Veiled Escape from Mistaken Love
Six months hence, my stepsister, Luna, who had absconded to a faraway land, returned home with her betrothed. Upon beholding him, I was utterly paralyzed; his countenance was the very image of my Ashton. Even the telltale flush that crept upon his ears when he kissed Luna was precisely as I remembered.
By sheer happenstance, I eavesdropped upon a clandestine conversation between him, my mother, and his own.
"Violet's child is now nigh unto birth. Once your nuptials with Luna are concluded, even should she recognize you, for the sake of the babe, she shall be forced to suffer in silence."
"She's unwed and disfigured; who else but you would have her? She'd be grateful to be your concubine."
"You chose Luna, leaving her to be tormented by those villains. But she loves you so deeply; surely she bears you no hatred."
I bit down hard on my fingers, drawing blood from my lips, barely managing to stifle a cry. So, while I languished in sorrow and heartbreak, he was dallying with Luna in a foreign land. Why is he allowed to fake his death and run away, into another woman's embrace, while I am left to endure this alone? Ashton, this time, I will make you taste the bitterest pain, and ensure you spend the rest of your days consumed by guilt for what you've done to me.
"I will never allow Violet to become my concubine." Ashton's voice echoed, silencing the room instantly.
Tears welled in Luna's eyes, and she lowered her head, sobbing softly.
"What is the meaning of this?" My mother, in a flurry of agitation, demanded, "When the marriage was arranged, you spurned Luna, insisting on Violet. Then, when your enemies forced a choice between them, you selected Luna. Now, as you are finally on the verge of marriage, with her carrying your child, how can you possibly change your mind? I tell you now, I care not how you treat Violet, but you shall not betray Luna."
Upon hearing this, I could only offer a bitter smile as tears streamed down my face. So, Mother has always favored Luna, the daughter of Father's beloved mistress. I once believed her indifference was born of helplessness, but now I see she never truly cared for me.
"Ashton is right." Sobbing, Luna declared, "My status is far too low; how could I ever steal my sister's husband? It was only out of pity for my years of unrequited love, and compassion for my loveless marriage, that my brother-in-law impulsively rescued me. He promised to feign his death and elope with me, granting my desperate wish to be his wife. Now that our year-long pact is nearly concluded, I must return him to my sister. But Ashton, I already carry your child. If you abandon me, I shall be forced to abort it and then take my own life." With that, she dissolved into tears and threw herself into Ashton's embrace.
Ashton, his heart aching, stroked her hair and said, "How could I ever allow you and our child to suffer such a fate?" He paused, then declared, "I shall take Violet as my co-wife."
"Absolutely not!" His mother immediately retorted, "A disfigured woman, defiled before marriage, could never be the Yale Family's Lawful Wife!"
"It was because of me that Violet was abducted and tormented. The child she carries is mine, not those villains'." With eyes inflamed, Ashton knelt before his mother, declaring, "If I cannot take Violet as my wife, I would have been better off dead!"
His mother erupted in tears, while my own mother attempted to intercede, and Luna's wails and hysterics were ceaseless. Finally, Ashton, defeated, conceded: "I promise you, Violet will be a concubine. However, I shall treat her with all the respect and consideration due a Lawful Wife. Please, no more of this."
He feigned a concession, yet weren't all my torments born of his doing? Disappointment consumed me; I turned away, staggering, and fled the room.
Ashton discovered me ensconced within the room. His gaze lingered upon my abdomen as he declared, "Luna is with child. I have come to inquire about your own pregnancy, that I might better attend to her needs hereafter." With these words, he seated himself beside me with undue familiarity, his hand instinctively reaching to rest upon my stomach.
I rebuffed his touch with glacial disdain. He recoiled, a fleeting shadow of grievance and yearning crossing his features, and murmured, "I have trespassed." He withdrew his hand, forcing a smile. "Why are you so gaunt and pale? Is the child causing you distress, or have you neglected your prenatal care? Even if your heart aches for your departed husband, you must nourish yourself for the child's sake, lest your husband be heartbroken to witness your suffering. I have procured precious medicinal herbs and instructed the maidservant to prepare a tonic soup for you. You must diligently restore your health to ensure a smooth delivery."
I gave a cold laugh. "Ashton, you feign such concern? Then how could you so heartlessly inflict this pain upon me?"
