CHAPTER1) NYX

"Eat your food Nyx and stop playing with it," my husband chides from where he is seated at the head of the dinning table.

"I don't have an appetite," I whisper with my head bowed and he takes in a sharp breath. I flinch and nibble on my lower lip knowing what's about to come next; his scolding. He doesn't hesitate to do as expected.

"What do you mean you don't have an appetite? You are all skin and bones at this point no flesh, malnourished" he belts "just the other day one of my ministers commented on it, it was quite embarrassing," he says harshly and I wince shrinking in my seat.

He shoots from his seat the chair scraping against the marble floor making a screeching sound and I wince again and shrinking further into my seat.

He stomps to the huge double doors, and on cue the guards there pull it open but before he steps out I ask "Where are you going?"

"None of your business," he replies angrily while having his back at me.

His response giving me the answer.

"Are you going to meet her?" I ask softly. He turns and shoots me a hard glare. I mirror his stare, refusing to back down.

"It's none of your business Nyx. Mind the only business you have which is to eat your food, gain weight and avoid being an embarrassment to me." He glowers.

I can't help the stabbing feeling of pain from taking over the space of my chest. "Is that who I am to you, an embarrassment? Why did you marry me then? You should have married her, Dominic! You should have married her and let me be!" I yell back and rise to my feet with a force great enough to cause the chair to stagger back and fall.

"Do you think I had a choice? My father forced you on me and now I'm left here to deal with your childish tantrums!"

His words affecting me In the worst way, though I'm use to it by now. It's something I've heard over and over again.

"Tantrums? Dominic you think I'm throwing tantrums?" I question in sheer disbelief, "I'm tired Dominic, I'm tired of all this," I sob, tears running down my face.

He just stares at me with a stoic expression on his face.

"What do you want from me Nyx?" he sighs tiredly.

Another stink. It's disappointing, his lack of interest and effort hurt but it's still nothing I didn't expect. I was just hoping for a sign, for a small change, a minuscule of effort, something, anything to change my mind that this could work.

"All I'm asking is to help try make this marriage work. Stop treating me so insignificantly. Stop cheating on me with her." I plead, hoping he'd see reason.

"That's not possible Nyx. This marriage is a farce, I owe it nothing. I owe you nothing, especially my loyalty," he said. "if I could help it, It wouldn't be you staying beside me Nyx it would be Addison." He says bluntly without any remorse.

My whole world crumbles the moment he says her name and tells me how he truly feels, though it isn't anything I haven't known or heard before coming from his lips but the blow is so much more profound than the other times. It took all of me not to break down in tears and foolishly let him know how hurtful his words are, so I put on a brave front and force a smile to my lips.

"I understand," I whisper, nodding to myself. I knew what the outcome would be and feel so stupid praying otherwise. He huffs before stomping out of the dinning room leaving me there in shambles.

It hadn't always been like this between us. We were once a happy duo, but that was before we got married, our parents, Dominic's father king Luke Hawthorne and my father Helios Hazelwood the grand duke of Rimvard kingdom are best of friends. They grew up together and during their youth they had made a promise to each other that if they ever had children of the opposite genders, they'd get them married. It went as promised.

Immediately I was born two years after Dominic, I was betrothed to him without any of us being the wiser. Our parents would set us up on play dates and eventually we became friends. Things had been fine until I turned eighteen when our parents announced that we would be getting married. It had been a shock to me, to us, but secretly I was over the moon because over the years I had started developing feelings for Dominic. But he didn't feel the same way considering how vehemently he had protested against it, rebelling non stop but had finally relented when his father had threatened to cut him off the line of succession and make his younger brother his successor instead. Dominic was angry beyond words and his anger had dampened my inner joy but I'd consoled myself with thoughts that along the course of our marriage I could get him to love me back.

Oh, I hadn't been more wrong about anything in my entire life.

Not long after we got married he brought in a girl, Addison Birley, and made her his favorite courtesan. She's beautiful, I'll have to admit. Her light porcelain skin, gray eyes and ginger hair puts my caramel skin, hazel eyes and curly brown hair to shame.

Her beautiful sharp prominent future and voluminous curves never ceases to grapes the attention of the people in the room, she's everything I'm insecure about and that more because Dominic wouldn't even look at me, talk less of holding me. And we've been married for four years.

We hadn't even consummated our wedding until two months back when he had stumbled into my room and taken me. I know for a fact the act wasn't out of love or even lust it was out of the pressure to have a child with me from his parents and possibly mine too.

He succeeded, because I'm two months pregnant, and scared. I'm happy don't get me wrong, but I'm mostly scared.

Scared of what the future holds for me and my baby.

Dominic doesn't know. He simply just refuses to listen or see.

I've tried breaking the news to him several times over the past two months, tried fixing our relationship, tried drawing closer even by an inch. But he's always irked with me and I quickly realize that it would never work out, not with how toxic he is and how trapped he feels married to me. Telling him I'm pregnant might as well feel like a death sentence to him.

And I'm afraid to see his hatred for me increase that would farther break me.

