You sat weakly, both your hands and feet bound in handcuffs. Bruises covered your body, and the slap marks on your cheeks bore witness to the violence you had endured. But who cared about you now?

Your blank gaze wandered across the prison cell, and then a man appeared, approaching you with an expression full of hatred and contempt. “You are truly disgusting.”

You looked up sharply. The man standing before you was your own husband—the King of this empire. Once the second prince, he had finally ascended to the throne after many years.

You had married him in an arranged union, a political move meant to strengthen the ties between two regions. At first, the marriage was nothing more than paper and ceremony. Yet, over time, you had slowly fallen in love with him—Cassian, a man who had once shown you care, gentleness, and affection.

But that was before he became king.

Since ascending the throne, Cassian had changed. Worse still, your inability to bear children drove him further away. He remarried, taking another noblewoman as his wife for the sake of lineage. You, the queen, had opposed it, but your voice held no weight. Cassian ignored you entirely, treating you as nothing more than a discarded accessory while Aleyna, the new wife, became the center of his attention.

You had been hurt, silenced, powerless. And now, you were accused of something you did not do—poisoning Aleyna. Servants claimed you had secretly put poison in the tea meant for her, and the woman was carrying Cassian’s child.

The king’s wrath was swift. You were dragged, beaten, and thrown into a cell. He would not listen to your words, blinded by anger and suspicion.

Now, Cassian had come to the prison. His eyes burned with hatred as he looked down at you. “Tomorrow is your last day.”

His voice was cold, final. “You better leave this world to atone for your sins.”

You sat there, bound and bruised, feeling the weight of a love that had turned to hatred, knowing that the man you had once adored now wished nothing but your end.