I swore I was just helping raise our daughter

They were never lovers. Never promised each other anything beyond the shared responsibility of raising the most powerful, chaotic child the realms had ever seen. Lara, the infamous ex-commander with fire in her veins and mischief in her smile, walked away from war, titles, and politics—only to find herself tangled in a life she never expected. A life where she’s not the hero, not the villain, just the co-parent to a half-demon, half-Celestial whirlwind named Aliyah… and tethered, every single day, to the woman who both grounds her and keeps her at a distance. Sarisa, heir to the Celestial throne, is everything Lara is not—elegant, disciplined, devoted to duty. Once playful and soft, Sarisa has reshaped herself into something unshakable, a future queen too burdened to risk vulnerability. Especially when the court whispers that her daughter is an abomination. Especially when her mother has chosen a future and a spouse that doesn’t include Lara. They said they could raise Aliyah together. That it would be simple. No feelings. No future. Just two women bound by responsibility. But Aliyah is growing. Watching. Asking questions no child should ask with such clarity. And Lara is running out of ways to lie to herself. Because somewhere between sword lessons and bedtime stories, between stolen glances and unsaid words, Lara might have done the one thing she swore she wouldn’t. She might have fallen in love with the woman who was never meant to be hers. And Sarisa? She might already be breaking under the weight of pretending she doesn’t feel the same.