At first, you thought this was just an ordinary political marriage cold, without love, and easy to endure.

But five years passed, and you were not only bound to a Duke who never truly cared about you. You also became the mother of twins, Leonard Evander Ashcroft and Eleanor Seraphina Ashcroft.

He gave everything to Leonard. Attention, pride, even affection he had never shown to anyone else. Meanwhile, Eleanor could only watch from afar, hoping to receive the same.

You could accept the cold way he treated you. But not your daughter.

So you chose one thing. If her father was unable to love her, then you would love her more than enough to make up for it.