Page 127 of Bound By Crimson

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For a second, everything else disappeared.

This is it, she thought.

The ring.

Her breath caught as she opened it.

But inside wasn’t a ring.

It was a silver necklace. A delicate heart pendant engraved with the wordMom.

She stared at it.

It was beautiful. Thoughtful, even.

But her chest tightened.

He knows I never take off my mother’s locket.

She wore it every day. It was sacred to her. A sacred tether to the woman she lost. A piece of her that couldn’t be replaced.

And now this.

A gift that asked her to.

Her smile came a second too late. A beat off.

“It’s beautiful,” she said softly. “Thank you.”

Kai looked proud. Happy.

She reached across the table to take his hand.

But inside, something else happened.

It wasn’t a ring.

It wasn’t a promise.

She was realizing she had been surviving on the small crumbs Kai had been feeding her since they arrived.

But this one hurt more than she realized.

It didn’t just disappoint her—it gutted her.

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Later that night, when she stood alone at the vanity, she opened the velvet box again.

The necklace sparkled under the low lamplight.

She didn’t take it out of the box.

She closed it gently and placed it in her nightstand.

Then, with both hands resting on the curve of her belly, she whispered,

“Don’t worry. I don’t need a necklace to tell me I’m your mom.”

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