Chapter 3

The day of the wedding arrived with a cruel, bright sun. The entire estate was alive with celebration, the air filled with music and the scent of flowers. From her window, Seraphina watched the guests arrive, their laughter and cheerful chatter a bitter counterpoint to the silence in her heart. Valerius stood at the altar in the garden, looking regal and handsome. Beside him, Isabella was a vision in a gown of shimmering crimson, a triumphant smile on her face.

The sight was a torment. It threw Seraphina back to her own wedding day, just two years ago. The room had been filled with white lilies, her favorite. Valerius had been so nervous, his hands trembling slightly as he took hers. That night, he had carried her over the threshold of their chambers, his eyes shining with a love so pure it had taken her breath away.

"This is our home now, my love," he had whispered against her hair. "Our beginning."

The memory was so sharp, so painful, that a wave of dizziness washed over her. The festive music outside faded into a dull roar in her ears. The world tilted, and everything went black.

When she awoke, she was on the floor of her room, the evening sky dark outside her window. A dull ache throbbed in her head. A commotion from the hallway outside pulled her from her daze. She heard shouting, then the sharp, ugly sound of a slap.

"You useless thing! Do you know who I am now? I am the lady of this house!" It was Isabella' s shrill, angry voice.

"Please, my lady, I was only bringing Lady Seraphina her meal," another voice pleaded. It was Clara.

" 'Lady Seraphina' ?" Isabella scoffed. "She is nothing. A disgraced woman living on my charity. And you are her dog. Perhaps I should find you a new master."

Seraphina' s heart went cold with dread. She struggled to her feet and pulled open the door. In the hallway, Isabella stood over Clara, who was kneeling on the floor, holding a red cheek.

Isabella' s eyes, cold and snake-like, landed on Seraphina. A slow, malicious smile spread across her face. "Well, look who' s awake. Did you enjoy your nap while your husband married me?"

She sauntered over, her crimson dress rustling with every step. She circled Seraphina like a predator. "You know, everyone is talking. Whispering about the Lord' s first wife, the one with the sullied reputation. The one who came back from the capital with a whore' s brand on her shoulder."

Each word was a deliberate, poisoned dart. Seraphina stood frozen, the humiliation washing over her in a hot wave.

"I think this little maid of yours is too loyal," Isabella continued, gesturing to the tearful Clara. "I have a captain in the guard who is looking for a new bed warmer. I think she' ll do nicely."

Clara gasped, her eyes wide with terror. Seraphina' s own fear was replaced by a surge of protective fury. "You will not touch her."

Isabella laughed. "And who' s going to stop me? You? You have no power here anymore." She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "You are less than nothing."

Just then, footsteps echoed down the hall. Valerius appeared, his face flushed with wine from the celebration. He stopped when he saw the scene, his brow furrowing in annoyance.

Hope, foolish and desperate, surged in Seraphina' s chest. He wouldn' t let this happen. He wouldn' t.

She rushed to his side, grabbing his arm. "Valerius, please. Isabella wants to... she' s threatening Clara."

He looked from her desperate face to Isabella' s smug one. Then he looked down at her hand on his arm and roughly shook it off, as if her touch burned him.

"Isabella is the lady of this house now," he said, his voice slurred but his tone as cold as stone. "She can do as she pleases."

He turned his back on Seraphina and offered his arm to Isabella, who took it with a triumphant smirk. "Come, my dear. Let' s not let this ruin our wedding night."

He walked away with his new wife, leaving Seraphina standing in the hallway, her plea dying on her lips. She watched them go, the sight of his back a final, damning confirmation. She was utterly, completely alone, and her world had become a prison ruled by her tormentors.