"You're so thoughtful, Kayla. But this bowl of soup is nothing special. If you truly want to congratulate me, I actually like the crystal bangle on your wrist. Why don't you give it to me instead?"

I touched the white crystal bracelet on my wrist.

It was a promise gift Yuvan had given me years ago.

Back then, we stood under a tree that was in full bloom. He held my hand and slid the bangle on my wrist himself.

"Nothing else in this world compares to you, Kayla. Now that you've worn this bracelet, you're mine forever."

My first feeling for him began under that tree when I was twelve.

At sixteen, I became his wife.

And before I even reached nineteen, it felt like I had already lived through an entire lifetime of hardship.

Now I was nineteen, and it felt like it was finally time to wake up.

Whatever connection we once had was over.

Both of them were now staring directly at the bracelet on my wrist.

That was when I realized what I had to do, and I quickly tried to take it off.

However, the bangle had been fitted when I was still a child. Now that I was grown, it wouldn't come off no matter how hard I pulled.

"I'll take it off soon and give it to you, Sabrina."

I tugged harder, trying to force it off. My wrist quickly turned red and swollen. The bones in my hand felt like they were twisting out of place.

Still, it wouldn't budge. No matter how hard I tried, I failed.

Yuvan's expression darkened as he watched me struggle.

In a moment of panic, I raised my hand and slammed it against the wall.

A sharp crack echoed through the room.

The crystal bangle shattered, falling to the ground in pieces.

At the same time, the broken edges cut into my wrist. Blood immediately dripped onto the floor.

For a split second, Yuvan's breathing hitched. He stepped forward as if he wanted to say something.

But Sabrina grabbed his arm, and he stopped with a frown.

Just like that, what broke wasn't only the bangle, but also the promise we made when we were young.

I ignored the pain and carefully gathered the broken pieces into my hands, then held them up and offered them to Sabrina.

"I really couldn't take it off, as you saw. If it's something you like, I would never keep it for myself."

Seeing how desperate I looked, Yuvan suddenly reached out and knocked the broken pieces out of my hands.

"Stop this act," he said sharply. "Who are you putting it on for? The more you do this, the more I despise you."

Sabrina added softly, as if helping him along, "If you really wanted to take it off, you could just cut your hand off. Smashing it like this just means you never wanted to give it to me in the first place."

Was breaking the bangle not enough? Did I also need to cut my hand off?

I let out a helpless, bitter laugh and looked up at Yuvan.

"My lord, do you think I should cut off my hand too?"

If it were him who said it, I would cut it off without a second thought.

My hand in exchange for my family's lives wouldn't be a loss.

Yuvan froze for a moment.

His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something. But in the end, no words came out.

He turned away and wrapped an arm around Sabrina's waist instead, lowering his voice to comfort her.

"Her things are dirty. We don't want them. I'll buy you something better."

That crystal bangle had been a gift from him, and now he called it dirty.

How ironic.

-

That night, a young maid came to my room.

"My lady, your hand is injured. Here's some medicine to apply."

It was hard to refuse kindness, so I used a little.

The moment the powder touched my wound, a sharp, piercing pain shot through me. I instinctively shook it off and reached for water, trying to wash it off.

But before I could, the door was pushed open, and Yuvan walked in.

Yuvan looked at the spilled powder, and his expression darkened instantly.

"Kayla, don't push your luck. Either you apply it properly, or—"

I quickly cut him off and pressed the medicine back onto my wound.

"I understand. I'll apply it properly."

I watched as the white powder mixed with blood, slowly burning into my skin. I forced myself to keep my expression steady, even as the pain twisted my face.

Only after the bandaging was finished did he leave, satisfied.

The moment he was gone, I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and sank onto the bed, completely drained.

I knew it wasn't real medicine. It wasn't meant to heal me, but to make the injury worse and rot.

That was his punishment for not handing the bangle over to Sabrina intact.

I endured the pain through the night.

The next morning, strong winds howled outside, and it looked like a storm was about to break.

A maid pushed open my door and called out loudly,

"My lady, it's going to rain soon. Lady Sabrina wants you in the courtyard to take care of the flowers."

Sabrina had planted all the flowers in the courtyard, all to win Yuvan's favor. But she seemed to have misunderstood something.

He liked ornamental plants, while I was the one who truly loved flowers.

That was why I never resisted whenever she ordered me to tend to them. At least those plants didn't push me away. At least they would "listen" when I spoke.

I braced myself against the howling wind and carried each potted plant one by one under the eaves. When I bent down to lift the last pot, someone suddenly appeared out of nowhere and kicked me hard in the back.

