Jilted Bride: Marrying The Dead War Hero

Chapter 4

Word Count: 764 | Released on: Today at 20:14

rted from the cathedral not to a w

ridors and across a stone causeway to the we

me, sealed since th

dust and memories. It felt less like part of the ducal mano

un. Her face was lined with grief, and her eyes, when they met Jolie's, were s

e soft but firm. "I am Jolie Watk

committal nod and turn

oths, like a room full of ghosts. Any other bride would have been

personal maid, Bronwyn, and then walked to the nearest shrouded settee. She began to unti

s soon smudged with dust, revealing

. The icy shield in her eyes be

n Gabriel's. Exhaustion settled deep in her bones, but sleep was a distant sh

, Agnes polished Gabriel's ceremonial sword,

echoed in th

es, wide with alarm, darted to the to

the bookshelf swung inward, rev

rom the blackness. The

ne from the portrait, carved from hard lines and

r with a loud clang. A strangled sob escaped her lips. She cov

d. He closed the distance in two long strides and pu

es," he whisper

fled against his chest. When she could finally sp

raw out a traitor who had been leaking military intelligence from within his

ccupied by a stranger. "What happened today?"

ory-Tristan's betrayal, the humiliating offer,

e an unreadable mask of stone. When she

o save her own honor and perhaps

nt his enemies. Their paths had cro

eyes sharp and commanding. "No

e, my lor

, "you will be my eyes. Watch her. I want to know everythi

bsolute. She would guard he

oor. Just before the bookshelf swung shut, he pause

o now bore his name and slept in

Chapter End

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Jilted Bride: Marrying The Dead War Hero

Qing He History

“I was supposed to marry Lord Tristan Beaumont. The wedding was perfectly planned, and my ancestral engagement ring was already on my finger. But days before the ceremony, he walked into the rose garden with my cousin, Seraphina, clinging to his arm. He looked at me with chilling indifference and announced he was marrying her instead. "You will still join the Beaumont family. Just not as my wife. You can be my mistress." Seraphina squeezed out fake tears, claiming they couldn't control their love, while the Beaumont matriarchs cornered me in the drawing room. They demanded I accept this humiliation quietly to protect their reputation, offering a dowry as the price for my dignity. Tristan even threatened me, reminding me that without their protection, I was an orphan with nothing left. They thought I was a helpless girl who would obediently step into their gilded cage, knowing I needed their family's resources to uncover the truth behind my parents' deaths. The humiliation burned, but my shock quickly turned into cold, hard fury. I looked at the man who had sworn his love and the cousin I had trusted like a sister. Why should I sacrifice my dignity to be a stepping stone for their perfect romance? I, Jolie Vinson, would never be anyone's pathetic mistress. So, in front of the entire smug family, I made a counter-proposal. "I request permission to marry the late Lord Gabriel by proxy." I chose to marry Tristan's dead older brother, becoming the untouchable senior widow to seize his vast, hidden fortune. But what I didn't know was that my "dead" husband was actually very much alive, hiding in the secret passages of my new bedroom, watching my every move.”