Chapter 1: Ex Husband
"She killed her husband," one of the elders on the council said coldly.
At the center of the chamber, a young woman sat with her head bowed. Golden-blonde hair fell over her face, hiding her expression. Her hands were clenched into fists, pressing into the fabric of her white gown as her almond-hazel eyes stared at the floor.
She sat silently before the council—men and women all above the age of thirty-five, believed to be wiser and more experienced in handling such delicate matters.
They were discussing the death of her husband—or now ex—Mr. Frederick.
Another elder spoke up. "So, what are we going to do about the burial? He wasn’t even from a wealthy home, and they’re struggling financially. They haven’t even paid off the debt from their church wedding."
Ariana’s lips quivered as she sat motionless. Her heart pounded, her breath uneven. She tried desperately to maintain her composure.
’How long could she hold it in the pain the embarrassment?’
Her husband had died on the day of their wedding.
It was a tragic event—he had gone to a nearby store to get her flowers, a simple act of love, and never returned. The accident had shocked everyone. But the weight of the truth pressing on Ariana’s chest was even heavier.
That evening, when he left, she had been planning to confess something to him—that she was pregnant with another man’s...child.
Ariana also lived with a condition that made her voice a fragile thing, the village physician had warned her she carried a rare condition that made speaking nearly impossible. The most she could manage was a faint whisper, but even that felt like being strangled from the inside. Her throat would close up, tighten, and threaten to steal what breath she had left.