He never wanted her.

He hated her for the color of her skin, ashamed that the woman forced upon him did not fit the image of the beautiful wife he believed he deserved.

Their marriage was born from an old promise made by their grandparents—a promise he was forced to honor but never forgave.

To him, she was an obligation.

A burden.

A woman he believed was unworthy of standing beside him.

He refused to care about her dreams, her feelings, or the sacrifices she had made for their marriage. He hid her from his friends and kept her away from the glamorous world he believed was meant for someone better.

On their wedding night, his cruel words shattered what little hope she had left.

He called her a curse.

A harbinger of misery.

A darkness destined to bring suffering wherever she went.

She entered his life with nothing but her dignity and a heart foolish enough to hope that marriage might eventually become love.

Then everything changed.

After their marriage, his fortunes rose. Wealth, power, and success followed him—but he never once gave her credit for being the woman who stood beside him when he had nothing.

Instead, he continued to hide her.

Until the woman he was so ashamed of became the one person he could no longer live without.

But by then, the damage had already been done.

Because hatred can turn into obsession.

Cruelty can turn into regret.

And sometimes, the person you treated like a curse becomes the greatest blessing you were never worthy of.

**Will he earn the forgiveness of the woman he once destroyed, or will the darkness he created become the punishment he was born to endure?**