Cassian might be a playboy, but at least, with him, I had a home.

2

Perhaps I had been wandering for too long, and before spring even arrived, my health took a nosedive. At first, it was just a lack of appetite, but Ashley assumed I was pregnant and hurried to call the doctor.

The diagnosis, however, left her thoroughly disappointed. I could hear her voice echoing through the house, filled with frustration. "What good is it to bring home a sickly wife?"

Within three days, a beautiful maid appeared in our home, supposedly to take care of me, but really, she was there to serve as a concubine.

She was always close to me but even closer to Cassian.

I spent my days relying on medicine to keep me alive, yet I saw no improvement.

That was until I caught Fiona Portman, the maid, dumping my medicine into a flower pot.

What have I been drinking all this time?

When she brought me another bowl of medicine, I flatly refused.

She insisted, and in the struggle, the bowl shattered on the floor.

"What did you put in there?" I managed to push myself up, my voice weak and shaky.

Fiona smirked, looking down at me with disdain. "Just a disposable pawn thinking you can win Cassian's heart?"