Ashton's eyes betrayed no remorse, only a chilling hint of self-satisfaction. He sighed softly, "You are far too obsessed with him, driven to the brink of madness, even mistaking me for his person. You must take care of yourself and ensure the safe delivery of our child." He gazed upon my abdomen and said with veiled meaning, "Luna and I shall ensure your well-being in the days to come."
Biting my lip, I demanded with barely suppressed fury, "And how?"
"Well, to provide for your future, of course, so that you shall never again suffer harm." A disturbingly saccharine smile played upon his lips.
I felt a wave of utter disbelief wash over me, tears stinging my eyes, as a sudden, agonizing pain ripped through my lower abdomen. I tumbled from the chair, collapsing onto the floor, writhing in agony: "Ashton, I believe I'm going into labor! The pain is unbearable!"
His face drained of all color. He was about to lift me when the maidservant called from beyond the door: "Mr. Yale, Miss Luna is adorned in her wedding dress and awaits your appraisal."
His movements arrested, his breath hitched, and his hand slowly released its hold. I clutched desperately at his lapel: "Ashton, don't abandon me! Save me!"
He retorted with chilling indifference: "I am merely your sister's husband, not yours. Your labor is of no consequence to me. Do not impede Luna and me in our affairs." With that, he shoved me aside and stormed out.
I collapsed to the floor, a wretched heap, blood pooling beneath me. From beyond the walls came the sounds of his and Luna's illicit affections, while within, I wept in agony.
"My darling, we can resume our intimacies later, in the privacy of our chambers. It appears she is about to deliver; we must summon the Doctor at once." Ashton declared.
"Impossible! Her time is not yet upon her." Luna retorted, her voice laced with displeasure, "My sister is merely consumed by envy, jealous of my union with you. She deliberately seeks to spoil my pleasure by summoning the Doctor on this day. I refuse to allow such ill fortune to darken our joy."
Ashton's voice, thick with lust, purred, "Good, then we shall dispense with the Doctor."
"Ashton! I carry your child within me!" I cried out in utter despair, but my pleas were drowned out by his orders to the servants.
"Keep a close watch on the young lady. No one is permitted to summon a Doctor for her! Only after tomorrow's wedding is concluded may a Doctor be called."
The clatter of chains echoed from beyond the door, as the pain in my lower abdomen intensified to an unbearable degree. Enduring the agony, I crawled to the window, desperate to throw it open and cry for help. In the gazebo outside, Ashton and Luna were locked in a passionate embrace. Luna, upon seeing me, emitted a piercing shriek and flung herself into Ashton's arms.
Ashton, interrupted, clicked his tongue with ill-concealed impatience: "In my absence this past year, how has she become so consumed by jealousy, behaving like a veritable madwoman?" He commanded the servants to fetch a long pole, which he then pressed against my abdomen, shoving me into the room. "I told you I would summon a Doctor after the wedding, so why do you persist? Must you sabotage your sister's nuptials? Should you continue to cause such a scene, I assure you, my leniency has reached its end."
I collapsed, unconscious, onto the floor amidst the reeking filth and blood, a whirlwind of past memories flickering through my mind like a macabre slideshow. Ashton and I were childhood sweethearts; from the time we were small, he vowed to the adults that he would take me as his wife, promising a lifetime of devotion to one another. He took my hand, pressed it to his heart, and whispered, "Violet, listen. My heart proclaims its eternal love for you." But now, all is irrevocably altered.
I awoke from a coma to find the room saturated with the cloying stench of blood. The floor was marred with the bloody trails of my desperate, unconscious struggles. My stillborn child lay lifeless in a pool of crimson, his small body tinged with the blue-purple of death, a consequence of the delay in succor. My grief was inconsolable. I clutched my child to my breast, imploring the heavens to restore him to me, but my pleas were met with only silence and despair.
An impatient servant called from beyond the window: "The son-in-law bade me inform you that Miss Luna is with child and requires rest. Cease your clamoring and disturbing her."
I trembled violently, tears mingling with the blood pooling around me. "My child," I sobbed, "your mother failed to protect you. Forgive me..." That night, I wept until I had no tears left to shed."
At dawn, I retrieved the dowry box Ashton had furtively pressed into my hand when he sought my hand in marriage. He had blushed then, and said with shy tenderness, "Violet, I carved this for you with my own hands. The phoenix hairpin within, I crafted myself. Henceforth, I shall present you with a hairpin crafted by my own hand each year, until this dowry box overflows."