I fell straight to the ground.

Sabrina stepped around me and looked down with a mocking smile.

"Kayla, you really are pathetic. You married the man who killed your father, and you serve him like a servant. You're even watching your own family suffer at the hands of your father's killer.

"You really have to ask yourself, what's the point of you even living? You might as well just die."

My body went completely rigid, then I started shaking.

Wasn't it her father who framed my father for treason and got him executed?

Why was it suddenly Yuvan?

Sabrina's smile deepened when she saw my reaction.

"You still don't know, do you? Your father didn't falsely accuse Yuvan's father. He really did deserve to die. But Yuvan never accepted it. He took all that hatred and placed it on your father, and on your entire family."

"The king never believed your father was a traitor. He didn't even want him executed. It was Yuvan who kept pressing repeatedly, demanding your father die."

"Kayla, how does it feel spending three years serving the man who killed your father?"

It had been three years.

I thought that by marrying him and doing everything he asked of me without complaint, I could make up for his hatred toward my father and toward my family.

So I endured his coldness and cruelty, never once complaining.

If he hadn't brought Sabrina into the estate and made her his second wife, I might never have fully given up hope or wanted to leave.

But I never expected Yuvan to be the one who truly caused my father's death.

-

The sky was heavy and dark, wind whipping rain down in violent sheets against the ground. The atmosphere felt suffocating, wrong in a way that made it hard to breathe.

Rain soaked through the bandage on my wrist, spreading deep red stains that looked even more horrifying.

The pain inside me was far worse than the pain on my skin.

Anger overwhelmed me completely. I got up and lunged straight at Sabrina.

She let out a sharp scream and ran toward the main hall, instantly burying herself in Yuvan's arms just as he arrived.

"Yuvan, Kayla's scaring me. I only told her it was raining outside and reminded her to be careful, then she suddenly started chasing me and trying to hit me."

My remaining sense of reason snapped back into place.

I stepped into the main hall, then stopped and retreated.

Standing under the eaves, the heavy rain still blew in and struck me.

"Kayla, have you lost your mind?" Yuvan's voice turned sharp. "Sabrina was only worried about you."

My fists slowly tightened, my nails digging deep into my palms.

I laughed bitterly.

"Is that so? Was she really worried about me?"

My tone clearly displeased him. He frowned and walked straight toward me.

"Kayla, you've learned how to talk back now? Get on your knees."

I closed my eyes for a moment, then slowly loosened my fists.

Today was the last day.

As long as I got through tonight...

I only needed to do this one more time.

I lifted my skirt slightly and began to kneel.

"Kneel outside."

The moment I stepped out, the rain hit me like a wall. My clothes were soaked through instantly, clinging tightly to my skin.

Cold water streamed down my injured wrist, mixing with blood from the worsening wound and dripping onto the ground.

When I knelt, Yuvan saw the blood staining the hem of my clothes as it fell into the rainwater.

Something flickered across his expression, almost like concern.

"Didn't you use the medicine I sent you yesterday?" he asked.

He saw it himself that I had applied it. I even did it right in front of him.

That medicine he gave me was worse than poison.

I didn't answer him. I just kept my head lowered as the rain washed over my face.

For a moment, something like hesitation crossed his features. But in the end, he still called for the servants.

"Take her back to her room. She is to remain there and reflect. Without my permission, no one is allowed to approach her."

That was fine.

At least no one would disturb me before I left.

I kept track of the time and endured my final night at Blackwood Estate.

The next morning, the courtyard outside was noisy and crowded.

I heard that Yuvan was being sent to another state for official duties, and the entire estate was busy preparing his departure.

But unexpectedly, he came to my room.

"Pack your things. You're coming with me."

I nodded.

Yes, it was time to pack. But not to travel with him for the assignment—I was leaving him.

Yuvan suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, as if something important was slipping away from him. But when he saw how obedient I looked, he relaxed slightly.

After a long silence, he said, "The past is the past. As long as you behave from now on, I'll treat you better."

I didn't respond.

There was no "from now on" for us anymore.

Four hours remained until the royal decree was issued. I packed what little I owned, which barely amounted to anything.

When only two hours remained, Yuvan personally inspected the carriage loaded with his luggage.

When only an hour remained, he sent someone to call for me.

But I simply locked the door and refused to open it, no matter how they knocked or called outside.

"Kayla, what are you doing now?" Yuvan's voice came from beyond the door, sharp with anger.

If you delay this departure, I'll make you and your whole family pay—"

He didn't get to finish when a sharp, high-pitched voice cut through the estate.

"Make way for the king's decree!"