The Duke's Revenge Bride

Chapter 2

I sat in the cold, dim cell, my mind a whirlwind of disbelief and anger as I waited for my fate to be decided. The accusations hung over me like a heavy weight, each passing minute amplifying my helplessness. I replayed the events in my mind, hoping to find some explanation, something that could make sense of this nightmare. How could it have come to this?

The sound of footsteps echoed through the stone corridor, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked up, my heart sinking as I saw Amelia walking toward me, a triumphant smile tugging at her lips. She stopped just outside the cell, her eyes glinting with a malicious satisfaction.

I rose slowly, the cold iron bars separating us, but my voice was steady as I spoke. "Amelia, I didn't try to kill you," I said, searching her face for any hint of remorse, any sign that this was some horrible misunderstanding. "You know I would never do that."

Her smile only widened, a twisted mockery of innocence. "Oh, I know, (Y/N)," she replied, her tone as sweet as poison. "Of course, I know. Because I'm the one who did it."

Her words cut through me like a blade, leaving me momentarily speechless. My chest tightened as the realization sank in—she had set this up, orchestrated every piece of it to make me the villain. I struggled to keep my voice steady, anger and disbelief searing through me. "You... you framed me?"

She tilted her head, feigning sympathy, though her eyes held only cold satisfaction. "Did you really think I would stand by and watch you live such a charmed life?" she scoffed, crossing her arms. "The perfect, happy wife of an Earl, respected, loved, admired... while I had nothing? You took everything that should have been mine, (Y/N). I couldn't just sit and watch you get it all."

"You were my sister," I whispered, feeling the betrayal deepen with every word she spoke. "I trusted you. I would have shared anything with you... why this? Why ruin everything?"

Amelia's gaze hardened, any pretense of sisterly affection fading. "Because I didn't want to share," she said, her voice venomous. "I wanted everything. I wanted the title, the respect, the fortune. Being the Earl's mistress was never going to be enough for me. I needed more. And if that meant getting rid of you... then so be it."

She leaned closer to the bars, her voice lowering to a cruel whisper. "So yes, I poisoned myself. Just enough to look weak, to make people wonder why you would want me out of the picture. It wasn't difficult to make everyone see what I wanted them to see—a jealous, desperate wife willing to do anything to hold on to her husband."

The weight of her words pressed down on me, each sentence driving the betrayal deeper into my heart. "All of this... because you were jealous?" I asked, feeling anger boiling beneath my shock. "Because you wanted my life, my title, my work? You would ruin me for that?"

She shrugged, a small, indifferent smile curving her lips. "Why not? You had everything. And I realized that once I had the Earl, there was nothing stopping me from having everything else as well—including his company. Soon, it'll all be mine."

I gripped the bars, fighting the urge to scream. "You'll regret this, Amelia," I whispered, each word laced with a promise. "This isn't over."

Amelia simply laughed, her eyes gleaming with a victorious malice. "Goodbye, dear sister," she said, her voice dripping with mockery. "Enjoy what's left of your life. If they're merciful, perhaps it won't be much longer."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, her laughter echoing through the empty hall, leaving me alone in the darkness of my cell. The ache of betrayal threatened to consume me, but as her footsteps faded, I clenched my fists, letting the anger replace the pain. If I ever found a way out of this, I would make her pay for every lie, every betrayal, every ounce of pain she had inflicted.

The cold metal of the shackles bit into my wrists as the guards led me from the cell. My heart pounded, my mind reeling as I was escorted through the castle courtyard and toward the square, where a crowd had gathered. Their faces twisted in anger and disgust as they watched me, hurling insults, jeers, and curses my way. I kept my head high, refusing to let them see my fear. If this was to be the end, I would meet it with my dignity intact.

As we reached the stage, I saw them—Amelia and Asher, standing together at the edge of the platform. Amelia's eyes met mine, her lips pulling into a soft, victorious smile as she clung to Asher's arm. She was dressed in the finest gown, her makeup perfectly applied to make her look fragile, vulnerable. Fake tears glistened on her cheeks, and she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief as if mourning the fate of her "poor, troubled sister."

The crowd's booing grew louder as I stepped onto the platform, the air thick with judgment and hatred. I could feel their eyes on me, accusing me, damning me. But all I could see was Amelia's face, the satisfaction in her eyes as she watched me walk toward my supposed doom. Asher looked down at me with cold indifference, as if I were nothing more than a stranger, a blight to be erased.

The guards forced me to kneel, pressing my head against the unforgiving wood of the guillotine. I could feel the chill of the metal against my neck, sharp and biting, and for a moment, a pang of fear struck my heart. Was this really how it would end? Betrayed, disgraced, with no justice for what they'd done to me?

But as the crowd's shouts drowned out my thoughts, a single, burning resolve rose above the fear, filling me with a clarity I hadn't felt before. I didn't care how hopeless it seemed or how many people had turned against me. If there was any chance—any possibility of escape or of redemption—I would take it. And if I were given a second chance, I would make sure that this betrayal was avenged. They would pay for this injustice, every last one of them.

With my head held against the guillotine, I closed my eyes and whispered softly, so only the wind could hear, "If I had the chance to start over, I would make them suffer. I would see them fall, just as they brought me to ruin."

The executioner raised the blade, the crowd holding its breath in anticipation. I could feel the weight of fate pressing down on me, and for one last moment, I let go of everything but that promise, letting it burn within me as my final, unbreakable vow.

As the world fell silent, a strange calm washed over me, a sense that this wasn't the end—somehow, I would find my way back. And when I did, I would make sure they regretted every choice they had made.