With trembling hands, I opened the dowry box, only to discover that the pair of phoenix hairpins, emblems of our promised happiness, had vanished. I stood there, dumbfounded, for what seemed an eternity, before it struck me: yesterday, in the pavilion, Luna sported that very pair of phoenix hairpins in her coiffure. I swaddled the child in unadorned silk, placed it within the dowry box, and bound it with scarlet satin.
Just then, a deafening cacophony of gongs and drums erupted outside, signaling the arrival of the wedding procession. The door swung inward, and Ashton entered. I offered a wan smile, handing him the dowry box. "Ashton," I said, "may you and Luna enjoy a lifetime of wedded bliss."
His face contorted with rage, swatting my hand away. "Violet, cease this charade of madness! Your husband's demise is your own misfortune; why seek vengeance upon Luna?"
I watched, heartbroken, as the dowry box crashed to the floor, longing to retrieve it. He seized my wrist in a brutal grip. "Luna's incessant bleeding is your doing! And yet, you lament over this worthless box? When did your heart turn to such stone?"
He recoiled at the sight of the blood on me and the stench in the room, his face contorted in disgust. "Look at you! You're nothing but a madwoman. You're not fit to be associated with the Yale Family; you'd shame me even as a concubine!"
I thrashed and screamed through my tears, "So you finally admit you're Ashton! You've ruined me! If you didn't love me, why did you betroth yourself to me in the first place?"
He pressed his lips into a thin line, offering no reply, only stating, "Luna is in critical condition. You must come with me."
He dragged me to the main hall. What should have been a day of joyous celebration, adorned with lanterns and banners, was now a scene of utter chaos. The moment my mother saw me, she charged, unleashing a torrent of accusations: "You venomous viper! Why would you harm your own sister!"
"I didn't!"" I choked out, flinching from her assault. ""It wasn't me, I swear!"
"If not you, then who else could it be! The doctor confirmed the Phoenix hairpin in Luna's hair was laced with poison—a deliberate act to murder her and the babe within!"" Mother's eyes were bloodshot, her nails raking across my face, leaving angry welts. ""If Luna's child perishes, yours will not survive either!"
A flicker of unbearable pity crossed Ashton's eyes as he stepped in front of me: "Mother, Luna's salvation takes precedence!"
His mother's face contorted with rage: "Such a viperous woman has no place in the Yale Family! After draining her heart's blood to save Luna's child, she will be subjected to the pig cage!"
"Mother!" Ashton roared, "Even if Luna's child is lost, we can always beget another. But no one is permitted to harm Violet, not unless I am dead!"
I gazed upon him, finding his pronouncements utterly preposterous.
Ashton seized me, dragging me to Luna's feet as she lay in state, adorned in her Wedding Dress: "Here is the one you seek. Did you not clamor for my wife's blood to save Luna? So long as her life is spared, drain her as you wish."
The Doctor, knife in hand, plunged it into my heart without hesitation. Blood flowed into the basin, and my lips gradually turned purple. Luna coughed weakly, "I am still in so much pain."
Ashton's expression shifted, and he seized the Doctor's hand. "Isn't there enough blood? Take more!"
The Doctor, flustered, exclaimed, "If you take any more blood, she'll die!"
Ashton hesitated, then declared, "Luna's needs come first."
I gazed at the panicked Doctor and whispered, "Take it."
Ashton stared at my bloodless face, his eyes filled with heartache and guilt. He pulled me into his arms, whispering, "Violet, it's Ashton. I'm not dead. Once the wedding is over, I'll tell you everything; we can start over.
Start over? Despair consumes me. Ashton, there's no going back for us.
When I awoke again, darkness had fallen. The door creaked open, and Luna entered, adorned in a wedding dress. It was then that the horrifying truth dawned on me: the wedding dress she wore was the very one Ashton had meticulously designed for me. From initial sketches to final creation, he poured in countless hours, remaining at the embroidery workshop, watching the seamstresses sew each painstaking stitch. On the day the wedding dress was finished, his eyes were bloodshot with exhaustion, yet he presented it to me with elation: 'Violet, do you remember what I said when I was little? This is my heart given form.' Now, all of this belongs to Luna.
"Even now, Ashton is still unwilling to abandon you!" Luna spat, abandoning her usual meekness, her face contorted with jealousy. "You don't still believe he merely resembles Ashton, do you? You are wrong! He *is* your former fiancé! Just because I wept before the wedding, lamenting that I would be forced to marry a man I did not love, he took pity on me. He deliberately leaked news of the wedding to his enemies, arranging for your abduction so he could elope with me!"
