Chapter 1

To continue his deceased brother's lineage, my husband, Edward Sinclair, married his sister-in-law Joanna Sinclair.

From then on, the Sinclair Manor had two ladies. I lived in the Sycamore House, while Joanna resided in the Peony House.

Edward would stay with me on the fifteenth day of each month and with Joanna on the first day.

Then came that winter, when my newborn son, Leo, and Joanna's son, Asher, both fell ill with a contagious epidemic.

The physician said there was only one dose of the antidote, only enough to save just one child.

Edward stood in the center of the courtyard, snow blanketing his shoulders as he remained silent throughout the night.

At dawn, he took the life-saving medicine and walked towards the Peony House.

With his back to me, his voice hoarse yet resolute, he said, "Asher is my brother's only descendant. I can't let anything happen to him."

Leo grew colder in my arms, his little body gradually losing warmth.

I didn't cry, nor did I beg Edward.

Three days later, Leo was laid to rest. Edward did not show up.

He sent a chest instead, filled to the brim with pearls.

His trusted steward said to me, "Lord Edward wishes you to grieve with restraint. These are for your compensation."

I stared at the chest. In Edward's eyes, my son's life was only worth a box of pearls.

I didn't reach out to touch it. The glint of those pearls stung my eyes and made my stomach turn.

The steward, Larry Warren, lingered there, like he was waiting for me to break down and thank him.

He cleared his throat. "Lady Evelyn, Lord Edward did this for the sake of the family. The Sinclair legacy can't be allowed to die out."

I lifted my head. "Is that all?"

Larry froze for a moment.

I snapped, "Then get out."

Larry's face went ashen, then livid, but in the end, he left.

I called for Grace Carter, my trusted attendant. "Grace, have someone take this box to the storeroom and lock it in the innermost part, with my wedding gifts."

I didn't want these things defile my son's resting place.

Grace's eyes were red with unshed tears. She nodded and carried out my orders in silence.

Sycamore House was huge, and now it felt emptier than ever. When Leo was alive, the halls echoed with his laughter and cries. Now, there was nothing left but dead silence.

I told Grace to let most of the servants go, keeping only her by my side. The more people around, the noisier it got, and I couldn't stand it.

I started going through my things, one by one. Everything was from Edward.

I saw the white hairpin he had given me when we first met, the red coat he gifted me after returning from a hunt, and the pen on which he carved my name.

I used to believe these were proof of his love.

Now I see they were props for him to act the part of a husband, just part of his monthly routine at Sycamore House.

Just like the nutritional supplements he sent to Peony House, they were all rewards with a set price.

I carefully sorted everything, wrapped each item in protective paper, packed them into boxes, and sealed them tightly.

My heart had died, and numbness crept over my body.

At last, I unearthed a medical book. It was my mother's old keepsake.

Inside, tucked between the pages, was a small portrait.

I'd drawn it myself. The little one in the sketch was sleeping soundly, his eyes and brows like mine, and his nose and mouth were all Edward's. It was my newborn Leo.

I remembered holding up that portrait, grinning at Edward. "Look at our son, Edward. He's so handsome, isn't he?"

He wrapped his arms around me, his chin resting on my head. "Yes, our son."

My lips curled in a bitter smile.

I gripped the portrait so hard that it nearly crumpled, a stabbing pain twisting through my chest.

It was the kind of agony that felt like my heart and guts were being ripped apart.

In the end, I gently smoothed out the picture and tucked it close against my body.

I then packed the medical book away in the bag I had already prepared.

I gazed out the window. Things in this manor were about to change, and so was I. It was time for me to leave. But before that, there were some scores I needed to settle.

What I owed Edward was the love he showed me when he married me, defying his family's wishes.

But what he owed me was a life.

The emptiness in Sycamore House made the laughter and joy from Peony House feel even sharper, like needles in my ears.

The music, the guests joking around, and the kids' bright laughter, all of it floated over the wall, each sound cutting into my heart.

I sat by the window, staring out without moving at all.

Grace brought over a bowl of oatmeal and gently urged me, "Lady Evelyn, please, have a little. You haven't eaten all day."

I couldn't bring myself to eat.

Just then, a young maid came running in, her face lit up with barely contained excitement.

"Grace, big news. Lord Edward gave Lady Joanna the diamond necklace from the storeroom," she blurted out.

Grace's face darkened instantly, and she chided, "What are you making a fuss about? This is Sycamore House."

The maid stuck out her tongue and quickly fell silent.

I remembered that diamond necklace. When I married Edward, my mother, worried that I might got the short end of the stick, had tucked it into my wedding gifts. Now, it became another token to please someone else.