Chapter 1

My half-sister, Charlotte Shaw, publicly broke off her engagement to Edward Grant.

She sneered, "Edward, have you even taken a good look at yourself?

"You're just a disgraced official fresh out of exile. You think you're worthy of marrying the heiress of the Chancellor's Estate?

"You'll never turn your life around in this lifetime."

The guests all burst into snickers, backing up Charlotte and laughing at how Edward dared to dream.

Edward just stood there, silent and stiff in his old, washed-out robe.

But I knew the truth. This convicted official standing before me would, in just three years, shake the empire to its core, rise to unmatched power, and become the youngest Grand Chancellor in history.

I also knew that Charlotte would pay with blood for the choice she made today.

In my previous life, after Charlotte broke off her engagement, she immediately clung to the new scholar, Charles Sinclair.

As for me, my father cast me aside as a worthless daughter and forced me to become Charles's concubine.

At Sinclair Manor, Charles and Charlotte joined forces to torment me. They broke my leg and forced a drug that left me unable to speak down my throat.

In the end, on the night before the New Year, they threw me out of the estate, leaving me to freeze to death in the snow.

I was given a second chance and here I was, right on the day Charlotte called off her engagement.

*****

I stepped out from the shadows, shoving aside the crowd of gawkers.

I strode right up to Edward, looked him straight in the eye, and said, "Since Charlotte turned you down, I'll take you instead. Edward, will you marry me?"

The whole place went dead silent.

Charlotte's face twisted in fury. "Evelyn, are you insane? You really think you can just swoop in and steal my fiancé?"

She was the one who didn't want him in the first place.

My father barked, "Enough nonsense. Step back."

I didn't pay them any mind, just kept my eyes on Edward.

He looked right back at me, a flash of surprise in his eyes. I couldn't quite figure out why. Soon, he went back to being calm.

After a long moment, Edward parted his lips and said just one word, "Alright."

Just that one word from Edward backed the Chancellor's Estate into a corner, leaving them with no way out.

My father's face went livid with anger.

Charlotte broke down in tears on the spot. "Father, look at her. She's doing this on purpose. She's just the daughter of a concubine. How dare she try to call the shots for me?"

My father's face was dark with fury. "Evelyn, do you even realize what you're doing?"

"I know what I'm doing," I said, my back straight as a board. "Father, I truly admire Mr. Grant. Please, grant me this wish and let me marry him."

Truth was, I didn't admire Edward at all. All I wanted was to stay alive and I couldn't wait to see what fate had in store for Charlotte now that she'd lost her engagement.

In the end, my father just swallowed his pride and went along with it.

After all, Edward's father had once saved my father's skin. Calling off the engagement in front of everyone was already a huge scandal.

Plus, Edward himself agreed to the new match. If the Chancellor's Estate still refused, the whole world would see them as heartless and ungrateful.

The wedding was thrown together in a hurry, with no wedding gifts or party. All I got was a small sedan chair that carried me out through the back gate.

As I was leaving, Charlotte stood on the veranda, looking down at me with a smug, mocking look.

"Evelyn, you must be starving for attention, grabbing any man you can get. Go ahead and waste away with that convicted official in poverty," she spat.

Standing right next to her was the ever-charming Charles Sinclair.

In my previous life, the moment Charlotte dumped Edward, she immediately latched onto Charles.

Charles looked at me, his eyes flashing with surprise and a hint of admiration before softening into sympathy. "Evelyn, why make things so hard for yourself? If you ever need help, just come to me—"

My stomach twisted with disgust. I didn't even bother to respond and walked straight out of the Chancellor's Estate without looking back.

Edward lived in the shabbiest alley down on the south side of the city.

His place was a falling-apart little courtyard. I pushed the door open and dust came pouring down. Honestly, it was even more rundown than the yard my mom had before she died.

On our wedding night, there was just a dim oil lamp flickering in the corner. Edward sat at the table, reading, and the silence between us was almost suffocating.

It wasn't until I started shivering from the cold that he finally looked up. "Why did you marry me?" His voice was icy, nothing like the man I'd seen earlier that day.

"I..." I choked, words stuck in my throat.

"Did Lord Jackson send you? Or was it Charles?" His eyes were scrutinizing and wary. "Did they put you here to keep tabs on me, or just to see how I'd react?"

I froze. He really thought I was just someone else's spy.

I couldn't blame him. An overlooked daughter from the Chancellor's Estate suddenly stepped up to marry a convicted official in front of everyone. It smelled fishy.

Before I could figure out what to say, he drew a letter from inside his robe and placed it in front of me. "This is a letter of separation."

He said in a flat tone, "You helped me get out of that mess at the Chancellor's Estate, so I owe you one.

"From now on, we're husband and wife in name only. Nothing more. Once everything is over, you'll be free to leave."

I stared at that letter of separation, and all the hopelessness from my previous life, when Charles broke my leg and tossed me out to freeze in the snow, came rushing back.

I grabbed the letter and set it alight with the oil lamp. The flames flickered, reflected in Edward's shocked eyes.

"Edward," I said, locking eyes with him. "I don't want this letter. I married you, so I'm yours even if I die..."

I hesitated, and then changed my words. "If I die, it has nothing to do with you. But as long as I'm breathing, I'm your wife."

He just watched me quietly as the flames went out, leaving the room in darkness.

After a long silence, he finally said, "Whatever you say."

He got up, fished a thin, tattered blanket out of the cabinet, and tossed it onto the floor. "You take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor."

That night, I slept more soundly than I ever had.

But Edward lay awake in the darkness, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep a wink.