Chapter 3
"Let him go!" Juliette shrieked, clawing desperately at my arms. "He’s my husband! Get away from him!"
I didn’t budge.
All those years of whispered vows.
All those endless nights weeping over an empty grave.
Three times I had nearly thrown my life away for him—and it was all for this selfish, lying coward.
There was no way in hell I was walking away.
Rip!
With a burst of fury, I tore open his linen shirt.
My breath stopped cold.
Nothing. Just smooth, pale skin marred by a fresh burn.
The Ashford heir’s coronet crest over his heart was gone.
Completely burned away.
My hands trembled violently as I stared at his bare chest. "You burned it off? You wiped away the only proof of who you are?!"
Before Julian could answer, Juliette lunged forward.
Crack! Crack!
Two brutal slaps whipped across my face.
"Your husband is dead, Eleanor!" Juliette screamed, sobbing hysterically.
"Now you’re throwing yourself at your own brother-in-law? Do you have any shame left at all?!"
She buried her face into Julian’s chest. "My lord, please! Don’t let her near me! Lock her away! She’s disgusting!"
I stumbled backward, the room spinning around me.
Julian’s voice cut through the air, colder than winter frost.
"Lady Eleanor has lost her mind. Take her to the family chapel. She will kneel in penance until I say otherwise. Not a single bite of food or water without my permission."
Two guards grabbed my arms and dragged me toward the door.
A single tear spilled over my lashes.
I wasn't crying over Julian's change of heart.
I was crying for my wasted youth, and the years of pure devotion thrown into the dirt for a monster.
Day three in the freezing family chapel.
No food. No clean water.
Whenever darkness pulled me under, someone dumped a bucket of icy water over my head to shock me awake.
The doors creaked open.
Juliette stepped inside with a smug grin. She dropped a bowl of rotten, sour stew right in front of my knees.
"Here you go, sister," she purred, looking down her nose at me. "Though if you’re really that desperate for a man, I could always send you to the docks. The whores down there take sailors every fifteen minutes. I'm sure they could keep you satisfied."
A dry laugh tore from my throat.
Without warning, I reached up, fisted a handful of her hair, and dragged her down.
Smack! Smack!
Two hard slaps sent her head snapping back.
"I've been meaning to return those," I whispered.
"You psychotic bitch!" Juliette shrieked, clutching her burning cheeks.
Coming from you, that's rich," I sneered, leaning into her face.
"You were engaged to Julius for months. His walk, his voice, his everyday habits—Julian is completely different. Don't play dumb with me. You knew he wasn't Julius."
A sinister smile spread across her lips.
"So what if I knew?" she whispered, her voice dripping with spite.
"From the first day he returned, I knew he wasn't Julius. My huaband is dead. So naturally, the only man left in the Ashford family belongs to me."
"Why should you always stand above me? Just because your father is a Duke? Truth is, I don't even like Julian. But he was your whole world. Watching you rip yourself apart for him... God, it felt amazing."
She leaned in closer, her eyes gleaming with malice.
"Three suicide attempts, Eleanor. It’s such a shame you didn't succeed."
Her gaze suddenly darted toward the chapel doors. Her smile widened.
"Let’s see if you get lucky this time."
Juliette yanked herself free and threw herself backward toward the stone altar, screaming at the top of her lungs: "Eleanor, please! Don't kill me—!"
She didn't get to finish her little act.
I lunged forward and snatched her wrist.
With a hard shove, I launched her straight toward the entrance—right into Julian’s chest.
Her eyes went wide with pure shock.
Julian caught her, but the sudden momentum pulled the last bit of strength from my starving body.
My boots slipped on the damp floor, and I slammed hard into the stand behind the altar.
"Eleanor, stop!" Julian roared.
It was too late.
The tall stand tipped over. A massive bronze crucifix and heavy stone candelabras crashed down directly onto my chest and stomach.
Agony exploded through my body. Then, blackness.
When I finally woke up, whispers were drifting in through the cracked bedroom door.
"Barely married Lord Julian for three months before she cursed him into an early grave..."
"And now she’s completely mad. Tried to steal the new Viscount, attacked poor Lady Juliette, and crushed the late master's child right inside her belly."
"She’s a curse on this family. If it weren't for Lady Juliette's mercy, she’d already be locked away in an asylum."
My heart stopped.
Trembling, I moved my numb fingers down to my flat stomach.
A baby.
Julian's baby.
A tiny life had been growing inside me, and before I even knew it was there, it was gone.
The door clicked open.
Julian walked in carrying a steaming porcelain bowl of dark medicine.
He calmly shut the window, blocking out the servants' chatter.
"You shouldn't have provoked Juliette, Eleanor."
"Losing the child was your own fault for being reckless. You clearly weren't ready to be a mother anyway. Perhaps it's for the best."
He set the bitter medicine on the nightstand and looked down at me without a trace of remorse.
"Juliette has been crying for hours because of you. Drink your medicine, get out of bed, and go apologize to her."
