Chapter 2

"My parents may be buried in the earth, but wherever they rest, that's where I belong. That's my home," I gestured, accidentally tugging at the knife wound on my shoulder. A sharp pain stung me, but not a single tear escaped.

"This isn't my home. I shouldn't stay here, and I don't want to," I was firm.

Miranda couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She wiped her eyes and hurried off to find a carriage for me.

With wounds all over my body, I forced myself out of bed, but before I could even reach the door, my strength failed, and I crumpled to the floor.

Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around my waist. Grayson caught me just in time.

Grayson's gaze was as gentle as ever, but his voice was tight with concern. "Priscilla, you've been out cold for seven days. Why didn't you let anyone tell me you'd woken up? Are you feeling alright? Does anything hurt?"

His grip pressed painfully against my injuries, and I went even paler as I tried to push him away.

His gaze grew somber, his lips pressed into a thin line.

He explained, "Are you angry with me? I know I used you, and I owe you an apology. Whatever I said to that murderer, don't take it to heart. I only said the opposite on purpose to keep you safe.

"Everything I did was to protect you. Look, you're safe and sound, aren't you? That's proof enough. I'll do my best to make it up to you. Can you please not be mad at me?"

I saw sincerity in Grayson's eyes, and he looked a little flustered.

It turned out he had no clue how serious my injuries were.

However, even if he found out, it changed nothing.

I forced myself to stand up straight and made a sign with my hands. "Grayson, you've always treated me kindly. Consider this my way of paying you back. You don't owe me anything. Now that the person you wanted to save is awake, it's time for me to leave."

Grayson instinctively tightened his grip on my hand, his face darkening a little.

He said again, "So you really are angry with me. Valeria saved my life five years ago, and she ended up like the walking dead just to protect me. I have to save her. Using you was wrong, but I swear it won't ever happen again!

"Besides, you're my wife, the one I married with all the fanfare. We're husband and wife. Watson's estate is your home. If you left, where would you go? Where else could you possibly belong?"

I couldn't figure it out. He'd already gotten everything he wanted from me, so why was he still looking at me with that soft, affectionate gaze?

Was he just afraid I'd start talking and damaging his good name?

"You have feelings for Lady Valeria, don't you? If I don't leave, are you really going to make her your mistress?" I signed.

Grayson frowned. "I did promise Valeria I'd marry her. She spent five years in a coma because of me. Now she's so weak, and no one else would take her in but me. But she's got her pride, and asking her to be a mistress would crush her spirit. I don't want to hurt you, either. Just give me a little time. I swear I'll figure out a way that won't hurt either of you."

Just as I was about to speak, I suddenly heard someone crying nearby.

The voice sounded, "Grayson, so while I was unconscious for five years, you already married someone else? How could you do this to me?"

Grayson immediately panicked.

"Valeria..." Grayson blurted out.

I turned toward the sound and saw a girl standing beneath the peach tree, tears streaming down her face. She looked strikingly similar to me, almost like my twin.

It was Valeria, shooting him a look full of hurt and accusation.

She cried, "I loved you so much. I nearly died saving you, and I barely survived, only to spend five years in a coma because of it. And you married someone else? So what am I supposed to be to you now?

"If you love her, why did you even bother saving me? Did you wake me up so I could be your mistress? Is that what you want, to see me die inside all over again?"

She ran off, sobbing.

"Valeria, wait!" Almost at the same time, Grayson let go of my hand and hurried after her. "Priscilla, wait for me."

Even standing was a struggle for me, and when he let go, I hit the ground hard.

The pain crashed over me in waves, cold sweat soaking my skin. Watching him chase after the woman he truly loved without a second thought, I couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

For the first time, I realized how a heart could be torn apart again and again.

I had sixty-six wounds on my body, but none of them compared to the pain in my heart.

I didn't hesitate. Bracing myself against the pain, I slowly made my way toward the gate.

But when I turned the corner, I saw Valeria grabbing onto Grayson's sleeve, crying her eyes out.

She started beating on his chest, her blows soft and desperate.

She snapped, "Even if you married that dumb Priscilla just to use her as bait to save me, you still shouldn't have actually touched her! Now what am I supposed to do?"

Grayson's lips quivered, but he couldn't get a word out. The man who always seemed so powerful lost all his usual swagger in front of the woman he loved. In the end, he just reached out and wiped away Valeria's tears, helpless.

I bit my pale lips, holding back the pain.

Only then did I realize why Grayson kept his distance from me at first. It turned out he was staying true to his word for her sake.

But later, when he was drunk, he gazed at me, lost in thought, then suddenly leaned in and kissed me. "I... I missed you so much."

It was the first time he'd ever kissed me, and his kiss was wild and burning, nothing like I'd ever felt before.

I just let him have his way with me, completely stunned. Thinking back, the name he whispered that night wasn't mine, but it was Valeria's.

After that night, I was nothing more than Valeria's replacement in his eyes. That was why he stopped holding back and didn't hesitate to touch me anymore.

Valeria nestled against Grayson's chest, her eyes shimmering with tears.

"Grayson, marry me," she said in a trembling voice.

She added softly, "She's just a mute and comes from nothing. How could she ever be fit to be your wife? But since she looked after you for five years and even got the cure for me, I guess I can let her be a concubine."

I thought Grayson would agree right away to please her, but he just kept frowning, not saying anything.