Jilted Bride: Marrying The Dead War Hero

Chapter 6

Word Count: 697 | Released on: Today at 20:14

n, proper attire for a widow, Jolie walke

arance before the fam

nor offered a greeting so cold it could have frozen the tea in Jolie's cup. Duke Ther

olor and noise in the somber room. They were laughing, hea

e a great show of extending her arm so everyone could

n," she announced to the room at large

red no reaction, no flicker of jealousy or pain. Her utter in

cleared his throat. "Lady

trailing behind like a prison guard. Tris

He admonished her to remember her place, to live a qui

id, her voice a model of humility. "I have no i

ed the room, taking in every

les. The one on top was bound in twine, with a neat labe

ome of her ancestor

s. She forced herself to look away, to keep her bre

he first thread in the tangled

the study doors burst open and Tristan and Ser

m through the older woman's, chattering about some upcomi

cated look: resentment, frustration, and a possess

istant smile. She curtsied gracefully. "Y

ed out, back straig

ed provocations having found no purchase. After she was gone, Seraphina began complaining to the D

, her mind racing. She immediately wrote down the

study and take it. She needed access, power, a reason to

to form, more dar

grate in the study connected to his network of passages. He had heard his father'

's calm, measured resp

her eyes flickered toward the desk, the brief,

rested in a land dispute

e realized, was a deeper myst

Chapter End

Claim Your Bonus at the APP

Open

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.”