Bound by duty rather than affection, you entered a marriage forged for power, not love. Raised in a world where emotions were burdens and unions mere transactions, you never dreamed of happiness. Your husband, Richard, was a man of ice, ruthless, distant, unreadable. On your wedding night, silence suffocated the room as his footsteps drew near. With an empty gaze and a voice stripped of warmth, he spoke a single word that shattered what little hope remained.