Chapter 3

I gasped from the pain, my hand shook, and the pill rolled away across the floor. "It's... my life-saving pill..." I rasped.

I reached for it, but a boot embossed with a falcon crest slammed down, pinning it to the ground.

Edward twisted his heel, grinding the precious pill into powder, gone and lost forever on the floor.

"Life-saving pill?" Edward scoffed. He fixed me with a cold, mocking stare.

"Charlotte, do you really take me for a fool? This shady little pill is clearly some poison cooked up by street charlatans!" he spat.

He pulled Isabelle into his arms, checking her over with worry etched on his face. "Isabelle, are you alright? Did she get you anywhere?"

Isabelle shrank into his embrace, trembling, her eyes rimmed with tears. "Your Grace, I'm fine... It's just Charlotte... Her stare was terrifying, like she wanted to tear me apart..."

She pointed at me, her voice quivering, on the verge of tears. "I heard Charlotte was sick and specially asked you to come check on her. Why is she hiding this poison? Is she trying to poison herself and blame it on me?"

"You venomous witch!" Edward shouted furiously. He delivered a stinging slap across my face.

The crisp slap echoed through the silent room.

I was knocked sideways, blood oozed from the corner of my mouth, and my ears rang.

"Charlotte, you really fooled me! I never thought you could be such a monster, even going so far as to set Isabelle up!" Edward shouted.

I clutched my burning cheek, staring up at this man who couldn't see the truth if it hit him in the face. My heart felt numb and hollow. "I didn't... It was from my mentor..."

"How dare you keep making excuses!" Edward cut me off. He didn't give me a chance to explain, just waved his hand and barked, "Guards! Search this room! Find anything suspicious or unclean and burn it all to ashes!"

A squad of guards stormed in, tearing through my belongings as they ransacked the room.

My medical books, my silver needles, and the precious notes my mentor left behind were tossed to the floor, trampled, and ripped apart.

"No! Don't touch my things!" I screamed, my voice cracking with desperation. I threw myself forward, wild with panic, desperate to protect the only keepsakes I had left of him. Those were the last mementos my mentor ever gave me!

"Move!" A guard roughly shoved me aside, not caring at all.

I crashed to the floor, a sharp pain ripping through my belly as the blood beneath me spread even faster.

"Your Grace... blood... Charlotte is bleeding..." Isabelle gasped, covering her mouth. She feigned shock, but a glimmer of smug satisfaction flickered in her eyes.

Edward cast a glance at the blood pooling on the floor, his brow furrowed with nothing but contempt. "Quit the theatrics! That's barely any blood. It's not even as much as Isabelle bled when she nicked her finger."

He turned away with icy indifference, as if even one more look at me would make him feel sick. "Take all this rubbish out and burn it. Right now! I don't want any of this bad luck left in my estate!"

The courtyard was lit up with flames.

I could only watch as my precious medical books burned to ashes right in front of me. In that moment, my heart was crushed.

"Edward... you'll regret this..." I rasped. I lay there, my nails clawing uselessly at the cold floor, my voice a haunting, vengeful cry.

"Regret?" Edward let out a mocking laugh, threw his arm around Isabelle, and walked off without a second glance. "The only thing I regretted was marrying a venomous witch like you!" he spat.

"From this moment on, Rainhaven Lodge is sealed! Without my command, no one is to bring her so much as a drop of water or a single grain of bread! The wretch who tried to threaten me needs to learn her lesson!"

The door slammed shut once more, and all light was cut off.

I lay on the cold floor, feeling my life slowly draining away.

My baby, as if sensing my despair, gave one last gentle movement and then went still forever.

I had failed the child. I could not protect it. If that small soul ever got another chance at life, I hoped it would not be born into a noble family again and never have such a heartless father.

In the darkness, I clenched my fist.

I would remember this wrong, I swore. As long as I lived, I would make them pay.