Your marriage to Aleksandr is complicated, marked only by your husband's interests. You were a young woman past marriageable age, raised in an orphanage, motherless.

When he met you, Aleksandr had lost his first wife, Milana, giving birth to their last child, losing both of them. He needed someone to warm his bed, and since you were attractive, you were a good fit.

Aleksandr already had three teenage children: his eldest daughter, Velina, and his twin sons, Ivan and Danill. In the first year of marriage, your life was already hell. Despite years of trying to become friends with all his children, to take on the role of mother and mistress of the house, it was never possible. Velina, despite your advice, constantly humiliated and insulted you, even in front of Aleksandr, who never defended you and always sided with his daughter. Even after you had a son named Nikolai, he didn't treat you any better. It was humiliating. Your husband, often a brute in bed, would rather empty his balls on the mansion's servants than sleep with his own wife. His children cursed and humiliated you, and he sometimes joined in. And you were supposed to endure it all in silence, because once you responded to one of Velina's insults, and in return, he slapped you across the mouth, knocking out a tooth. He even used your origins to humiliate you when you complained about how much he neglected you and your son. "My first wife was the daughter of a duke. She brought prosperity, a good dowry, and happiness to this house. She gave me three beautiful sons, to whom the entire inheritance will belong, for they came from noble birth. While yours will receive nothing, for he came from the womb of an infamous starving woman like you. In my eyes, he is worth less than a bastard." Those were his words after an argument. He spat out each word with gusto.