KayElle

Lady Seraphina Everhart never imagined her wedding day would feel like a death sentence. Forced to marry the ruthless Duke Adrian Valemont, the very man suspected of destroying her family, she vows to uncover the truth and make him pay. But the deeper she digs into Adrian’s past, the more she realizes that her father’s downfall was no simple betrayal—secrets buried in blood and deceit may shatter everything she thought she knew.

Yet Adrian is not the monster she expected. Behind his cold eyes lies a man battling demons of his own, and the more she seeks revenge, the more she finds herself tangled in a web of court intrigue, deadly whispers, and a desire she never anticipated.

In a marriage built on vengeance, can love ever take root? Or will their vows be written in thorns and ruin?

VOW OF THORNS

Seraphina's breath caught at Adrian's words.

She turned back to the portrait, tracing the woman's delicate features with her eyes. The resemblance was haunting.

Evelyne Valemont had been beautiful, poised—just as Seraphina had been expected to be. But beneath the paint, there was a sadness in her eyes. A secret hidden within the brushstrokes.

She slowly turned to Adrian. "Who killed her?"

His jaw tightened. "That is a question I have spent my life trying to answer."

Seraphina studied him. "And yet, you never told me."

Adrian exhaled sharply and stepped forward. "What would you have done with that knowledge, Seraphina? Walked into the shadows of this house, asking questions to the wrong people? This is not a simple matter of justice. There are forces in play that you do not understand."

Seraphina squared her shoulders. "Then help me understand."

His silver eyes flickered with something—hesitation? Fear?

Then, without warning, he reached out, his fingers grazing her cheek. It was the first time he had touched her with something other than restraint or control. The warmth of his palm sent an unfamiliar shiver through her.

"You look like her," he murmured. "Too much."

Seraphina swallowed hard. "Is that why you married me?"

Adrian's fingers tensed against her skin. "I married you because it was necessary."

A bitter smile tugged at her lips. "And what exactly makes me so necessary?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he stepped back, his walls slamming into place.

"This conversation is over," he said.

Seraphina clenched her fists. "No, Adrian, it is not. I am not some fragile thing you can keep in the dark. If you will not tell me the truth, I will find it myself."

Adrian's expression darkened. "You do not know what you are inviting."

His gaze locked onto hers, a silent war raging between them. Then, finally, he spoke.

"There is more at stake than you realize, Seraphina. This marriage, this house—everything is built on blood and secrets." His voice dropped lower. "You think you are seeking justice, but you may only find ruin."

Seraphina refused to waver. "Then let ruin come."

A tense silence stretched between them.

Then, without another word, Adrian turned and strode from the room, leaving her standing alone in the presence of a woman long dead.

And as Seraphina looked back at Evelyne Valemont's portrait, she whispered,

"I will find the truth, no matter the cost."

Chapter 10: The Ghost of Valemont