After He Killed My Kin, I Rejected Him

Chapter 2

Solenne jerked her head up, her eyes wide with stunned disbelief.

Brando curled the corner of his mouth into a cold, sneering smirk, the contempt in his eyes laid bare for all to see.

"The title of Duchess was never yours to begin with. I'm just making you hand it back to its rightful owner. What's there to even hesitate over?"

Those cutting words stabbed straight through Solenne's heart. Everyone in the world thought they were a match made in heaven, bound by a perfect engagement. But to Brando, she would always be nothing more than an intruder who'd stolen everything that should have been Olivia's.

A bitter, hollow smile tugged at her lips. Her voice raw and cracked, she ground out each word between clenched teeth. "I'll do it."

But her concession didn't even register to him. Wrapping an arm around Olivia, Brando turned on his heel and walked right past her, not pausing for even a single second. He never even glanced her way.

Those three humble, broken words were as light as a handful of dust, scattered on the wind before anyone even bothered to acknowledge them.

Solenne stayed kneeling where she was, staring at his cold, unyielding back as he walked away. Her limbs went ice-cold, and every last ounce of strength drained from her body.

After a long, quiet moment, she pushed herself up off the freezing ground with great effort, stumbling unsteadily back to her own courtyard.

No sooner had she stepped through the door than a brutal, racking cough seized her. She spat out a mouthful of bright, scarlet blood, which splattered across the polished marble floor in a jagged, glaring stain.

Blackness swallowed her vision all at once, and Solenne lost consciousness completely, crumpling to the floor with a heavy thud.

When she came to again, the first things she saw were Jasmine, whose eyes were puffy and red with worry, and her personal court physician, Evren Fenwick.

Solenne forced her weak, aching body to sit up, her voice faint and polite. "Thank you for your trouble, Dr. Fenwick."

Evren lifted his eyes to look at her, his expression grave and his tone heavy with helplessness. "Madam, your illness has already spread to your internal organs and taken root in your very foundation. Even if I pull out all the stops with medicine and restorative care, I can only extend your life by six months at most."

Solenne froze for a split second. There wasn't a flicker of fear on her face, nothing but utter, hollow calm.

She asked in a soft, steady voice, "Dr. Fenwick, if I stopped all treatment, would it end sooner?"

The room went dead silent in an instant.

Evren, who was always calm and unflappable, had a rare flash of shock and disbelief in his eyes.

One single thought looped through Solenne's mind: every misfortune that had hit the Rivington family was entirely her doing. If she died, maybe Brando would let go of his hatred and spare the few remaining members of her family.

Clack!

Evren slammed his medical kit shut with a deafening c***k.

"If Madam is so determined to die, don't bother asking me for treatment ever again."

With that, he turned on his heel and marched stiffly out of the courtyard, his face ice-cold.

Watching his retreating back, Solenne felt a tidal wave of bitterness and despair wash over her, drowning her completely.

The next morning, Solenne tucked the pair of soft baby shoes she had stitched all through the night into her sleeve and headed to the Viscount's residence to visit her older sister.

She had barely stepped through the courtyard gate when she heard her brother-in-law, Viscount Calder, roaring with rage inside the house.

"Marcella! How much longer are you people from the Rivington family going to drag me down? My title, my whole career path. You people are going to destroy every last thing I've worked for!"

Solenne's stomach dropped. She sprinted into the house, just in time to see Viscount Calder raise his hand, ready to strike Marcella across the face.

"Stop!" She darted forward immediately, shielding her sister behind her.

She glared at Viscount Calder, eyes blazing with equal parts panic and rage. "She's carrying your child! How dare you lay a hand on her?"

Viscount Calder hadn't expected her to show up out of nowhere. Fury blazed in his eyes, his voice sharp with resentment and sneering contempt. "Oh, so you, the Duchess, are living a life of luxury and ease in the duke's castle, huh? How would you ever know the trouble I'm in? My repeated demotions, all the roadblocks in my way? I owe every last bit of it to you!"

Solenne went rigid all over. Guilt flooded her chest, and she couldn't get a single word out in defense.

Marcella gently pulled her aside, stepping firmly between her and the viscount to shield her. Her voice was worn thin, but rock-solid. "If you've got a bone to pick, take it out on me. Don't lash out at my little sister."

Viscount Calder glared daggers at her for a few long seconds, then finally let out a cold huff and stormed off in a rage.

Marcella turned to soothe Solenne. "Don't listen to his nonsense. None of this is your fault."

But the exhaustion and hurt hidden deep in her sister's eyes cut straight through Solenne. It felt like a boulder was pressing down on her chest, squeezing the air right out of her lungs.

*****

After saying goodbye to her sister, Solenne headed back to the castle alone.

She sat in the cold, empty study for ages, turning over every possible option in her head until she finally steeled her resolve and walked toward the castle's main entrance.

The capital's streets were packed with people coming and going. Solenne stared at the gilded carriage rolling slowly toward her, her fingers ice-cold, her palms slick with cold sweat.

The second the carriage rumbled to a stop, she dropped straight to her knees, right in full view of every attendant and passing stranger.

Everyone walking by froze in their tracks, their faces wide with shock.

Brando flipped the carriage curtain aside and stepped out, his frame rigid and frigid with cold rage. He stared down at her where she knelt, icy fury churning in his eyes.

Solenne held the demotion document high above her head, lifting her gaze to meet his directly, every word clear and unshakable. "Today, I, Solenne Rivington - Dacre, voluntarily renounce my status as the Duke's official wife, and agree to be demoted to a common maid. All I ask is that Your Grace keep your promise... spare my brother-in-law, and let the rest of the Rivington family go."