Chapters 9 and 10 have been posted at the same time!

Quote of the chapter: "Abusers – they'll manipulate and they'll lie to you. And when you no longer give them that power, they'll try to manipulate your family or the people close to you instead. Abusers want everyone to hate you just as much as they do. It's sick. Their lack of morals and integrity is sick. The amount of hate they harbour in their hearts is sick, as are their psychopathic or sociopathic traits." ― LaTasha "Tacha B." Braxton.

"For the love of-"

"Kenna, Kenna, Kenna," Catherine drawls, entering the home without permission. "Nice."

They're a fucking pack of wolves. Revolving around in her life, like the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Who's next? Henry Valois with his Jimmy Choo velvet slippers?

Kenna rolls her eyes. "Thanks. What's with you all turning up at my bloody door?" It's been months since she last saw any of them, she expects that Mary and Francis would have had their baby, considering she was due soon herself.

Catherine turns to face her. "I have a house nearby. I'll pay good money."

"How close?"

"Paris."

"That's not nearby!"

Catherine shrugs. "A job is a job," she replies. "I would call your mother, the genius behind everything but she's booked until five years time. Her daughter is the next best thing considering she helped our company freshen up our offices wonderfully."

Kenna smiles a little. "Flattery gets you everywhere."

"You'll take it?"

"I will."

"Kenna? Who is it?"

Catherine watches as Antoine comes down the stairs and the man pales. "Oh, Antoine Bourbon. Been a while, boy."

"Y-Yes, Aunt Catherine," he mumbles, bowing his head a little like a disciplined child and a headmaster. "How is everyone?"

"Well," she says shortly, turning back to Kenna. "I need you to come as soon as possible. I am hosting an event in five days time and if it's not done by then, my reputation will bruise. You know I can't have that, I'm Catherine de Medici."

Kenna nods. "Of course," she says, turning to Antoine. "Darling, Madame de Medici has asked me to do a job for her. I can't reject it."

"She can't do it," Antoine says, turning to Catherine. "We're travelling."

"W-We are?"

"It was meant to be a surprise," Antoine says, coming to stand by her and wrap his arm around her waist. "For being pregnant with our first child together."

Kenna's face falls. "Right." She looks at Catherine. "I'm sorry. I can direct you to-"

"No," Catherine cuts her off. "No can do. I need you."

"Tonie, please?" Kenna begs him. "We can replan the holiday-"

He pinches her and she swallows hard, shaking her head at Catherine.

"No, I'm sorry. We've been waiting for ages for this," Kenna tells Catherine.

Catherine eyes Antoine's fingers pinching Kenna's waist briefly and plants a fake smile on her face. "1.2."

"I'm sorry?"

"Yes, you will be when you find out that you've missed out on a job payment of 1.2 million euros."

Kenna blinks in surprise. "Antoine, we can use that money-"

"We don't need money from the Valoises," Antoine snaps.

"Ha!" Catherine laughs. "I'm no Valois. I'm a Medici, my family owns the banks in Italy. Do you think I need the Valoises? They need me."

"Same difference," Antoine says tightly.

Catherine rolls her eyes. "I'll pay for a hotel stay as you work on the project. A car will pick you up tomorrow. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself or your baby." She holds her gaze with Kenna, making Kenna swallow nervously. "I mean, children are so precious these days. Henry and I are expecting our fourth and fifth grandchild."

"Leeza's pregnant?"

"No."

"Margot?"

"No."

"Claude?" Kenna whispers, eyes begging Catherine not to say anything.

Catherine purses her lips. "Claude is excited for the babies to arrive," she says vaguely. "Antoine, if you stop this woman from working for me, I'll be having words with your father."

Antoine pales, looking at her in disbelief. "Why-"

"Daddy pays your bills, doesn't he?" Catherine continues. "Try me, Tonie." She heads to the door. "I can let myself out. Ciao."

After Catherine leaves, Kenna turns to Antoine in confusion.

"What did she mean that your dad pays our bills?"

"Shut up-"

"Antoine, talk to me-"

"I lost my job, okay?!"

Kenna gasps. "Why didn't you tell me-"

"You're fucking spoilt, do you know that? Do you know how expensive you are?" He snaps at her.

Kenna flinches. "I didn't ask for an expensive ring-"

"I just thought you were worth more than the useless piece of shit that Bash put on your finger," Antoine replies. "Family heirloom? More like family trash."

