Jasper Oakley's first love, Pauline Simmons, is about to get married.

In order to make her regret her decision, Jasper volunteers to guard the border. In doing so, he chooses to abandon the General's Manor and me, his wife.

I've written 99 letters to him, yet I've never received a response from him.

On the third year, I don't write any letters anymore.

One day, I'm sitting on a chaise lounge while drinking supplements delivered from the palace when Jasper suddenly returns to the manor.

As he stares at my pregnancy bump of six months, he gnashes his teeth together angrily.

"You never came to the border to visit me in the past three years of our marriage. Whose spawn are you pregnant with?"

I remain nonchalant. "Since you refuse to treat your own wife nicely, someone else needs to pick up the slack, right?"

Jasper Oakley yanked me up from the daybed in one brutal motion. His hawk-like eyes looked like they were ready to kill.

He roared, "You shameless woman! I was only gone for three years, and you couldn't even wait? You got yourself knocked up! Speak! Who is the father?"

The cup of sage wine I had been sipping slipped from my hand and shattered onto the floor with a loud crash.

My mother-in-law, Agnes Dodson, hurried in. When she saw Jasper gripping my neck tightly, her face went pale with shock.

"Jasper, don't touch her!" she cried. "She's carrying—"

Before she could finish, Jasper cut her off with a furious shout. "Isabella Slade, I'm asking you a question!"

My eardrums throbbed with pain from his booming voice. The anger in my heart flared and burned bright.

I wrenched my hand free. "You left for three years without a word! And you dumped the debt-ridden household on me and vanished completely! According to our laws, if a man is absent for a year without cause, the marriage may be dissolved. You and I are no longer husband and wife."

Jasper's face flushed scarlet with rage. Without another word, he dragged me toward the door.

"You slept with another man! How dare you still argue with me? Fine. I'll let the people see exactly what a harlot you are!" he growled.

My pregnancy made me weak, so I had no strength to resist him.

Agnes burst into tears and rushed forward to block him. "Jasper, listen to me. Let go of Isabella—"

Jasper flew into a greater rage and struck me hard across the face. A metallic taste instantly filled my mouth.

His enraged voice rang out beside my ear. "What have you done to hoodwink my mother? She's so old, yet you're forcing her to cover for you? I'll deal with you myself today!"

Agnes froze, too frightened to step forward again. She was afraid that defending me would only make him beat me harder. If I lost the child I was carrying, she didn't know how to answer for it.

I was dragged straight out of the manor gates, where a woman dressed in white stood waiting outside.

It was Pauline Simmons, the woman Jasper had never stopped pining after.

Three years ago, when Jasper left, she vanished as well. Now, it was all clear for me to see. They must have gone off to the border and spent time together like they were husband and wife.

Seeing my disheveled state, Pauline covered her mouth and laughed softly. "I never imagined you'd be so licentious. That works out nicely. I won't need to do anything at all."

Before I could speak, Jasper hauled me in front of the townsfolk who had gathered at the door due to the commotion.

He announced loudly, "Isabella, seeing as you contributed by managing the household for three years, I'll give you a choice. If you demote yourself to a mistress and give the position of the wife to Pauline, I'll let you continue living in the General's Manor. Otherwise…"

Jasper let out a cold laugh and drew his sword. "I'll kill you right here, you vile woman!"

Listening to his words, I felt nothing but bitter irony.

Before he left, he had promised that when he returned, he would help me seek justice for Mother with the military merits he earned in battle. That was why I had endured the ridicule of the entire Jeymirth and made use of my wedding gifts to keep the General's Manor afloat.

Even when tragedy befell Mother, Jasper had yet to return. Mother had ended up dead from the constant torment that Father's mistress, Margery Corbin, had inflicted on her.

It was no wonder he didn't kill me in my room earlier. He feared public reproach and wanted to force me to relinquish my position on my own.

The maids and townspeople murmured among themselves.

"I knew it. General Oakley never came home. How could his wife get pregnant?"

"Mrs. Oakley took such careful care of her. I thought…"

"Enough!"

Unable to stand it any longer, Agnes rushed forward. She helped me up and glared coldly at Pauline. "I know better than anyone whose child Isabella is carrying. The baby is not an illegitimate child."

Jasper stared at her in disbelief. "Mother, this wretch of a woman never came to find me at the borders. How could she possibly be carrying my child?"

