Violet

Chapter II : Shattered Vows

After a few months of the same daily routine, Arthur began to realize that Violet was an obedient and calm person who did everything in her power to make him happy, never refusing him anything. But Arthur grew tired of this. Now, when he came home after work, he would start yelling at Violet if dinner wasn’t ready. She would apologize and try to calm him down, but the noise of the children playing only made him angrier, and he ended up hitting Violet. He stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him. No one understood what was happening to Arthur. Meanwhile, Violet tried to soothe the children, telling them that their father was under too much pressure at work and was giving all his energy to provide them with a decent life.After a few hours, Arthur returned home. The children were asleep, but he noticed a faint candlelight coming from the kitchen. When he went to check, he found Violet waiting for him, with two dishes set on the table—one in front of her, and the other across from her. Violet looked up and saw Arthur.“Violet: Oh, honey, you’re bac—”She froze when she saw his face, covered in blood and bruises around his eyes, and noticed that one of his hands wasn’t moving. Having worked as a nurse, she could easily recognize a broken hand. She rushed to find bandages and the supplies she needed and tended to him. Arthur was still angry and tired of her, but this time he didn’t push her away, as he was utterly exhausted. He gave in and passed out. Violet laid Arthur on the bed, resting his head on her chest, caring for him all night without closing her eyes. When he began to wake, he saw her beside him, crying and praying for him. After he fully awoke, she helped him eat. Once they finished, she gently tried to ask him about his injuries—how they happened and why. He started yelling again, telling her to mind her own business, but after she convinced him to talk, he saw how much she cared. He apologized, and as she patted his head, trying to understand what he was saying, he dropped the news that shattered her heart: he had cheated on her with Alexandra, the princess of the kingdom.Arthur was shocked by Violet’s reaction. He was prepared for her to cry and yell, but instead, she remained very calm. Violet, always so joyful and smiling, now had an expression he had never seen before—a frightening silence. She stood up and left the room without a word. Arthur, too tired to follow, eventually fell asleep again.The next morning, the house was eerily quiet. Arthur was used to waking up to the happy sounds of Violet playing with the children, but they were outside playing without her. He glanced into the kitchen and saw her preparing breakfast in silence. She served him a cup of tea and two slices of bread with honey. Just as Arthur was about to take his first bite, the children came running inside, shouting that seven guards were approaching the house. Arthur knew they were coming for him. The king had discovered his affair with his daughter and learned that she was pregnant, so he sent the guards to bring Arthur in for execution. Arthur jumped up to lock the door, but they broke it down. The guards seized Arthur. The children cried when they saw their father being taken away, and Violet, crying too, tried to stop the guards. But three of them held her back. She cried, holding her two little boys in her arms. When the guards released her to follow the others, she left the boys in the house and followed them.They brought Arthur to the place where executions were held in front of the entire village. The king ordered the guards to torture him, and Violet watched everything, confused and lost, not knowing what to do. After two hours, the king commanded the guards to take Arthur to the dungeon for execution. Hearing this, Violet ran to him. In his last moments, blood covering his body, taking his final breath, he looked at her with sadness and a pure smile and said, “You are still affectionate despite everything I’ve done. How stupid and selfish I was, searching for happiness when perfection was right in front of me all this time. I love you, Violet.”The guards took Arthur to the dungeon while two others escorted Violet back to her home.Days passed in tears, cries, and sorrow. Violet didn’t know what to do anymore. She had almost no money, so she stood up and made the decision she had to make...