"Don't talk about that ring like that!"

"Why?"

"It was his grandmother's," Kenna says softly. "It means a lot to them."

Antoine scoffs, starting to walk away. "Yet, you still buy shit like you don't have a house to pay for. Sort out your spending habits and leave mine well alone."

"But you control my bank account!"

"Are you complaining?" Antoine asks, rounding on her.

She leans back in fear. "N-No."

"Good," he hisses into her ear. "I don't want to hear shit from you. Okay?"

She shakily nods, looking anywhere but him. "Okay."

He grips onto her chin, forcing her to look her way. "You do like testing me, don't you?"

"I-I don't know what you mean-"

"I tell you to shut up and you talk-"

"I was only agreeing-"

"And now, you're speaking over me? Talking back to me? Your husband?"

Kenna shakes her head, eyes wide. "I didn't mean to-"

She yelps when he slams the wall beside her head, her eyes clamping shut tightly as she breathes heavily, silently praying for him to go.

"Those Valoises don't give a shit about you! You're a fucking disgrace, do you think that any of those women you grew up with would accept you? I pity your family, couldn't wait to be rid of you when they came. Happy that you were finally out of their lives with false promises to return when the baby came. I'll tell you now, wife, nobody but me cares about you."

"Y-Yeah," she breathes out, scared. "That's true. You only care about me-"

"Shut the fuck up!" He screams into her face, making her sob louder. "You're a disgrace of a woman. Look at you. God, what do I see in you? You're not beautiful at all." He close to her ear now. "Path-etic whore."

She feels something warm trickle down her legs and gasps when she realises that her waters have broken.

"Did you just... pee yourself?" Antoine asks, disgusted.

"No!" She cries out, a sob escaping her lips. "My waters have broken."

His eyes widen. "Shit."

"T-Take me to the hospital-"

"Shit!"

"Antoine!"

"What?!"

She looks at him in disbelief. "Antoine, I'm in fucking labour. Snap out of it!" She knows he'll be mad at her for talking to him like that but now, they're both worrying over the baby.

"Shit, shit, shit," he repeats. "Alright. Hospital bag, where is it?"

"Coat closet," she breathes out.

He heads over and turns to her. "Just breathe."

Don't think I will, she thinks sarcastically but nods. "We're having a baby."

"We are having a baby," Antoine breathes out, smiling.

...

The baby is small, a week early but perfectly healthy and beautiful. He's a boy with brown hair and... green eyes. Blueish-green but green if you stare intently into them as Kenna does right now in awe.

She swallows hard, watching as the door opens and Antoine enters with a blue teddy bear and some chocolates. She plants a fake smile on and strokes her son's cheek, inviting Antoine inside.

"Daddy, your son wants you," she says quietly as to not wake the now sleeping baby. He's not even his, but if she wants to leave the hospital worse than she entered it, she better keep quiet about the paternity. Considering she's lied about sleeping with Bash.

Antoine takes a sharp intake of breath in. As if he's in pain but then he relaxes and comes towards them, placing the gifts onto the table above her feet. He smiles and gestures for her to give him the baby.

"So handsome, like his father," Antoine says proudly.

Oh God, Kenna thinks. He is, isn't he?

The midwife enters and beams at the family, hovering over Antoine's shoulder to check on the baby.

"Any names yet?"

"Charles," Kenna says quickly. "Right, honey?"

Antoine nods enthusiastically. "Strong name for a strong boy," he tells the midwife before frowning as he studies Charles' wary opened eyes. They were too loud for him to process. "His eyes are awfully green."

"They're a blue-green colour," Kenna quickly says, eyeing the midwife pleadingly as Antoine continues to stare down at Charles. "Babies have blue eyes for a while, don't they?"

The midwife clocks on and turns to Antoine. "That happens. Babies' eye colours take a while to set in. Also, you may not have green eyes but you can carry the trait. Perhaps you have relatives with the recessive eye colour."

Kenna sighs in relief. "My cousin and aunt from my father's side, they have green eyes."

"It's completely normal to carry the gene," the midwife continues. "Don't be alarmed! Baby's just as handsome as his papa."

Antoine chuckles happily. "We've been trying. And we were blessed with this little man."

"I'm just going to perform some tests, is that alright?"

Kenna nods. "Yeah."

