Chapter 26

On the day of the wedding, the night she spent waiting with a trembling heart for a husband who did not return was strangely cold even though it was spring. The memory kept surfacing, and Adel shook her head. Why was that day so vividly clear today of all days? As if she were hearing things, the name Anna that Ethan had called seemed to burrow into her ears again, and she covered them. Eyes closed, she let out a rough breath, then tried calmly to settle her heart. After a long, deep exhale, she looked around the room.

There was not even a single framed picture, common as they were. A bed as large as the Duke’s frame stood in the center, and gloomy curtains hung as if they meant to block out all incoming light.

There was a cabinet full of strong liquor, just as she had seen…