A Love Torn by Time novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1

After the death of his beloved, Vincent de Valois hated me for ten years.

No matter how I tried to please him, he would only sneer coldly, “If you truly wish to gain my favor, you might as well die.”

His words struck like a knife, but when the burning beams of the castle roof fell toward me, he threw himself into the flames to save me, sacrificing his

life.

As he lay in my arms before he passed, he mustered the last of his strength to gently push my hand away.

“Seraphina Sinclair, how I wish I had never met you in this life.”

At the funeral, Lady Valois was inconsolable.

“Vince, it’s my fault. I should never have forced you to marry her. If I had let you marry Guinevere as you wished, would things have turned out differently?”

Lord Valois glared at me with hate in his eyes.

“Vince saved your life three times, but all you’ve ever done is bring him misfortune. Why isn’t it you who died?”

Everyone regretted Vince marrying me–even I did.

In the end, I leaped from the Astral Keep and returned to ten years

ago.

This time, I vowed to sever all ties with Vince and make things right for everyone.

“Seraphins, you’re really something. You even made my parents threaten to disown me unless I married you. Did you truly believe wedding me would bring you happiness?”

The voice was low and cold, and as I slowly opened my eyes, I stared at him, dazed

There he stood before me, wearing a red tunle, youthful and rebellious. His manner and speech were entirely different from the man he would become in

ten years.

This was the Vincent of eighteen

I had truly returned to ten years ago.

Swallowing the ache in my chest, I drank in the sight

ot of him greedily.

“You don’t want to marry me because the one you truly want to marry is Guinevere, right?”

Vincent scoffed. “And what if it is? Will you step aside?”

I replied firmly, “Yes.”

My parents had died in battle, the kingdom was secure, and the king granted me the royal mariage decree. The decree bore no names, anyone I chose.

Likewise, I could petition the king for a marriage decree on behalf of anyone else.

He froze, then laughed in disbelief,

so I could

marry

“You used the King’s decree to force my hand. My parents are threatening to cut me off unless I wed you. Our marriage is already set in stone. What kind of ‘stepping aside‘ are you talking about?”

“Seraphina, Ive no patience for your games. Take the marriage decree to the palace yourself. I’ll wait here.”

With that, he turned and leaned against the palace wall.

The disgust in his eyes pierced my heart, as though I had been pricked by a sharp needle.

In both this life and the last, I had loved Vincent for years.

Twice, he had risked everything to save me, and I had mistaken his courage for affection. Overjoyed, I had begged the King for the marriage decree and

wed him

It was only after his beloved died that I realized his heart had always belonged to someone ehe..

My ten years of love had been nothing more than ten years of forment for him.