her for framing me, calling me slut.

However, my hands were immediately grabbed by Emily.

"You slut!" She barked, "How dare you hurt my daughter-in-law? She is pregnant with our heir."

"You dare cheat on my son and now stand here hurting his child's mother?" She yelled before gesturing to her guards.

"Hold her tight and keep slapping her until she realises what she has done right now." She commanded and soon two of her guards held my hands from either side and one came in front.

I saw Damien hastening himself to come to my side. But, a scream tore from Lia's throat.

"Damien..." She screamed, "My stomach is aching. My baby... My baby?"

Damien frowned. He immediately turned to Lia's side. Grabbing her in his hands, he picked her up.

He looked at me, his eyes laced with guilt and pity. He then turned to Emily as he said, "Mom, please don't do anything to Serene. Let me come back and explain everything to you. Serene is innocent. Please don't hurt her."

With that meaningless explanation, he turned to leave with Lia, leaving me at the mercy of Emily and her three strong guards.

Before walking past me, he had stopped for a second and said, "Don't be scared, Serene. I'll come back for you."

Neither did I expect him to actually come back for me, not after he betrayed me so bad, but he really didn't return.

Not for me. Not for his unborn child.

I was beaten, abused and spit on by the three guards by my so called mother-in-law.

In the end, she stepped on my fingers, crushing them with her heels, she said, "You should feel lucky that my son still feel pity on you or else I would have these men sleep with you the way you slept with the servant and shame our family."

Her words cutting deep through my heart. But, before I could defend myself the world turned dark to me. I fainted.

When I opened my eyes, I was lying in the ward of a recovery vault of our clan. Damien stood by my side, pouring fresh blood in a glass.

"You are awake?" He said excitedly. "You must be thirsty. Come take this."

He pushed the glass towards me. But, I brushed it off.

"I don't need your help, Damien." I said, my voice cold, "Go back to Lia. She needs you more."

"Serene..." He whispered my name, his words carried pain and regret. But, I did not care.

"Are you still upset with me?" He stroked my hair. "I'm sorry, I got a little late."

"But, I have punished those guards. They will soon be banished from the Clan and my mom, well, she can't hurt you anymore. I can vouch my life for that." He quickly explained.

"You let them call our child a bastard!" I spat, "Never did once you tried to explain your mother when Lia accused me of... incest."

"You know I can't do this, Serene." He protested, "If the High Court knows, I got two women pregnant, I have to step down from the race of becoming High Lord. Do you want me to step down?"

"Then ask Lia to find someone else to call him her child's Dad." I muttered.

"That's enough, Serene." He shut me down, "We have already talked about it. It can't be changed."

"Then there is no need of discussion. You can leave now." I said, tossing my head on other side.

But, he did not leave. Instead, he held my hands softly and said, "It's just the matter of a few months, Serene. Once Lia gives birth to the child, she will take the child and leave the House to go live with one of her human friend."

"And the Eternal Vow, I'm just going to announce it with Lia. But, I won't take a vow with her. Once she gives birth and leaves the Clan, I'll announce you my blood-bound and accept our child. Then, I'll take the Eternal Vow with you, not Lia."

"Till then you will let everyone call our baby a bastard? Me... a slut?" I asked, looking straight into his eyes, trying to see if he still had the love for me in them as he claimed.

"I also have a plan for this." He said while pulling me in his embrace. "I'll not let anyone hurt you, Serene. Not anymore."

And the plan he had thought of was– was locking me up in a room not spacious than a washroom of our master bedroom.

He imprisoned me in the room that he called my safe place, forbidden everyone to go near that room.

He did not want anyone to see my baby bump when it appears. It was as if he was hiding my whole existence in the Clan.

He was right when he said no one could hurt me anymore, not even his Mom.

But, he did not say he was caging me up like a bird.