Chapter 1

After three years of marriage to Regent Charles Cunningham, I gave him two beautiful children. Everyone in Aurelion thought I was the luckiest woman alive.

Charles adored me. He worshiped the ground I walked on.

Then one night, I had a dream. In it, he cut me open with his own hands and ripped out my heart to save his first love.

I had to know if it was real, so I followed him. I watched him hold another woman in his arms as he whispered, "Once I get command of her father's forces, I'll marry you."

That same night, I cleaned out every coin in the house, set the treasury on fire, grabbed my two kids, and ran.

*****

The chilling sound of the blade cutting into my flesh was so vivid, it made me shudder uncontrollably.

I looked into Charles Cunningham's face, the same face that had once promised me the world, now completely devoid of warmth.

His hands were steady as an executioner's, slicing open my abdomen with surgical precision.

The pain was so intense I couldn't scream. All I could do was glare at him.

He reached into my still-warm chest and pulled out my heart, still beating in his hands.

Blood dripped from his fingers, splattering across his luxurious robe like crimson flowers blooming.

He didn't even look at me. Instead, he turned and pressed that still-warm, beating heart into the hands of the woman lying pale and frail on the bed.

"My love, drink this. You'll be well again," Charles said, his voice gentler than I'd ever heard before.

I died.

My soul floated above, watching as my body was tossed into a pit for the forgotten, left to be devoured by stray dogs.

My children, Theo and Nina, were crying and calling for their mother, but the servants yanked them away and locked them in the woodshed.

"Mother doesn't want us anymore," Theo whimpered.

Their cries were like a blunt knife, hacking at my soul again and again.

I bolted upright in bed, soaked in cold sweat.

The silk quilt was smooth, the bed curtains warm and fragrant. Everything was still the same lavish comfort of the master chamber in Cunningham Manor.

I gulped for air, my heart racing wildly, but the pain of being sliced open felt so real, like it was etched deep into my marrow.

I kept telling myself it was just a dream, but my hands and feet were still icy cold, like I was nothing but a corpse.

For the past three years, Charles took care of me in every possible way.

I liked things calm and peaceful, so he built me a garden.

I couldn't stand the cold, so he found the best silver frost charcoal anywhere, turning early winter into a warm spring for me.

Everyone in Aurelion wished they could be me, Charlotte Linwood. I was married to the perfect man, powerful and respected. Charles and I loved each other, and we had two beautiful children.

He was the hero I'd fallen for as a girl, and I was the loyal wife by his side. We treated each other with respect. He handled the politics, and I managed the household.

I was the lady of the house. Whenever I played music, he would always sit quietly by my side, listening. Whenever I was sick, he would personally tend to me, bringing me medicine himself.

When Theo and Nina were born, he waited anxiously outside the birthing chamber, never leaving for a moment. I thought the worry and joy on his face was genuine, straight from the heart.

There should have been no reason for doubt between us.

But that dream was so real, I could actually smell the iron scent of my own blood.

The door creaked open.

Charles stepped in, his cloak still damp with night dew. When he saw I was awake, surprise flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly masked by his familiar tenderness.

"Charlotte, why are you awake? Did the kids bother you again?" he asked.

He walked over, as usual reaching out to pull me into his arms and tuck the blanket around me.

But the moment he got close, I couldn't help but tense up.

A strange, sweet scent drifted from his collar, slipping right into my nose.

It wasn't the perfume I always wore, nor anything from the maids in the house.

This was a sophisticated perfume, something only noblewomen would use, with a faint, chilly hint of roses.

My heart gave a thud and sank.

Charles's hand hovered in mid-air, sensing my resistance.

The tenderness in his eyes froze for a heartbeat, so quick it was almost impossible to catch.

"Did you have a nightmare?" he asked, his voice gentle and laced with concern.

I looked up, meeting his gaze. My image was still reflected in those deep eyes, overflowing with adoration.

I forced down the turmoil inside and managed a wan smile.

"Yeah, I dreamed you didn't want me anymore." I told him about my worst nightmare in a soft, spoiled tone, all while watching his every subtle expression.

He laughed, playfully flicking my nose with his long fingers, just as he always did.

"Silly girl, how could I ever leave you? Go to sleep. We have to take Theo riding tomorrow," he said.

He lay down and wrapped his arms around me like always. His breathing was steady, and he fell asleep almost instantly.

But even in his warm embrace, I felt a bone-deep chill.

I didn't sleep a wink all night.