Chapter 1
I looked down at my pregnant belly, feeling troubled.
My cotton candy business was thriving, but my body was getting heavier and harder to move around.
It had been several months since I lost my memory from a head injury and was forced to leave by my husband, who claimed we were already divorced.
I heard he remarried quickly and was enjoying himself these days.
Then one day, his carriage pulled up right in front of my stall. Edward looked utterly stunned, disbelief written all over his handsome face.
"You..." He pointed at my belly, his voice shaking.
*****
The carriage was so lavish, it looked completely out of place in this crowded, noisy alley.
Just like the man who stepped out of it.
Edward stepped in wearing a fine velvet doublet, his hair tied back simply with a leather cord. His commanding presence made everyone around fall silent instantly.
The only thing lingering in the air was the rich, sugary aroma from my little stove as the candy melted.
My heart skipped a beat.
Even in the haze of my memories, his face lingered—blurry, but impossible to forget.
It was him.
He called himself my husband, yet he was the one who personally cast me out.
Edward Grant, Lord Grant of Everstead.
Edward's eyes were locked onto my slightly rounded belly, and the icy mask he always wore was now shattered, revealing cracks of emotion beneath.
Shock, bewilderment, and a flicker of madness I couldn't quite decipher.
"You..."
He swallowed hard, his voice rough and strained.
"Whose child are you carrying?"
Edward's question struck me like a poisoned dart, sharp and cruel.
My fingers tightened around the bamboo skewer, crushing the cotton candy until it lost its fluffy shape.
The air felt frozen, all eyes locked onto me.
Some watched with pity, others with curiosity, and a few with disdain.
I dropped my gaze, staring at my dress—so worn and washed it had faded to pale.
Then I glanced at his immaculate brocade coat.
There was a gulf between us that could never be crossed.
I lifted my head, meeting his searching gaze, as if I were just talking about the weather.
"It's none of your business."
Just five words—clear, cold, and utterly devoid of emotion.
Edward's eyes narrowed in shock.
He hadn't expected me to answer him like that.
After all, in his mind, I was probably still that timid girl who used to trail behind him, gazing up at him with admiration.
But that Evelyn vanished on that cold, rainy night—lost forever with the pain and memories of my injury.
"Evelyn!"
Edward stepped forward, his presence so intense it felt suffocating.
"Say that again!"
His anger was suffocating.
But I just wrapped my arms around my belly, holding it close, as if I could shield it from him.
Inside, it was all I had left—the only thing I could depend on, the reason I was still standing.
No matter what, I wouldn't let him harm my child.
Out of nowhere, old memories I'd tried to forget suddenly came rushing back.
Man, it hurt.
My head felt like it was about to explode.
I clung to the wooden frame of my stall, my face going deathly pale.
*****
"My lady, you're awake?"
I found myself in a strange room, with a maid I didn't recognize.
I struggled to sit up, a sharp pain shooting through the back of my head.
Who was I?
Where was this place?
Just then, a tall, striking man walked in. It was Edward.
Back then, his eyes held no surprise—just icy contempt.
"Now that you're awake, sign it."
Edward flung a sheet of paper onto the table in front of me, barely sparing it a glance.
The bold words Deed of Separation seemed to burn into my eyes.
"Why?" I asked, my voice flickering weakly like a candle about to go out.
Edward let out a cold laugh, pure mockery in his tone.
"Evelyn, how long are you going to keep pretending?
"You're jealous and cruel to the core. I've had enough of you.
"We're finished. Whatever we had is over."
He said it all so offhandedly, like he was just throwing away an old shirt he didn't want anymore.