As Duke Sable returned to the castle, his countenance remained as cold and unyielding as the winter winds that whipped through the stone walls. Without a word, he made his way to his wife's chamber, his footsteps echoing ominously in the silent halls.
With a swift kick, he burst through the door, the wood splintering under the force of his rage. Evelyn, startled by the intrusion, turned to face him, her eyes blazing with a mixture of anger and despair. Without hesitation, she launched herself at him, her fists pounding against his chest as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Why are you so cruel?!" she cried, her voice choked with emotion. "You only married me because I was a princess from a ruined country! And now you torment my poor daughter!"
Duke Sable's expression remained impassive, but a flicker of something—a hint of sadness—betrayed the turmoil within his stone heart. With a rough grasp, he seized his wife, pulling her close as he forced a kiss upon her lips.
Evelyn's surprise at the sudden change of events was overshadowed by the familiar sense of dread that enveloped her whenever Duke Sable laid hands on her. Despite the fleeting moment of tenderness, she knew all too well that his actions were driven by power and control, not love or affection.
With a sense of resignation, Evelyn found herself being lifted off her feet and tossed onto the bed, the Duke's weight bearing down on her with a suffocating force. As he attempted to tear at her clothes, Evelyn's fury boiled over, her hand lashing out to deliver a stinging slap across his cheek.
With anger and hatred burning in her eyes, she demanded that he leave before she lost her sanity. The Duke, his pride wounded by her rejection, begrudgingly complied, retreating from the room with a wounded expression that hinted at the depths of his own inner turmoil.
For a fleeting moment, it seemed as though there might have been a glimmer of affection buried beneath the layers of cruelty and indifference that defined their relationship. But in the end, it was nothing more than a cruel illusion—a brief respite from the relentless torment that had become Evelyn's reality.
As the distraught Evelyn sat in her chambers, wrestling with her anguish and fears for her daughter, Duke Sable stormed into his office with a tempest of fury raging within him. His icy demeanor sent shivers down the spines of those unfortunate enough to cross his path, including the trembling maids who stood before him.
With a voice like steel, the Duke demanded answers from his butler, his eyes narrowing with suspicion as he questioned the maids about his wife's deteriorating condition. He seethed with anger, accusing them of neglect and incompetence in their duties to care for Evelyn.
The maids quivered under the Duke's gaze, stuttering out feeble excuses and apologies in a desperate attempt to appease his wrath. But their pleas fell on deaf ears as Duke Sable's rage boiled over, his patience worn thin by their perceived failures.
In a swift and merciless decree, the Duke ordered his butler to execute the maids responsible for his wife's supposed neglect, their fate sealed by the swift stroke of a blade. As their heads rolled and blood stained the floor, Duke Sable turned his attention to the task of finding new maids to attend to Evelyn's needs, determined to ensure that his wife received the care and attention befitting her station, regardless of the cost.
As Duke Sable sat alone in his office, the memories of his past with Evelyn flooded his mind, stirring emotions long buried beneath layers of resentment and bitterness. He recalled the first time he had laid eyes on her at a grand party held in honor of her family, her beauty and grace captivating him from the moment she entered the room.
In those early days, their courtship had been filled with promise and passion, their love burning bright like a flame in the darkness. But as time wore on and the realities of their marriage set in, cracks began to form in the façade of their once idyllic union.
Duke Sable couldn't help but wonder how things had gone so wrong between them. Where had the love and affection they had once shared disappeared to? And why had their relationship devolved into a twisted dance of power and control, leaving both of them trapped in a web of resentment and regret?
As he pondered these questions, a sense of sorrow washed over him, mingling with the anger and frustration that had become his constant companions. He knew that he was not blameless in their tumultuous relationship, that his own actions and insecurities had played a role in driving them apart.
But try as he might, Duke Sable could not shake the feeling of helplessness that gnawed at his soul. It seemed as though their fate had been sealed from the moment they had exchanged vows, destined to be trapped in a loveless marriage built on lies and deceit.
With a heavy heart, Duke Sable rose from his chair and made his way to the window, gazing out at the world beyond the castle walls with a sense of longing and resignation. Perhaps, he thought, it was too late for them to find their way back to each other—to rediscover the love they had lost amidst the pain and heartache that had come to define their relationship.
But deep down, buried beneath layers of bitterness and regret, a small spark of hope flickered within him. A hope that, against all odds, they might still find a way to mend the broken pieces of their shattered love and build something new from the ashes of their past.
To be continued....