Betrayed by My Ex, Marked by His Alpha Emperor Brother novel Chapter 258

Chapter 258: Chapter 258

Elara’s POV

The envelope was heavy.

Too heavy for a simple letter. I turned it over in my hands, studying the imperial seal pressed into dark wax—the Nightfire crest, two wolves circling a crescent moon. My fingers trembled as I broke it open.

Two things slid out onto the kitchen table. A folded letter, written on thick parchment in handwriting I recognized instantly. And something wrapped in shimmering enchanted cloth—small, hard, no bigger than my thumb.

I unfolded the letter first.

Elara,

I’m heading to the border. Malakor has issued a one-on-one challenge. I intend to meet it.

Before I do, you need to see what’s inside this crystal. I should have sent it sooner. I should have fought harder to make you believe me. But the truth wouldn’t have mattered if you weren’t ready to hear it.

The inn—it was a setup. All of it. I was drugged. Seraphine forged the mark. The child isn’t mine. It never was. It belongs to my brother.

Watch the crystal. Then decide what you believe.

— Kaelen

My hands were shaking so badly the parchment rattled. I read it again. And again. Each word carved itself deeper into my chest.

I was drugged.

Seraphine forged the mark.

The child belongs to my brother. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

I set the letter down and unwrapped the enchanted cloth. A small black crystal sat in my palm—smooth, cold, pulsing faintly with stored magic. A memory crystal. I’d seen them in the royal archives. Rare. Expensive. Impossible to tamper with.

I carried it to the sitting room where the magical projection device sat on the shelf—a brass frame designed to read these crystals. My fingers fumbled as I pressed the stone into its socket.

The air above the device shimmered, displaying three video files with glowing timestamps. Then the first image formed.

---

A gray stone cell. Bare walls. A single lamp casting harsh light from above.

Gareth sat in a metal chair.

His wrists were bound with restraint straps. His shirt was torn at the collar, stained dark. Blood smeared across his jaw and cheekbone—dried, crusted. His eyes were wild. Cornered.

A voice off-screen. Cold. Official.

"State your name and your involvement in the events of—"

"Fine." Gareth’s voice cracked. He licked blood from his lip. "Fine. You want my confession? Here it is."

He leaned forward. The restraints pulled taut.

"I hated him. I’ve always hated him. Everything handed to him—the throne, the empire, her." His eyes burned. "Seraphine came to me with the plan. Drug him. Make it look like he bedded her willingly. Forge a mate mark. It wasn’t complicated. We put the mixture in his strong liquor. He was unconscious shortly after."

My stomach lurched.

"The child?" the off-screen voice pressed.

Gareth’s mouth twisted. Something between a sneer and a grimace.

"Mine. The child is mine."

The image flickered and died.

---

A second file loaded, marked with another timestamp. Different cell—softer lighting. A cushioned chair.

Seraphine sat with her hands folded over her swollen belly. Her hair was pulled back. Dark circles ringed her eyes. She looked nothing like the composed, elegant woman I remembered.

She lasted only a few moments before she broke.

"I loved him." Her voice was barely a whisper. Then louder—raw, ragged. "I loved him and he chose her. That nothing. That nobody. I deserved—"

She stopped. Pressed her lips together. Then the words poured out like a dam collapsing.

"I forged the mark. A temporary enchantment. It faded quickly, but by then it didn’t matter—she’d already seen it. She’d already believed it." A terrible smile crossed her face. "That was always the plan. Make her believe. Make her leave. And she did."

Make her believe. Make her leave.

And she did.

The third file showed both confessions side by side. Synchronized. Irrefutable.

---

The projection went dark.

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