The midwife takes Charles and places him in the cot. As she does her tests, Antoine goes over to Kenna and kisses the side of her head, rubbing his nose on her cheek after.

"Thank you," he whispers.

Kenna swallows deeply. "Y-You're welcome."

"What is it?"

Tears spring to her eyes. "He's just so beautiful, isn't he?"

"We made that, baby girl," Antoine states, kissing her cheek.

We didn't, she thinks, tears slipping down her cheeks. "We did," she says breathlessly. "And I'm so happy."

"I'm sorry about earlier," his voice is quieter now. "I'll be better, baby. I'll be better."

Kenna turns to face him and smiles. "I know you will be. I know you love me."

"Good," he says, kissing her lips. "I do... love you."

"You were gone a while," she says, briefly eyeing the midwife and Charles. "Where did you go?"

A while is three hours. He held her hand as she pushed their baby out and quickly left after before she could even push the placenta out. The doctor and midwife had said that new fathers had always felt a bit nauseous over the labour process but Kenna knew otherwise.

He stank of alcohol and perfume. Women's perfume.

"Celebrating," Antoine tells her. "Wetting the baby's head. Another son."

"Were there women?" She tries.

Kenna gasps when he feels her pinch her back, his lips meeting her cheek before they are just before her ear.

"What are you insinuating?"

Her lips waver. "N-Nothing."

"You're lying." He glares at her but his gaze softens when the midwife calls for their attention. "Healthy baby?"

The midwife beams. "Healthy baby."

Antoine grins happily. "That's what I wanted to hear," he replies, looking down at his wife. "Right, baby girl?"

Kenna shakily nods, planting a fake smile on her face. "Right."

...

She's stupid.

She's stupid to think he'd lay off her when she returns home but the second she's in the house and the baby's napping in his new room, her nose is bleeding and perhaps even broken.

She stays on the floor of the bedroom, not daring getting up in case he storms back up those stairs to 'deal with her' some more. Terrified, she is, the urge to resist crying and sobbing everywhere as she laments ever leaving Bash again.

Kenna hears Charlie cry and she sniffles, using Kleenex tissues to deal with her nose before she heads to the nursery and tends to her son. She breastfeeds the baby, taking a seat at the bay window and watching the world pass her by down below with her head turned to look through the slits of the blinds.

Happy families.

No one really knows what happens behind closed doors.

"Kenna?!"

"Y-Yes, Antoine?"

"I'm starving, what are we eating for dinner?!" He asks her.

She scoffs. She hasn't even had the chance to look through the bloody fridge, wondering how he managed to look after himself whilst she was hospitalised.

"I-I don't know!"

"This bitch..." She hears him mutter before she hears footsteps come up the stairs.

She curses, covering herself and Charlie up just as he enters the nursery.

"You'll handle his dinner and not mine?"

"Do we even have anything to eat?" She asks him, strained.

"I don't have money, remember?" He spits her way.

She sighs. "Can't you get your job-"

"You think I've not tried?" He asks her, incredulous. "Do me a favour and don't ask stupid questions. I've warned you about that before."

"Antoine, please," she snaps. "I don't have any time for this. I am looking after my son."

The second she realises what she has done, she regrets it and she pleads with him with her eyes, gesturing to her baby helplessly. She is sobbing now, feeling her nose sting with pain.

"Put the baby to sleep," Antoine says lowly.

Kenna shakes her head, leaning towards the window. "I'll come down and cook dinner soon. When I'm fin-"

"It's too late for that," he states. "Put. The. Baby. To. Sleep."

She stands and detaches the now wailing baby from her chest, sending futile looks Antoine's way. She hushes the baby and sings softly until he's fast asleep before she's on her knees, begging Antoine to not hurt her. She's tired. She's done so much today, she just needs a break.

"I beg you on Charlie's life, don't..." She sobs. "I'm so sorry. I didn't-"

Kenna yelps, her head turning to the side sharply, the sting of his backhand leaving a red mark on her cheek. Her forearm is leaning on the floor and she takes shaky breaths.

"Not in front of Charlie," she breathes out. "Not in front of Charlie..."

"Forget dinner," Antoine replies, pulling her up aggressively. "I want dessert instead."

He takes her to their bedroom, pushing her onto the bed and stripping her from her clothes.

She doesn't even fight.

What's the point?

She closes her eyes and releases a breath.

Do your worst.

...

