Chapter 2

"Now! Are you satisfied? Let her in!" Curtis yelled.

I stared at his feet—charred, oozing with oil, flesh mangled and bloody. My heart turned cold and broke into pieces.

"Fine," I said. "I agreed."

I didn't look at Curtis as he was carried away by a crowd of worried people.

I didn't look at Myrtle's face either—triumph hidden beneath her tears.

I turned and walked out of that sickening room.

Behind me, Joan's voice rang out, full of satisfaction. "This is how it should've been all along. Now that's the real lady of the house."

The guys started hollering. "Curtis, should've shown some backbone sooner. Can't let women get away with everything!"

Myrtle's weak, tearful voice trembled with concern. "Curtis, your foot... Someone get the doctor. It's all my fault..."

Those voices felt like a thousand venomous needles, piercing straight into my heart.

I didn't return to my quarters. Instead, I walked straight out through the side gate and stood outside the imposing gates of the court.

"Madam, is there something you need?" The guard recognized me and asked cautiously.

I spoke, my voice clear but trembling—something even I hadn't noticed, "I want to end my marriage."

The guard's eyes went wide, like he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

"Madam, please think twice. According to our law, if a woman asks for a divorce without any of the seven official reasons, she has to... she has to endure the punishment...

"Both your feet will be destroyed. Your whole life, ruined!"

This was a man's world. The law spoke for men.

Once a woman asked for a divorce, they'd use a red-hot iron to scorch the soles, wrecking the tendons and bones so she'd never be able to walk freely again.

It was this society's cruel way of punishing women who refused to stay in their place.

"I know," I cut him off. "I'll take the punishment. Go ahead, do it by the rules."

Seeing how determined I was, the officer didn't dare delay and hurried inside to report.

Soon, a chief official rushed out, trying to talk me out of it, saying whatever he could think of.

But when he saw I wouldn't budge, he could only sigh, pull out a divorce document, and ask me to press my thumbprint on it.

"Madam, the punishment is scheduled for the third day of next month. Are you... sure you don't want to reconsider?"

"Someone I once loved, now, I just don't love him anymore," I murmured.

I stared at my name on the document and spoke in a low voice, "I can't go on like this anymore."

As I walked out of the court, the pale winter sunlight touched my skin, but offered no warmth at all.

At the street corner, a well-dressed young man chased after a girl in a red dress, holding up a candy.

He wore an eager, apologetic grin. "Rachel, please don't be mad! I swear I won't go gambling with them ever again."

The girl puffed up her cheeks and turned away. "Like I care! You always break your word."

"I mean it this time. From now on, I'll do whatever you say—you're the boss!"

The boy looked desperate, running his hand through his hair as he pleaded.

The sunlight lit up his young face, so lively, so genuine.

I stared at them, lost in thought, as if I was seeing my own younger self in their place.

Back then, I was the most favored legitimate daughter of the baron—bright, bold, and with a riding crop in hand, I was unbeatable in Westford.

Young lords lined up from one end of the street to the other, all chasing after me, but I chased them off. Only Curtis stuck around.

He was like a fool; he'd follow me anywhere, never once going against my word.

If I said chestnut cake tasted good, he'd risk breaking his leg climbing over walls just to bring me a warm plate.

If I said I wanted to see the sunrise, he'd wait all night on the mountaintop, freezing, just so he could drape a cloak over my shoulders when I arrived.

I was so fed up with him that I pointed at the freezing lake, just to give him a hard time.

"Aren't you scared of water? Jump in, swim to the other side, and maybe I'll consider marrying you," I teased.

He didn't hesitate for a second—just dove straight in.

When he climbed out, shivering with lips turning blue, he still flashed me a big grin.

"So... does this mean you'll marry me now?" he said.

In that moment, my heart was shaken to its core.

After we got married, he doted on me. No matter how stubborn I was, he spoiled me. No matter how overbearing I got, he always protected me.

But three years ago, my dad was framed for treason. The whole family was to be executed, wiped out to the last member.

Because I was already married off, the King let me live.

Curtis was the one who knelt outside the palace gates for three days and nights just to beg for a chance to see the King.

And me? Thanks to the smarts and connections I'd picked up growing up, I worked nonstop, digging through every clue, and managed to find the key evidence to clear our name in just three days. But in doing so, I ended up offending the most powerful people.