Xander was overjoyed after hearing Lucy's response. He'd ordered food to be brought at Lucy's request, but then she told him that she wanted a meal from him personally.
She didn't have to say anything else, he burst into the kitchen and came back with fresh pancakes in less than an hour.
Lucy ate, and ate, and ate like her life depended on it. She needed strength if she was going to go against Eleanor.
Xander sat on the edge of the bed, watching her with amusement.
"You look beautiful when you eat," he said softly.
Lucy froze mid bite and gave him a quick glare but she didn't drop her fork.
"You'll forgive me if I don't blush at your compliments," she said. Her voice was still rough from thirst and starvation.
Xander's smile widened. "I just need you alive and pretty. I'm only allowing you to eat this much because you've not eaten in a while, but from now on, we'll ration your food. We don't need you to gain unnecessary weight."
Lucy's eyes flickered towards him. "My children."
"You will see them after the wedding tomorrow. That reminds me, I have to send invites."
Lucy's heart lurched at his words. Tomorrow? In that instant, the walls seemed to close in tighter and her chest constricted as if she had already been bound in the suffocating cage that he wanted for her.
"You can't be serious," she said in a low voice.
"I've never been more serious," Xander said excitedly. "You'll wear white and have the honor of standing beside me as we're sworn to each other for the rest of our lives. There's no turning back, you'll forever be mine."
Lucy shut her eyes. She was really going through with this. She was really forsaking all of her vows with Damien and marrying his brother.
She sighed and wanted to say something, but Xander left excitedly.
"Don't forget to eat moderately so you can fit into your dress," he chirped and strutted away looking like the happiest man alive.
He hadn't even finalized the divorce process with Odette yet.
Lucy sat motionless as the fork she was holding slipped from her fingers onto the plate with a dull clink. Her stomach twisted and started to reject the very food she'd just devoured.
Her trembling hands pressed against her knees. Her children's names circled in her mind like anchors keeping her from drowning in madness.
Her gaze drifted to the door, the one Xander had excitedly pranced through. Even though he hadn't finalized or even started the divorce process with Odette, he was already tying her into his web. He was cruel, yes, but he was also reckless, and that recklessness could be her only way out.
Lucy pushed the plate aside and made herself comfortable on the bed. Tomorrow, she would see her children.
She just had to get through the night, it was just one night.
The next morning arrived far too quickly. Lucy's body felt stiff and her head felt heavy, but her mind stayed sharp. Perhaps sharper than it had been for the past few days.
The door creaked open not long after she woke up and two young women stepped in. One of them gave a timid glance at Lucy but then quickly looked away.
"Good morning, madam," one of them said softly. "We've been instructed to prepare you."
Lucy's eyes fell to the white gown draped over their arms, the very sight of it made her stomach twist. It was her wedding dress, the same one she'd worn when she tied the knot with Damien.
She sat up and forced her fingers to stop trembling.
"Where are my children?" Lucy asked but the two women just shared a look.
Lucy sighed. They were just helpers hired for the day, there was no way either of them would know anything about her children.
The women approached her cautiously, laying it down across the bed. The silk shimmered under the morning light and Lucy could've sworn that it was mocking her with its purity. Lucy reached out and brushed her fingers against the fabric as she reminisced about the first time she was in the gown.
Memories of how Damien's eyes softened the moment he saw her in the dress came flooding in and she felt tears behind her eyes.
"Please, madam," one of the women said. "We've been asked to help you wash and dress."
Lucy stared at the two women who didn't look all that younger than her. "I can bathe myself."
The girls exchanged another nervous glance but stepped aside nevertheless. Lucy rose to her feet slowly, it had been days since she was on her own two feet but her resolve was much stronger than her fragile body.
She pushed herself to the bathroom and successfully bathed herself without any help. She splashed cold water on her face over and over again as she reassured herself that it would end well.
When she finally slipped into the gown, she felt its weight. The corset was drawn too tight, the gown itself was too tight. She had two children after her wedding. She had gained weight without a doubt.
Though her figure was still petite, she was far slimmer before she had her first pregnancy.
The girls were doing her makeup and her hair when the door swung open and Xander walked in beaming.
"Beautiful," he breathed. "Just as I imagined, even more radiant than before."
Lucy kept her gaze steady. She watched him through the mirror.
"Where are my children?" she asked.
"Patience, my love," Xander smirked. "You'll see them after the ceremony."
Lucy didn't react. She simply sat there as the two girls did their work. Xander lingered on for a while before finally getting bored and exiting the room.
By the time they were done, Lucy was unrecognizable. She looked pretty, of course.
But she looked like a doll, a lifeless doll.
The two girls stepped back and admired their work. Eleanor walked in at that moment, she was dressed rather lavishly, and she wore a scowl.
Lucy frowned as she noticed Eleanor through the mirror.
"Come, child," Eleanor said. "My son awaits."