Chapter 2

The sky was getting darker, and the chill slipped in through the cracks in the window, chilling me to the bone.

Grace couldn't stand to see me suffer. She fished out a silver coat from the cabinet and wrapped it around my shoulders. "Lady Evelyn, you must take care. Don't let yourself catch a cold."

This coat was a gift from Edward last winter.

Just as I was about to ask Grace to take it off, the courtyard gate was kicked open.

Larry swaggered in with two servants.

His eyes landed on the coat I was wearing. "Well, Lady Evelyn, you certainly know how to enjoy yourself. While everyone in Peony House is running around like chickens with their heads cut off, you're sitting here, nice and cozy."

He strode over, yanked the coat off me, and tossed it to the floor.

"The estate has its own rules about expenses. Since there's no young master in Sycamore House, your share is cut in half. This coat is way above your allowance. It's going back to the storeroom," he said.

Grace was shaking with rage as she stepped protectively in front of me. "Larry, this is outrageous. Lady Evelyn is delicate and can't handle the cold. You—"

Before she could finish, Larry struck her hard across the face.

"How dare you! You're just a servant, and you think you can talk back to me? Someone, drag Grace outside and give her twenty lashes for defiance," Larry barked.

I got to my feet and said, "Stop right there."

Larry looked at me with a sneer.

"I'll take her punishment," I volunteered, stepping out into the freezing snow in the courtyard.

Larry smirked. "If you want to take the punishment, then stand there for an hour. After that, we're done here." He turned on his heel and strode off with his men.

The snow kept falling, piling up until I looked like a snowman. I was so tired that I couldn't even feel the cold anymore, endless exhaustion weighing me down.

After an hour out there, I was so cold that I could barely move, almost frozen in place.

From a distance, a warm sedan chair escorted by servants approached from the direction of Peony House. It was Edward, returning from a party.

As the chair passed by, the wind lifted the curtain, and I caught a fleeting glimpse of his striking profile.

Edward didn't even look my way, not a single glance.

To him, I was another tree or stone in the courtyard, something invisible, as if I didn't exist at all. He walked past me like I was nothing but air.

Using the doorframe for support, I slowly made my way back into the room, step by step.

An iron taste rose in my throat, and I coughed up blood onto my snow-white handkerchief, the stain blooming like a lonely plum blossom. I quietly tucked the handkerchief away.

I picked up my pen and paper, and made a note in my plan to leave the estate. I wouldn't let Larry off the hook.

I never thought Joanna would actually come to Sycamore House herself.

She was holding Asher, dressed in a vibrant rose-red gown that made her look positively glowing and full of energy.

As soon as she stepped inside, she exaggeratedly covered her nose and mouth. "Evelyn, why does your place smell so much like medicine? It makes me feel uneasy.

"Seriously, you need to lighten up and stop shutting yourself away like this. If you keep moping, you'll end up making yourself sick."

Joanna gently pushed Asher toward me as she spoke. "Asher, this is Lady Evelyn. She absolutely adores you."

Asher glanced at me, his eyes wide with uncertainty and a touch of nervousness.

I paid him no mind, letting my gaze linger on the child in her arms. He looked so much like Leo.

Joanna didn't seem the least bit awkward about my silence. She wandered around my room, acting like she was the lady of the house.

"Evelyn, I'm not criticizing you, but look at this place. It's so cold and empty. Leo is gone now. You should think about Lord Edward and the Sinclair family, too. Seeing you like this must really hurt him," she said.

She picked up a cup from the table and tutted. "This tater is stone cold. Are your servants even paying attention? Tomorrow, I'll send over a couple of smarter ones for you."

I finally said, "No need."

Joanna acted surprised, as she'd just realized I could actually speak, and laughed, "See? Talking is so much better, isn't it?

"People get lost in their own thoughts if they keep quiet for too long. Come here and sit down. Let me keep you company for a bit."

She sat down next to me with Asher in her arms, and with a casual swing of her arm, she brushed against the bracelet at my waist, sending it flying.

There was a crisp snap as the bracelet hit the floor, splintering into several pieces.

The whole room went dead silent.

Grace drew in a sharp breath.

My whole body went numb at that moment. That bracelet was the only keepsake from my mother, and the only thing Leo ever wore.

I remembered how his tiny body lay in my arms, holding the bracelet.