Alexander
The moment I saw Victoria plunge over that cliff, something inside me shattered. It was then that I realized my true feelings for her. I’d never felt pain so raw, so consuming; not since the day my mother died.
It made no sense. I wasn’t supposed to feel this way. Our marriage was arranged, a contract, nothing more. We had both agreed to keep emotions out of it. Or had we just lied to ourselves?
This was supposed to be a union of convenience, without attachment.
My gaze drifted to Victoria’s bandaged face. The sight twisted my chest. She had suffered serious injuries, yet she somehow made her way back to the duchy, to me.
A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.
“Come in,” I murmured.
The door creaked open, and my butler stepped in cautiously.
“I apologize, my lor
