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She slowly closed the door and slumped down it. She had begun to turn grey on the ferry. Her skin was now a matte colour of cement, and her hair was like ash. This wasn’t good.
* * * *
Vallu prodded Etgar. “Call him. Find out what the hell happened.”
“He might not want to say.”
“And he might.”
She looked out the window at the silent bulk of the dower house. There wasn’t any movement, but the sensor that had been sent to Daycross house indicated that Ylara’s vitals were weak but steady.
Vallu rubbed her baby bump and bit her lip. “I am worried. Really worried. Did you see her when she got here?”
“No. The staff brought her bags in. I saw her walking, but her hood was up to cover her face.”
Vallu was agitated. “Now I am really worried. She hates hoods.”
Lady Daycross came in. “What is going on? The staff is saying a cancer patient has come to die on the property.”
Vallu snapped. “That’s it.”
She headed to the door to the garden and stalked over to the dower house, and knocked on the door.
There wasn’t a response, and then a harsh voice said, “Just a minute.”
Etgar murmured, “Riithan wasn’t answering. I called his father. He’s on his way.”
“Isn’t Riithan older than you?” She said softly as she opened the door.
“He is, but he is idealistic.” He followed her inside slowly. “She probably didn’t have the right-coloured hair, and once her heat was over, he realized she wasn’t what he thought. I haven’t heard of it happening before, but there is a first time for everything.”
Vallu moved into the house, but her husband patted her shoulder and pointed toward a shadowed corner.
In the shadows, something moved. “Sorry, I didn’t make it to the door. So tired.”
Vallu moved toward her, and she flinched back.
“Nooo. Stay back. I look bad. They took almost all of him out of me, and now, I am looking bad. He thinks I am bad. I should never have gone to the wedding. It was pretty and then turned so ugly.” She was crying and covering her face.
The closer Vallu got, the more she saw, and she started crying.
Ylara’s skin was grey, and her cheeks and eyes were hollow. Her lips were cracked, and her head didn’t turn. It rolled.
“Oh, honey. What’s... what happened?”
“He didn’t know I was an escort. He went cold when he found out. He was planning a future with me, and then, he wasn’t.” She laughed weakly. “Zera blackballed him. Cancelled his application. Oh, hey, Etgar. Sorry, you had to see me without my makeup.”
Vallu looked over at Etgar, and he was vibrating with tension and holding himself in.
Etgar turned and left the house.
“Oh, shit. I shouldn’t have talked like that. I told Riithan I would let him know if I was pregnant, but I don’t think I am going to make it much longer, so no point.”
Vallu blinked. “Did you get sick after you got the marks removed or before?”
“After. I felt the anchoring and saw my daughter, and then, I collapsed the first time.”
Vallu smiled. “It’s a girl?”