Catherine beams happily, cradling the baby in her arms. "Yes, I see my husband and his son in him," she tells Kenna, eyeing the quiet new mother. "That's new. Trendy to have broken noses, is it?"

Kenna looks away, sniffling. "Why are you here?"

"I care for all of my grandchildren," Catherine tells her. "Where's Tonie?"

"Gone to stay with his sick dad for a bit," Kenna says.

"Ah," Catherine replies. "Making sure he's still in the will. Good son, hefty inheritance."

Kenna rolls her eyes, wiping the tears that start to fall. "He's a good man."

"You're fooling yourself," Catherine sings nonchalantly, cooing at the baby. "Hello, Charles. Yes, you are called the same name as your uncle."

"Catherine," Kenna breathes out. "Don't."

Catherine eyes her. "Bash has been released from the clinic a few months back. He's doing well, throwing himself into work. For the most part."

Kenna glances warily at the blonde. "'Most part'?"

"Before you got together, he used to sleep-"

"Around, yes," Kenna says knowingly, smiling a little.

"Well, he stopped all of that even after you got divorced and Daphne-"

"Delphine-"

"Who gives a shit?" Catherine mutters before continuing with, "Topped herself. Now, he's back to that behaviour. He's even sleeping with his secretary and oh, the little bitch's face whenever she prances about the halls as if sleeping with the boss's son will get her somewhere in life."

Kenna chuckles wryly. "He's using her."

"The sex must be good," Catherine mumbles, rolling her eyes. "His father slept with her too a few years back. Her and Penelope."

"Like father, like son," Kenna says, distracted by the fact her son's eyes still haven't changed from the colour green.

"I don't know what's wrong with a woman of ambition, with money, independence. Not some personal assistance whore, hoping to climb up the social ladder."

"Catherine-"

"I mean, I brought something to the table when I married Henry," she says. "I even signed a prenup. I'm worth more than him without my family."

"Catherine-"

"Sébastien shouldn't have let you go. Not even about the money, but you both need the stability and I could see how happy you both were together, cheating behind your husband's-"

"Catherine!" Kenna screams out, she's sobbing now and so is Charlie.

Catherine quickly settles the baby and puts him down before coming over to Kenna and taking her hands in hers.

"What is it?" She demands from Kenna.

Kenna takes a shaky breath. "Can you leave? I just need some time to myself."

"To celebrate that hubby's gone for a few days?"

Kenna glares at her. "You're doing my head in."

Catherine smirks. "Your ex-husband's sex life getting to you, is it? I mean, you did have one last hurrah with him on your wedding day to Tonie."

Catherine's taunting her. That was what this woman was. A taunt. But that meant she liked the person she was taunting. Normally, the woman is cold and calculating, ignoring anyone who isn't somebody. Her Louboutin heels echoing down halls as everyone bows their heads and quickly makes themselves scarce from the Medici's wrath.

If she spoke to you, you had a soft spot in her cold, black heart.

"Francis is sorry."

Kenna shrugs. "Doesn't matter."

"It does," Catherine says. "I'm sorry too. I overstepped."

Kenna eyes her, sniffling. "It will get better. Tonie only does this because he loves me. He cares about me. I hurt him and h-he hurts me back to show me how much he loves and needs me."

"Is that what you believe? When are his actions actually justifiable? Not making dinner on time? A punch to the gut. Not quietening the baby soon enough? A blow to the face. Answering back when you didn't? Rape."

Kenna flinches when she hears the last word. "No. No, he doesn't do-"

"I see you covering your stomach. You've just given birth for God's sake!" Catherine screams at her. "He is hurting you after you've given birth? What the actual fu-"

"Period cramps-"

"I've had eleven fucking children," Catherine snaps. "I am not stupid to know that periods do not start that soon after having a baby."

Kenna bites her lip. "You should go now. I need to rest."

"I think I'll stay."

"Leave-"

"Kenna, it's either have me help you or he comes back to greet you with his fist," Catherine tells her gently.

Kenna sighs.

"I'd take the fist," she croaks out. "Because at least I know he missed me."

Catherine swallows hard. She gets up, collects her Birkin handbag and goes over to the cot, leaning down to kiss the baby's head before she leaves.

Kenna sighs in relief and goes to the window, watching Catherine get into her car and the driver driving off. Her baby starts to cry and she smiles, turning to face him.

"Mummy's coming. Now, it's just you and me, Little Man."