my face. I hadn't slept at all. Shen Huaiyu was already gone. The other side of the bed wa

. She kept her eyes down, her movements timid. In this house, everyo

y office," she murmured. "He left a message. He

pain of rejection. They were just a confirmation of what I already knew. A bitter pi

of my younger self. It was a pretty face, but filled with an innocence and hope that

h Shen Huaiyu that I neglected her. When he finally cast me aside, she was all I had left, and she had to endure

g house. I needed a plan. I needed to get out, and I needed to do it in a way that would give me and my mother a future. The imperial examination. That was th

at me with thinly veiled disapproval. The visit was short and formal. She gave me a few cold instr

felt like a beautiful, ornate cage. I belonged to a small, scholarly family with no influence. My marriage to Shen Huaiyu was arrange

g voice. "Cousin Huaiyu, you're back so early!" It was Jas

was completely different from the one he used with me. It was gentle

h a light laugh. "It's just... this whole marriage. It must be s

reply. It came without hesitatio

then turned and walked silently back to my room. There was no