Agnes answered firmly, "This child is legitimate. Anyone who dares say another word will be given military punishment!"

Pauline tugged at Jasper's sleeve and sobbed softly. "Jasper, Mrs. Oakley must have been deceived. What kind of mother-in-law would tolerate her daughter-in-law committing adultery?

"I've heard there are addictive drugs that can be used to control people. Mrs. Oakley looks far more haggard than before. Could it be that…"

Upon hearing that, Jasper's hands clenched into fists. He drew his sword again in a single motion.

"Isabella, you're courting death!" he roared.

I shot back, "Are you really clueless as to why Agnes looks so haggard? Do you really not know who's responsible, Jasper?"

Jasper had vanished for three whole years without a word. How could Agnes not worry about him?

Just as he was about to speak, Pauline suddenly shoved me hard and exclaimed, "You vile woman! How dare you try to smear Jasper's name and make it his fault?"

I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head, and my vision blurred instantly. The metal studs on the manor gate split my scalp open, leaving a thick trail of blood behind.

All strength drained from me. I collapsed to the ground as a heavy, sinking pain surged through my lower abdomen.

Agnes screamed, "Quick! Get the royal physician here!"

Several maids, old and young, moved to rush out of the manor. However, Jasper's men obstructed their path.

Seeing this, Agnes shouted in fury, "Are you going to ignore my words as well?"

Pauline sneered mercilessly, "The royal physicians serve the noble ladies in the palace. How could a shameless woman like Isabella ever be worthy of them?"

Jasper ordered coldly, "Guards, protect my mother. Do not let her be deceived by the wicked."

As his words fell, a soldier who was over eight feet tall seized Agnes.

She stared at Jasper in disbelief. "I am your mother!"

Agnes struggled several times. In response, the soldier twisted her arm back in one ruthless motion. She cried out in pain, but Jasper remained unmoved.

I clutched my stomach and struggled to my feet. "Have you lost your mind? If you don't want to die, let us go right now! You can't afford the consequences for harming the child I'm carrying!"

Jasper said nothing. He calmly drew the long whip from his waist. With a flick of his wrist, a sharp crack tore through the air.

A searing pain exploded across my knees. I crashed down to the ground. The freshly opened wounds sank into dust and mud. For a moment, I could feel the pain right in my bones.

Jasper raised his voice and said, "I cannot tolerate this woman's behavior. It's a disgrace to the General's Manor. As such, I must right the wrong by doling out the corresponding punishment. I gave you a chance, Isabella. Since you refuse to get rid of this bastard child, I'll do it with my own hands."

Ignoring the blood pouring from my knees, I scrambled backward, desperately hoping that I could escape.

"What are you trying to do?" I asked.

Jasper closed in on me step by step. "To carry out the whipping, of course. You committed adultery and poisoned your mother-in-law. Today, I'll whip you a hundred times in public as a warning to others!"

My breath caught as my eyes instinctively fell on the whip in his hand. That whip had followed Jasper onto the battlefield for years. No one knew how much blood it had already tasted.

If even one lash landed, I might not be able to survive it, let alone my baby!

Amid the crowd's cries of approval, Jasper swung the whip again. It came so fast that I could only shield my stomach and squeeze my eyes shut.

The pain didn't come.

I hesitantly looked up and saw that a shadow guard was standing in front of me with one hand clamped tightly around the whip.

"General Oakley, Ms. Slade is carrying a child of nobility. She is not someone you can strike. I ask that you stop."

It was the first time anyone had dared to defy Jasper so openly by stopping his blow midway.

Jasper narrowed his eyes and studied the guard. "Who are you? I am disciplining my wife. How does this concern you?"

The shadow guard replied in a composed and neutral tone, "If you wish to know the truth, perhaps we can move over—"

The next instant, Jasper let out a cold laugh and yanked the whip free. He lashed it toward the shadow guard at full force.

"I'd like to see who dares covet my woman!" he bellowed.

The guard failed to react in time. Half his face was flayed open in an instant. He collapsed to the ground and lay there, motionless.

Those with weaker nerves screamed almost simultaneously. Agnes fainted from fright and was immediately carried away to be put under strict supervision.

Now, there was absolutely no one left who could save me.

Upon realizing this, all the color drained from my face. When I looked at Jasper again, I saw in his eyes the strong intent to rob me of my life.