So after a lot of thoughts, I came to a staggering conclusion and that's to leave the palace of the Hawthorne's, leave the kingdom of Rimvard and leave Dominic not to go back to my father's dukedom, definitely not there, no.

If I did that he'll find a way to make me stay. Especially now that I'm pregnant.

I plan to go to another land one that's far from here and build a new life for me and my child. No one knows I'm pregnant so that makes it even better and easier to leave.

Slowly, I walk to the double doors of the dinning room before exiting. I use the sleeves of my gown to clean my dampened face then I signale the guards to open the door for me. Before sepping out I hold my head high and pull my shoulders back before proceeding to walk out and down to the corridors, I can't be seen in somber mood.

Walking down the corridors I take in everything from the shiny white stone walls, floors and high ceilings that has paintings of angels and men reaching out for each other. The pictures lines the walls and different types of artifact hung delicately on the wall everything from ancient axes, spears, and arrowheads to colorful medallions. A statue of a man in uniform on a horse towered over me, the horse reared on its hind legs. Ancient masks, framed artwork of varying sizes, and two pieces that looked like shields hung behind the man's head. I commit everything to memory as this is going to be the last I'll see of them.

Halfway through the hallways I come face to face with Addison Birley the woman responsible for all my woes.

She smirks at me and I stare back at her blankly.

She appears harmless with her looks but I know that is a mean witch she is and Judging by the stupid smirk playing on her lips I know spiteful words are about to bubble out of her any moment now.

Addison has never ceases to find a way cause me pain both with her words and actions, she hates me and I reciprocate the same feeling.

We both view each other as a barrier to our ultimate goal.

To be Dominic's one and only beloved wife.

We both have something the other craves, she has his heart something I want, wanted and I have the position as his wife something that she wants. The ultimate goal being to have Dominic wholly.

Guess we have that in common the only difference being I never took the initiative to harm her in anyway as she has.

She's constantly taunt me with her words, creating misunderstanding between me and Dominic and has successfully made me an outsider in the socialites group.

Though I didn't really care about that

But Dominic did.

He said I embarrassed him. I tried to explain that it wasn't me but Addison but he wouldn't listen just like how he wouldn't hear any of my other compliment about her, so I gave up trying to get him to see my side, it's simply impossible. It's a losing battle anyways he'd always pick her over me, always.

"if it's not the walking skeleton," she mocks standing in front of me with her arms folded under her bosom. She's wearing a long blue night fur coat over a white short flimsy night gown that barely covers anything, and from the looks of things she's just coming from Dominic's room.

"Good evening to you too Addison," I greet with a dry smile plastered on my face.

She rolls her eyes at me and clicks her tongue, "There's nothing good about the evening, what did you do?" Addison ask with a scowl.

I raise a brow in confusion "What do you mean by what did I do?" I ask baffled.

"What did you do or say to get MY Domi to get him in a bad mood?" she demands, tapping her foot on the floor impatiently.

"Nothing," I shrug and add "Sorry if he's mad at you. Don't worry, you know he can't stay mad for too long when your there, you should probably get him some tea." I advise and she appears surprised by my words before narrowing her eyes at me. I simply smile at her moving closer I pat her on the shoulder gently before I walk pass her and head towards my bedroom. I know she thinks that this is a trick of some kind and I don't blame her. We have always at each others throat but today's argument with Dominic was my last attempt to salvage what's left of our marriage for the sake of my child but it's useless. It has always been a one sided effort and I'm tired, so tired of everything.

I'm done fighting. Done fighting with her, for Dominic and for this marriage. I'm done. I forfeit.

On getting to my bedroom door, I place my hand on the sliver door knob to push it open but just then the bedroom door, three rooms down from mine opens and Dominic steps out, our eyes meet. His gray eyes are back to their normal blank, calm stare, which means he's cooled down, probably a result of his daily dose of Addison. For a while we just stare at each other whereas normally If our eyes accidentally met he'll just look away, but not now he holds my stare and there's something there, his eyes searches mine and mine searches his taking in his features and engraving it to my memory. His gray eyes that appear stainless, his gray hair, sharp jawline, sharp pointed noes and his full kissable lips, those lips I've only had a taste of twice in our whole marriage, his tall sculpted figure. After observing him for a while, I smiled at him before I mutter a goodbye and step into my room. I'm going to be out of here this night.

Inside my room I quickly get to work. I pack normal peasant clothes I'd gotten from the market a few months back prepared for this very moment, I pack a few of my expensive dresses and all my jewelries. Not to wear them but to sell them. I don't plan on pursuing a life of status where I'm going I want to leave a normal one, with non of the glitz and glam of the socialites or royal life.

When I'm done packing and changing into a more comfortable clothing for the journey, I wait till I'm sure everything's quite, well as quite as it can be in the Hawthorne palace and then proceed sneak out, by passing all the royal guards stationed in and around the palace.

Outside, I take in everything once more before departing and heading to the docks where I'm boarding a ship to my new home Evergurd.