Aethelgard's Divorce

ne mansion surrounded by acres of perfectly manicured lawns. A long, winding driveway led to a grand entrance. When I first

portraits of stern-faced ancestors, and the silence was broken only by the ticking of a grandfa

s, with sharp, intelligent eyes that seemed to see right through me. He sat behind a ma

w rumble. He gestured to the chair in fr

d tightly in my lap to

class. A promising talent in architecture. But what's more relevant is yo

id, my voice ba

lds. But in this world, our world, he is... fragile. He suffers from severe anxiety. He cannot handle the basic pressu

ween us, stripped of all its romant

demanding family pulling her away. Her focus must be entirely on him. In return for this dedication, she

gilded cage. I thought of the Thompsons' house, of the constant feeling of being unwanted. I thought of my dream

mer now. I was no longer a scared or

career will have to come second. Your life will revolve around his needs. He is not... an easy man.

hat was my own, Mr. Hayes. At least this

losed the file. "The wedding will be in two months. My lawyer

ixture of shock and derision among the city's elite. I was a nobody, an orphan plucked from obscurity. The whispers followed me everywhere. The

though it was understood I would likely never practice in a serious way. My real job was Liam. But as I stood in front of the mirror on my wedding day, draped in a designer go

is tuxedo. He avoided my eyes the entire time, his focus fixed on a point on the far wall. When the officiant told him to kiss the bride, he h

n crisis. I walked into our master suite, a vast room with a panoramic view of t

he said, not looking at me.

ing dress pooling around my fee

lightly. "My space. I have routines. I need things a cert

wave of disbelief washing over me

on't know. The guest wing is down the hall. There are plenty of rooms. My grandfather can't fo

new life. I had a new name, a new home, a husband. But I was just as alone as I had ever been. The wedding dress suddenly felt like a costume for a part I was no