Third Person's POV
Countless times before, just as Mortimer was about to step through the doors of the main estate, Vivian would call him away with one crisis or another.
Back then, his logic was simple: Seraphina was stable, she was a doctor, she could handle a family dinner alone. No big deal.
But standing here now, watching the venomous smirk on his aunt's face and the open mockery in the eyes of the maids, the truth hit him like a physical blow. He realized exactly how many "silent arrows" Seraphina had caught for him, alone and undefended, while he was busy playing hero for Vivian.
Mortimer felt like his lungs were filling with broken glass.
He'd written it into the contract: His mate must maintain his reputation in public.
Seraphina had followed that rule to the letter.
But hi
