Chapter 1

It wasn't until a murderer came after me for revenge that I realized just how much I looked like Prince Regent's first crush.

That was why the prime minister took in an orphan like me.

That was why the Prince Regent, Grayson Watson, ended up marrying a girl who couldn't speak, like me.

They needed me to draw out the culprit who hurt the minister's daughter and get the antidote to save her.

I was in a coma for seven days and nights. When I finally woke up, every inch of me hurt, and no one was there for me.

Just one wall away, my foster parents and my husband were celebrating Valeria Webb's recovery.

"Five years, Valeria. You're finally awake," Grayson's voice came through the wall.

"Sweetheart, we've finally avenged you. From now on, we'll shower you with love. You'll never have to suffer again," my foster parents promised.

No one even thought of me. Only the maid brought me medicine, her eyes brimming with sympathy.

I didn't cry or throw a tantrum. Instead, I quietly removed the lucky bracelet, something Grayson had prayed with heart to obtain for me, and gestured calmly to Miranda.

"Miranda, would you mind bringing me the letter of separation?" I signed.

*****

Miranda's eyes were red as she handed me the letter. "Lady Priscilla, here's the letter of separation."

I took it, my face pale.

Grayson had written this letter of separation back when we got married.

He was so fixated on me then. My heart wavered, but I knew my background was tragic, and I couldn't even speak. Even after being adopted by the prime minister's family, I still felt I could never measure up to him.

Besides, Grayson was the Prince Regent, the man everyone looked up to, holding all the power in the kingdom. If he ever lost interest in me, heartbreak would be all I had left. I couldn't take that gamble.

So he gave me the letter himself.

"Take this. If I ever fall out of love with you, you can walk away whenever you want. And if we do part ways, half of everything I own will be yours. You'll never have to worry about a thing for the rest of your life," he promised.

His promise felt so genuine that I couldn't help but believe him. So I married him, my heart full of hope.

After everything I'd been through, I finally understood why he married me in the first place.

The real reason was that he needed me close so he could use me to lure out the killer and get the antidote to save the woman he truly loved.

I gave a bitter chuckle and signed the letter of separation.

Miranda couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

"How could this be? All these years, Prince Grayson did everything for you. When you were sick, he stayed by your side. When you couldn't eat, he learned to cook just for you. He treated you so well. How could you have only been a stand-in for someone else?" Miranda choked out.

"You were even carrying his child. How could Prince Grayson use you as bait and let you end up like this?" she added, voice trembling.

My heart suddenly lurched, and for the first time, a ripple of emotion broke through my pale expression. I wrote shakily, "Child?"

Miranda's eyes looked even more hopeless than mine. "Yes, the doctor said you were three months pregnant."

"But after what that monster did to you, days and nights of torture, leaving all those wounds, it's a miracle you survived at all. There was no way to save the baby. And, the doctor said you could never have children again," Miranda whispered, tears streaming down her face.

Before my mind could even process it, heart-wrenching pain tore through me. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I let out a desolate, broken laugh.

After being married for so many years, I finally had a child.

But it was all gone. And there wouldn't ever be another.

For some reason, I suddenly recalled the words that the murderer hissed at me a few days ago, his grip tight around my throat.

"Damn, Valeria and Grayson were a 'perfect pair.' Valeria schemed with my feelings, and Grayson schemed with yours," he snarled.

"They both knew I hated Valeria to the bone, and you're mute. You couldn't even explain yourself. If I hadn't figured out you weren't her, your head would've rolled already, you get that?" he spat.

"They used your face to draw me out, just to trap me and force me to cough up Valeria's antidote. Real slick. Real cunning," he sneered.

By then, I'd already been tortured for three days. There were at least sixty-six cuts all over my body. The wounds weren't deep, but blood kept seeping out, drop by drop.

The pain was so bad that death almost seemed like mercy.

He finally let go of my neck.

"Grayson's got traps set everywhere. I'm not getting out of here. Don't hold it against me for mixing you up with her. I'm done messing with you," he said.

"But hey, they've kept you around for years, and Grayson even married you. I can see if they actually give a damn about you. If they pick you, maybe you'll get to live," he added.

He had someone send for Grayson, demanding that Grayson come and see him in person.

When I was hanging by a thread, my husband and foster parents burst in.

The murderer held his knife to my chest, the antidote placed on the other side.

They had to choose: my life or the antidote.

My foster parents, without a second thought, lunged straight for the antidote.

"How could her life ever compare to Valeria's?" my foster father declared.

Grayson just shrugged. "She's nothing but a pawn. If you want her dead, take her. But if you let her live, maybe you'll die a little easier."

I watched them all go for the antidote, my already lifeless gaze shattering completely. It felt like my heart was being crushed underfoot, the agony beyond words.

In the end, I finally succumbed to the pain and lost consciousness.

When I finally woke up again, seven days had slipped by.

And just like before, not a single soul bothered with me.

I pushed down the ache in my chest and handed the letter of separation to Miranda.

I gestured, "Thanks for sticking with me all this time in Watson's estate.

"Please give this letter to Grayson for me. And, could you burn everything I ever owned here? Don't leave a single trace behind."

Miranda was sobbing uncontrollably. "Lady Priscilla, you're all alone in this world, and with all these wounds, where could you possibly go?"