I was utterly shaken. So, all of this was their insidious plot.
Luna smirked triumphantly: "All the suffering you endured? I paid good money to have you 'taken care of'. A pity they didn't finish the job!"
"You did this to me!" I spat, glaring at her with unrestrained fury.
"And what if I did? I can ruin you again!" Her gaze fixed on my abdomen. "Once I rid you of the babe in your belly, Ashton will never look at you again!"
With that, she commanded the maidservant to seize me and force a draught down my throat. I fought with all my might, but she crushed my hand beneath her heel. Just then, Ashton's voice cut through the air: "Luna, what is the meaning of this? You are not yet recovered."
Luna immediately burst into tears, lamenting, "I feared my sister's health would suffer after the bloodletting, so I brought her medicine. But she refuses to cooperate and even strikes and berates me!" With that, she flung herself into Ashton's embrace.
Ashton regarded me with a frown. "My dealings with you are separate from Luna. She is kindness incarnate; do not torment her further. Drink your medicine, and you might recover."
He shoved aside the maidservant, seized my chin, and attempted to force the vile concoction down my throat. The scalding liquid sent tremors through me. I thrashed, pushing him away, and the bowl crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces. He presumed I was merely acting out. Seeing the shattered debris and spilled medicinal broth, and hearing Luna's lamentations, he erupted in fury: "What precisely is the meaning of this display? Are you even aware of the rumors circulating about you? They whisper that you are a jinx, that you were defiled by villains, and that the very legitimacy of the babe within you is questionable! It was I who restrained the mob, preventing them from inflicting further harm upon you. Luna, heedless of her own well-being, even prepares tonics for you. How can you be so utterly devoid of consideration for us?
Wearily, he gathered Luna into his arms, and addressed me thus: "Can you not simply behave? I implore you. Otherwise, I swear, I shall abandon you entirely."
Tears streamed down my face as I lay prostrate, retching. Blood poured from my throat and my very core. Eyes burning, I watched them depart, locked in their embrace, the sounds of gongs and drums mocking me from beyond the walls. Despair clawed at my heart. Ashton, I pray you will not live to regret this.
Ashton escorted Luna back to the wedding hall, where she simpered, "Brother Ashton, I find it terribly ill-omened to perform the ceremony at this ungodly hour. Let us postpone it until next month; Mother assures me that day is equally auspicious."
Ashton offered only a dismissive platitude, yet remained implacable in his insistence on the original date. For he harbored a persistent premonition: should he fail to swiftly wed Luna and subsequently attempt to placate me, he would forfeit me entirely.
Yet, he dismissed his anxieties as ludicrous. In my ravaged state, to whom else could I possibly turn but him? At worst, he could shower me with future blandishments and register the child under Luna's name.
Precisely as he awaited the nuptials, a band of ruffians stormed in. Ashton's countenance drained of all color upon beholding their captives: a weeping Luna and myself, teetering on the precipice of death.
"Long time no see, Marquis Ashton." The ringleader sneered, "You were the one who instructed us to abduct your wife as a means of venting your frustrations! You even promised to participate in this charade. Why, then, do you now dispatch forces to encircle and suppress us?"
"Release my wife!" Ashton demanded, clenching his fists, his gaze darting nervously between Luna and myself.
"Release her? Very well. Tell us, which one is your wife? Choose, and we shall release her. The remaining one, however, will be used for our vengeance."
Ashton's face paled considerably, his hands trembling violently, beads of perspiration cascading down his brow. Instinctively, his gaze fell upon Luna.
"So, you choose her? In that case, I shall kill the other." The villain held a knife to my throat.
"No..." Ashton cried out, his eyes filled with sorrow as he looked at me. "Violet..."
"Ashton, my stomach hurts so badly! Save me!" Luna wailed.
Ashton's eyes were filled with torment as he said, his voice laced with pain, "Violet, you will forgive me, won't you? Luna is so frail right now; I have no choice but to..."
I gave a wretched smile. "Ashton, I won't put you in a difficult position. Since you desire to sacrifice me, so be it!" With that, I threw myself headfirst towards the villain's blade.
Fresh blood splattered upon Ashton's face; he cried out my name, desperate to reach me, but the kidnappers restrained him. The kidnappers, with mocking laughter, hoisted me onto a horse and rode away, taunting, "Marquis Yale, remember this: her death is your fault for choosing another!"
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