Chapter 2

2

I sat at my desk and pulled out a sheet of yellowed parchment.

I wrote a letter to my father, the King, admitting my mistakes.

He used to adore me, but I broke his heart when I ran away with Gavin.

I didn't know if he would ever forgive me.

I sealed the letter and grabbed the few silver coins I had left.

I stumbled out of the house and made my way to the messenger station.

After handing over the letter, I walked toward the local clinic.

I touched my stomach again, tears streaming down my face.

"Baby, forgive me. Gavin is a monster. I can't let you be born into this."

The physician looked at me with concern when I told him what I wanted.

"Ending a pregnancy can be very dangerous for the mother. Does the father agree?"

I gave a bitter smile and nodded firmly.

In my last life, Gavin took the child away the moment he was weaned.

He used the boy to blackmail me into working for money.

In the end, I had to watch my child take his last breath in my arms.

I refused to feel that bone-deep pain ever again.

"Prepare the medicine. I'll be here tomorrow morning."

I took the prescription with trembling hands.

As I walked back to our shack, I saw smoke rising from the neighbors' chimneys.

My home was the only one that felt cold and lifeless.

Laughter drifted over from the yard next door. It was Gavin and Liana.

The sound felt like a blade twisting in my chest.

I started packing my bags―a few simple dresses, some scrolls of my favorite poetry.

I also had a pair of jade pendants I'd managed to hide. That was all I had left.

I tucked them into an old cloth bundle.

Then, I picked up a painting from the desk.

It was a picture of Gavin and me walking by the river.

He had painted it during the early days of our marriage.

Back then, I truly believed we would grow old together.

I stared at it for a long time before dropping it into the brazier.

I watched the flames swallow the two people in the painting.

The past was nothing but smoke now.

Just as I finished, Gavin came home.

He looked startled when he saw me. "Seraphina? Why are you back so early?"

I ignored him and walked straight into the bedroom.

He had spent all our money on that woman. He had no right to ask me anything.

He followed me in, holding a cheap wooden hairpin.

"Didn't you say Liana's hairpin looked nice? I found one for you. Stop being mad."

I looked at the pin. The beads were dull and scratched.

He didn't "find" it for me. It was clearly something Liana had thrown away.

I used to be so stupid. I couldn't see through his lies.

Now, every little thing he did made my skin crawl.

I stayed silent, and he took it as a sign that I was softening.

He expected me to cry and ask why he was so close to Liana.

"Liana is a kind soul. She didn't hold your cold words against you."

He let out a huff. "Go empty her waste bucket later. She's feeling weak today."

How could he even say that?

He wanted me to handle Liana's filth.

"No," I said flatly.

He froze. He didn't expect me to defy him.

In the past, I would have done it eventually, no matter how much it hurt.