"Here I was, thinking you'd latched onto some powerful figure. So this is it? You betrayed me for a guard who can only stay in the shadows?" Jasper jeered.

At that point, I could no longer care about anything else. "This child is… It is…"

Before I could finish, the whip sliced through the air and struck my belly.

I curled up in agony, unable to make a sound. My belly burned as if it were on fire. Blood poured out endlessly, quickly staining the ground in front of the General's Manor red.

I reached out and grabbed the hem of Jasper's robe, begging, "Please… call a royal physician… my child…"

I had already cast everything else aside. All I wanted was for someone—anyone—to save my child.

Clutching my stomach with one hand, I vaguely remembered how he had still been moving inside me that very morning.

Now, I could feel his life slipping away at a very fast rate.

The next second, Jasper kicked my hand away without mercy. "It's too late to beg now."

Pauline stood beside him, looking down at me. "Jasper, even at a time like this, this vile woman still refuses to name her lover. She hasn't realized her mistake at all."

Jasper sneered. "A treacherous, shameless whore like you deserves to be drowned for your immoral ways. Today, you'll serve as a warning to the others. With you as an example, I'd like to see if any other woman dares to be unfaithful like you."

Two soldiers grabbed me from either side and hauled me up, tearing my wounds open even further.

I yelled, "Jasper, what are you trying to do? Let go of me! If you dare harm my child, you will regret it! You all will regret it!"

No one answered me.

Instead, they threw me onto the ground roughly and bound my hands to something hard. It wasn't until I heard the sound of hooves striking the ground right beside me that I realized that Jasper had tied me to a carriage.

"Jasper, let me go!" Panic warped my voice.

Jasper seemed pleased by the sight of my fear. "You dared betray me. This is only a public parade. What are you afraid of?"

Pauline looked at the luxurious silk clothes that were still clinging to my body. A flash of jealousy flitted across her eyes.

"Jasper, this harlot brought such disgrace upon you, yet she still has the nerve to wear clothes this expensive," she remarked indignantly.

As her words fell, Jasper drew his sword and flicked it twice. Its cold light sliced through the air.

Then, I felt a chill rush over me as my clothes slid from my body.

Gasps and obscene laughter broke free from the surrounding crowd. I tried to cover myself, but my hands were bound tight.

"Jasper, you'll regret doing this to me!" I shouted.

Shrill laughter echoed from all directions.

Jasper mounted his horse and said arrogantly, "There is no one in this world who can make me regret anything! Move!"

At his command, the horse surged forward, dragging the carriage at full speed. I was tied to it from behind. So, my entire back erupted in searing pain as it scraped against the ground from being dragged along.

The townsfolk lining the road cheered at the sight. Some even hurled stones at me.

I screamed despite myself, but my cries were swallowed by the rushing wind. Wounds tore open on my skin and got bigger as time passed. The bloody trail stretched from the General's Manor into the streets and alleys.

The pain in my belly had long since been replaced by numbness. I felt as if something was about to come out.

"No… Jasper, please stop…" I begged between sobs, my tears that were mixed with blood streaked across my entire face.

Jasper dragged me all the way from the General's Manor to the city gates, where a large crowd had already gathered to watch the spectacle. I was like a dead rat tied behind the carriage, with only the faintest breaths proving that I was still alive.

"My child…" I murmured.

Jasper dismounted his horse. Seeing my miserable state, he curved his lips into a satisfied smile.

He sneered, "This is the fate of those who betray me, Isabella. As for your bastard child, beg me properly, and perhaps I might spare him."

Hearing that, I no longer cared whether it was true or false. I begged again and again.

"Please, Jasper. I'm willing to be your slave or anything you want… Just spare my child! I'll do anything you ask!"

Jasper grabbed my hair and forced my head up. "Then repent in front of the people. Tell them exactly what sins you committed."

I murmured numbly, "I am a whore. I shouldn't have slept with another man. I disgraced the General's Manor. I am a sinner…"

Upon hearing this, Jasper was finally satisfied.

He laughed smugly and said, "Since you admit your wrongdoings, I'll spare your life. But this abomination absolutely cannot be kept alive. I'll send him to reunite with his father right now!"

The tip of his sword pointed at my swollen belly. There was no way of knowing whether my child was alive or dead.

I no longer had the strength to struggle as despair filled my eyes.

A flash of cold light passed before me, and I felt a sharp pain below my waist. At the same time, a piercing voice suddenly rang out.