I had been chosen not because of who I was, but because of how I looked like her. Even from the start, when Sylus first laid eyes on me, he had called me ‘Lotty’ by mistake.
It had happened again and again in the early days of our marriage, as though I were merely a stand-in for the real woman he loved.
“I am just so happy my pearl was safe with you,” Charlotte cooed, her tone sweet and light, before it shifted to something more somber.
She glanced at me, her gaze fleeting but sharp. “I just never expected when I could see it again after so long, I almost lost it… twice.”
Her words hung in the air, thinly veiled in accusation.
Sylus’s brow furrowed, and his expression darkened. With a gentle hand, he stroked Charlotte’s hair, his touch filled with affection.
Then his gaze turned to me, hard and unforgiving.
“Lily, apologize to Lotty. Now.” His command was ice-cold, brimming with the weight of authority I could not defy.
I clenched my jaw, biting my lip to keep from crying out from the physical pain that still coursed through me.
My body screamed in protest, but I knew that if I did not obey, Sylus would not hesitate to inflict more harm.