Chapter 51

• It had been three months since the deaths of Zinnia and Fox, and now I was in the eighth month of my pregnancy. My belly was heavy, my mood swings were worse than ever, and the stress of impending labor gnawed at me every day. King Archer, sensing my volatile temper, stayed with me at least seven hours a day, though he seemed to avoid getting too close—perhaps because of the stretch marks spreading across my belly and thighs.
• I sat on the balcony, letting the cold, refreshing breeze whip through my hair. I had tried my best to calm my mind, and Lady Ann and her sons had helped. Lady Ann and I had grown closer with each passing day, and her sons had become almost like my own children, spending more time with me than with their mother.
• I admired Lady Ann’s strength. She had moved on from her loving husband much faster than I ever could imagine myself moving on from Archer, even though he often treated me cruelly. Just two weeks ago, he had slapped me for harassing one of the sluts he slept with, and it reminded me all over again that being his wife meant enduring a man both abusive and untouchable.