Jilted Bride: Marrying My Ex's Comatose Uncle

“On my wedding day, my carriage was delayed by a funeral procession for the legendary war hero, Duke Alistair Beaumont. When I finally arrived at the grand estate, I was coldly dismissed to the bridal suite, only to find my fiancé, Damien, tangled in the sheets with my stepsister, Isolde. "Must you really marry her?" she purred. Damien laughed, promising to annul our marriage once he secured his dead uncle's inheritance. He boasted that he would throw me away and marry Isolde, who was already pregnant with his child. When I set the room on fire to expose their scandalous affair to the entire manor, Damien's mother didn't punish them. Instead, she glared at me, blaming my "poor upbringing" for driving her son into another woman's arms. They expected me to swallow the humiliation, cancel the wedding, and quietly accept my ruined reputation. I had fought my way out of an abusive home only to be thrown into a gilded cage with prettier wolves. Why should I be the sacrificial lamb for their disgusting affair? Why should I let them steal my dignity? I didn't shed a single tear. Instead, I put on a black mourning dress, walked straight into the family chapel, and married Duke Alistair's memorial plaque. By exploiting a loophole in the marriage contract, I became the Dowager Duchess-their superior. And when my "dead" husband was suddenly brought back breathing but comatose, I made a ruthless deal with the matriarch. I would bear his heir, take over the estate, and make everyone who humiliated me kneel.”