Violet_167

Isabella Beaumont figured she was making a smart, if desperate, trade: her freedom in exchange for marrying the dreaded Duke Alaric Thorne. 
Sure, the guy had a reputation darker than a moonless night, whispered about in every corner of the kingdom, but it was just a contract, right? A way to escape a brutal past that had literally left its mark on her face. 
She wasn’t expecting warmth, and definitely not passion. But then Alaric, this formidable, feared man, starts acting… protective. His unexpected kindness will make her want to throw away her protective mask and actually fall for the man who was supposed to be just her ticket to freedom. 
Just as Isabella starts believing she might actually deserve happiness, everything begins falling apart around them.
With the villains on the loose, old wounds being ripped open, and everyone’s true colors showing, is this sudden, fierce love strong enough to survive the storm? Or will the darkness from their pasts and the deadly games shatter everything they’re starting to build?

The Masked Duchess

"Please, Your Grace, I beg you to reconsider!" Juliette sobbed, her earlier confidence completely shattered. Tears streamed down her face as she remained on her knees, clutching at the hem of my dress. "The dungeons... you don't know what's down there!"


I stepped back, gently pulling my dress from her grasp. "What I know is that you struck me—the Duchess of Thorne—after months of undermining me and spying for Lady Rowena."


"I made a mistake! I was angry!" Her mascara ran in dark rivulets down her cheeks. "Please, just dismiss me instead!"


Despite her pleading, I remained unmoved. The sting on my cheek reminded me of all the subtle cruelties I'd endured since arriving at Thorne Manor. From the whispers behind my back to the intentional "mistakes" that left my meals cold or my bath water tepid.


"Your Grace," Alistair said, returning with a tall footman behind him. "Thomas will escort the prisoner to the cells."


Chapter 57 - A Husband's Return, A Wife's Bruise