Chapter 2

I jolted awake. The searing pain between my legs was unmistakable. My bare skin was covered in angry bite marks, and I hugged my knees to my chest, trembling uncontrollably. This wasn’t a nightmare. I had really been raped! How could this happen?! Knock, knock. A sharp rap at the door, followed by the voice of Nanny Mary, the housekeeper: "Young Madam, the mistress wants you downstairs." "I’ll be right there." I had almost forgotten—today, an important guest was visiting, and my mother-in-law had ordered me to wake up early to help. No one could find out about last night! Panicked, I snatched up the bloodstained sheets, wincing as I dragged my aching body to the bathroom. With shaking hands and tear-filled eyes, I scrubbed away the evidence before hastily washing myself. The pain between my thighs was unbearable, and a sob clawed at my throat—helpless, humiliated, and utterly broken. This was horrifying… This was the Carter family estate! How could anyone dare sneak into my room and—? Unless… A chilling thought flickered through my mind, but I shoved it away. Remembering my mother-in-law’s orders, I threw on a long-sleeved shirt and trousers before rushing downstairs. "Useless, lazy thing! I told you a hundred times to wake up early today. Look at the time—half past eight!" My mother-in-law stood in the living room, arranging sliced fruit on a tray, her glare sharp enough to cut glass. "I’m sorry, Mother." She had despised me from the start. In the two weeks since my marriage, not a day had passed without her scorn. She resented that I had "sold myself" into this family, and no matter what I did, it was never enough. "What are you standing there for?! Go get the purple clay tea set from the study and make the tea! Must I spell out every little thing for you? You’re as dull as a rock—no initiative at all!" "Alright." Amidst my mother-in-law's scolding, I made my way to the third-floor study and carefully carried out the tea set. "Madam, the young master is awake,"Mary announced. At the mention of "young master," my heart lurched, my hands trembled, and the tea set wobbled in my grip. One of the cups slipped and shattered on the floor. The memory of last night's violation flooded back, filling me with shame. My fingers shook uncontrollably. The "young master" Mary referred to was none other than the heir of the Carter family—my husband, Ethan Carter. Though we'd been married for half a month, we had yet to share a bed. "Damn it! My teacup!" My mother-in-law rushed over, her face twisted in distress. "Do you have any idea how much this set cost at auction? Half a year of your Smith family's profits wouldn't cover it! Are your hands broken or what? Can't even hold a simple thing steady? Get out! Go feed Ethan his porridge! Stop wasting my money here!" Trembling, I handed the remaining tea set to Mary and hurried to the kitchen. With a bowl of porridge in hand, I climbed to the fourth floor. In the brightest, airiest south-facing room, atop an ornate carved bed, lay a man. His face was gaunt yet strikingly handsome, his eyes fixed intently on me as I entered. I lowered my gaze, guilt twisting my heart. "Did Mother scold you again?" His voice was faint, drained of strength. I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes. Ethan had once been the most dazzling heir of Seavale’s wealthiest family. But three months ago, a mysterious illness struck, leaving him bedridden. Following a fortune-teller’s advice, his mother moved him to this supposedly auspicious room and arranged a marriage to a woman whose birth chart aligned with his—a desperate bid to "ward off misfortune." That woman was me. My marriage into the Carter family wasn’t simple. My father’s company had recently been sabotaged, leaving it drowning in debt. The twenty-million dowry was the price of my entry—and the root of my mother-in-law’s relentless disdain.