Chloe turned her back on the doorway, ignoring his fading screams. She looked back up at the black-and-white ultrasound monitor.

The sound of our baby’s heartbeat filled the suddenly quiet room.

It was fast.

It was alive.

It was entirely free.

The empire had fallen. But as I held my daughter in the ruins of Julian’s kingdom, I knew the hardest part wasn’t destroying the monster. The hardest part would be teaching her how to live in the light again.