My family sold me to a monster to settle their debts.
The whole country knows the rumors. Nicholas Sterling is a hideous, reclusive beast who shuns the light, a man whose face was ruined in a fire and whose heart was twisted by cruelty. They say he buys beautiful things—especially women—just to break them.
I was delivered to his cliffside manor with nothing but the clothes on my back and a heart full of dread, a sacrificial lamb to keep my sister alive.
I expected a grotesque tyrant. I was not prepared for him.
A man with the face of a fallen angel and the presence of a king. His eyes aren't cruel; they're haunted by a grief so deep it steals my breath. His touch isn't violent; it’s a question that terrifies me even more.
He calls me his wife. He gives me the run of his castle. But he also watches me with an intensity that feels like possession. And the one rule he gives me is the most chilling of all: Never go into the west wing.
But in a house built on lies, how can I resist? The truth is waiting behind that door. And it’s more beautiful, and more terrible, than any beast.

Mrs. MacLeod fell ill on a Thursday afternoon.


I found her in the kitchen, slumped against the counter, her face pale and her hands trembling. She was trying to hide it, of course. She was always trying to hide things, always trying to be strong for everyone else.


"Mrs. MacLeod!" I rushed to her side, taking her arm. "What happened?"


"Nothing, Mrs. Sterling. I just felt a bit lightheaded. I'm fine."


"You're not fine." I guided her to a chair. "You're going to sit down, and I'm going to call the doctor."


"It's absolutely necessary." I pulled out my phone. "You've been working too hard. You never rest. You never take a break."


"You need a break." I called the doctor, my voice firm. "You're going to rest, and you're going to let us take care of you for once."


The doctor came and went, leaving instructions for rest and fluids.


Chapter 123 - The Guardian’s Past