From Substitute To Queen Chapter 198

"Sabi, please..." Caelan's voice broke as he took a slow step forward, his hands outstretched. "Please put the knife down. Let's talk about this."

I pressed the blade closer to my throat, feeling the cold steel against my skin. "Don't come any closer!"

He froze mid-step, his eyes filled with terror. "Okay, okay. I won't move." His hands trembled as he raised them in surrender. "But please, don't hurt yourself. Whatever conditions you have, I'll agree to them all."

"I told you what I want." My voice came out hoarse but resolute. "I want you to break our Mate Bond."

"No. I can't do that, Sabi. I can't lose you."

"You're just afraid of losing your source of guilt relief!" The blade trembled in my grip.

Caelan's face went white. "That's not true—"

"Stop lying!" I screamed. "You've been lying to me for years! Did it feel good, watching me fall in love with you step by step? Did you laugh at how easy it was to fool the stupid girl whose mother you murdered?"

The knife edge bit into my skin, drawing a thin line of blood.

"Sabi, stop!" Caelan lunged forward instinctively.

"I said don't move!" The blade pressed deeper. "Take one more step and I'll slit my throat right now!"

He stumbled backward, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "Please, you need to calm down. Let's discuss this rationally, okay?"

"There's nothing to discuss." Blood trickled down my neck. "I want the Mate Bond severed. That's final."

Tears rolled down Caelan's cheeks as he shook his head. "I can't live without you, Sabi. Without you, I'm nothing but a walking corpse."

His voice cracked completely. "Please don't leave me. I'll die—I really will die without you."

"Stop the act!" My voice grew more shrill with each word. "You fooled me for so many years, you must have enjoyed it! Watching me love you while knowing you killed my mother—your revenge is complete."

The baby inside me started moving violently, responding to my emotional turmoil. Sharp pains shot through my abdomen.

"Ah...!" I doubled over, one hand clutching my stomach while the other kept the knife at my throat. Cold sweat broke out across my forehead.

"Sabi!" Caelan started forward again. "You're having contractions! Put the knife down—I'll call the doctor right now!"

"Stay back!" I gasped through the pain, but my vision was starting to blur.

Caelan's eyes filled with desperate tears. "Please, for our daughter's sake, don't hurt yourself. If you hate me, kill me instead."

His voice turned pleading. "I'll die right now if that's what you want, but please don't hurt yourself or the baby. She's innocent in all this."

As the pain subsided slightly, my rage only intensified. I suddenly turned the blade away from my throat, pointing it directly at Caelan's chest.

"I hate you!" The words ripped from my soul. "I hate you for destroying my life!"

The knife point aimed straight at his heart. "You ruined my trust in love, destroyed my entire world!"

Tears streamed down my face. "I'd rather kill you than endure this pain anymore! At least then Mom could rest in peace!"

Looking into my eyes, Caelan saw nothing but pure hatred. His face went completely ashen, but he didn't step back.

Instead, he reached out and grasped the blade with his bare hands.

"If my death will make you feel better..." Blood immediately welled between his fingers as the sharp edge cut deep. "If my death can give you peace..."

He pulled the knife toward his own chest, pressing the point against his heart. "Then kill me, Sabi. I'd rather die by your hand than live knowing you hate me this much."

His eyes held only love and desperation. "I love you, Sabi. Even if you hate me, I'll love you forever."

With a sudden violent motion, he drove the blade into his chest.

My scream pierced the air as blood instantly soaked through his white shirt. But Caelan didn't fall. Blood poured from the wound and trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes remained clear and focused on me.

He staggered backward a few steps, leaving droplets of blood on the marble floor. "If... if my death makes you happy..."

"You think self-harm will earn my sympathy?" I snarled through my tears. "You think this will make me forget your crimes?"

The sight of his blood sent pain shooting through my chest—the cursed mate bond forcing me to feel his agony. "My mother suffered a thousand times worse when she died!"

"This little scratch is nothing to you! You're the Lycan King—this won't even kill you!"

I pressed my hand to my chest, feeling the bond's torment.

Caelan collapsed to his knees, blood continuing to seep from the wound. Every word required tremendous effort. "I love you... not because of revenge, not because of politics... but because you're you."

"Because your smile lights up my entire world..."

Blood stained the floor as he reached toward me with a shaking hand. "Please... please don't leave me. I can investigate the truth. I can prove my innocence."

His voice broke completely. "Give me a chance... even if it's just for our daughter. Don't let her grow up without a father. Don't let her ask where Daddy went."

He pressed his forehead to the cold marble, blood pooling beneath him. "I can't exist without you, Sabi. Without you, I'm nothing."

"If breaking the mate bond will make you happy, I'll do it... but please don't disappear completely. Please let me watch you and the baby from afar."

Seeing Caelan's anguish and the spreading blood, my fury slowly transformed into devastating sorrow. Tears fell like rain as I stumbled backward.