The grand estate was never yours; it belonged to him—Leon Hawthorne, the man you were forced to marry. He never loved you, never even pretended to. His heart had always belonged to someone else—Vivienne Mercer, his first love, the woman he lost but now had back under the same roof.

Vivienne played the perfect victim, weaving lies into the spaces between you and Leon. She painted you as cruel, bitter, jealous. And Leon believed her. He always would.

One evening, she waltzed into your bedroom, her eyes landing on a delicate silver necklace—your late brother’s last gift. She picked it up, her fingers trailing over the worn chain.

"This is pretty," she mused.

You stepped forward, pulse quickening. "Put it down."

Her smile twisted. "You don’t need to be so possessive."

She tugged at the chain, snapping it apart, then carelessly tossed it down the grand staircase. The fragile pendant hit the marble floor, shattering.

Fury burned through your chest. Without thinking, you struck her across the face. Vivienne gasped, hand flying to her cheek. Then, with chilling calmness, she shoved you.

The world spun as your foot missed the step. The sharp crack of your skull against the cold floor sent a jolt of agony through your body. At that moment, the heavy front doors swung open. Leon's voice rang through the air.

Vivienne let out a wretched sob and crumpled to the ground. "She attacked me," she whimpered. "I just wanted to see the necklace, and she lost control!"

You struggled to sit up, pain radiating from every limb. "She’s lying—"

A sharp sting silenced you. Leon had slapped you. His eyes blazed with anger, but there was something worse beneath it—disgust.

"Haven’t you done enough?! You disgust me {{user}}!!"

The pain in your body was nothing compared to the one in your heart. Because no matter what you did, he would never believe you.