He Left Me a Widow; I Became a Queen

"Gently, Connor... I can't take it anymore..."

The delicate moans from the next room, mixed with the rhythmic thud of a headboard against the wall, pierced through Odette Sinclair's ears.

She clenched her hands into fists, her nails digging into her palms until they ached.

But the pain was nothing compared to the agony in her heart.

A sharp, squeezing sensation stole her breath, making her feel as if she were suffocating.

Today was supposed to be the day she died.

Forty-nine days ago, at the Crestwell Manor, she had received the devastating news. The plane carrying her husband, Kaelen Crestwell, and his older brother, Connor Crestwell, had crashed. Connor had returned. Her Kaelen had not.

That night, Odette had cried until she fainted.

After the traditional mourning period ended, she had lost the will to live.

For over a month, she'd been hoarding sleeping pills, but the thought of dying alone in a house that no longer held Kaelen felt too lonely.

So, with the bottle of pills in hand, she had decided to go to his grave. But then she overheard a conversation in the garden between her mother-in-law, Ramona Crestwell, and the man she believed to be her brother-in-law.

"Kaelen, it's been over a month, and Melora still isn't showing. Could there be something wrong with her, too? She's just not trying hard enough! What are we going to do? Your first wife couldn't give us an heir, and now this. The Crestwell family must be cursed!"

In that moment, Odette nearly collapsed in the garden. She braced herself against a flowerbed, feeling as though she'd been struck by lightning, unable to move.

Her mind went blank. She pressed a hand to her lips, stifling the scream that threatened to erupt.

Her husband, Kaelen, wasn't dead.

It was his brother, Connor, who had died. She couldn't believe it. Was it because she had struggled to conceive during their marriage that the Crestwell family had resorted to such a despicable scheme?

She refused to believe it.

Based on what she knew of Kaelen, he would never do such a thing.

"Was it Ramona," she wondered, "desperate for an heir, who had pushed him into this?"

But Kaelen's next words shattered every last illusion Odette had.

"I took Melora to get checked. There's nothing wrong with her. It just takes time to get pregnant. I'm doing my best."

Doing his best? He was certainly working hard at it. For over a month, he had barely rested a single night.

At first, Odette had thought it was just a husband and wife finding solace in each other after a tragedy.

Now, it was just... disgusting.

Kaelen continued, "Mom, please don't talk like this at the manor again. What if Melora hears you? She couldn't handle it. She's so fragile and timid. If she knew Connor was really gone, she might not be able to go on living."

So, he wasn't being forced.

It turned out he was doing this because he cared about Melora himself.

Odette slumped against the flowerbed, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. Melora might not be able to live if she knew her husband was dead, but what about her?

What a fragile, timid soul.

What a tragedy it would be if she couldn't go on.

And this was the man she had lived with for over a thousand days.

The thought that she had been on her way to his grave to join him made her want to slap herself.

She had been worried about him being cold and alone in the ground, while he was worried his sister-in-law couldn't handle the news of her husband's death. He was willing to abandon his own wife to become a surrogate for his dead brother.

Tears streamed silently down Odette's face as she clutched the bottle of pills. The memories of her happy life with Kaelen flashed through her mind like a slideshow.

And now, Kaelen himself had just switched off the projector, bringing everything to an abrupt end.

Odette quietly returned to the home she had once shared with Kaelen.

On the nightstand sat a photo from their honeymoon. The woman in the picture smiled so sweetly, a stark contrast to the bitter tears streaming down her face now.

For the past month, she had clutched that frame every night just to fall asleep.

How pathetic.

How utterly pathetic.

Odette smashed the photo frame, and with it, the six years of love and three years of marriage she had shared with Kaelen Crestwell.

Soon after, the phone rang. It was her family.

Ever since the crash, her mother, Amelia Sinclair, had called every night to comfort her, afraid she would be too heartbroken to go on.

Tonight was no different, though Amelia sounded hesitant.

"Mom, whatever it is, just say it. There's no need for secrets between us," Odette asked.

With her daughter's encouragement, Amelia spoke plainly.

"Odette, I know it hasn't been long since Kaelen passed, and I'm afraid this might upset you, but people have to move on. The Blackwood family came to visit today. They said they want to honor the promise from all those years ago."

The Sinclair and Blackwood families had arranged a marriage for their children long ago.

But the Sinclairs had fallen on hard times and couldn't possibly match the Blackwoods' status. After Odette fell in love with Kaelen, her family had tactfully stopped mentioning the engagement.

Amelia continued, "Look... I know you're not ready, and I'm not going to force you..."

Before her mother could finish, Odette cut her off. "Mom, I'll do it."

Amelia was ecstatic, asking again just to be sure she hadn't misheard. "Are you serious, Etta?"

Odette glanced at the shattered photo frame on the floor, her expression hardening. "Kaelen is dead, but I have to live."

Yes. In her heart, Kaelen was well and truly dead.

Her words brought immense relief to Amelia.

Until today, Odette's attitude had been that with Kaelen gone, there was no point in living.

Amelia's voice trembled with emotion. "That's right. Those who are still alive must live well!"

Late that night, the sounds of moaning and the rhythmic banging grew more audacious.

It was like a dull knife twisting in Odette's heart, each turn merciless.

She didn't fall asleep until late, and just as dawn was breaking, the sound of an ambulance siren echoed through the Crestwell Manor.

Odette opened her bedroom door to see Kaelen, his face etched with anxiety, carrying Melora as he rushed downstairs.

He didn't even spare her a glance.

In all the years she had known him, Odette had never seen Kaelen so frantic. He was always so calm and composed.

Downstairs, the maids were gossiping.

"Madam Melora woke up saying she felt nauseous. Master Connor got so worked up he called an ambulance right away to get her checked out."

Another maid giggled quietly. "I heard the noise from the servants' quarters downstairs last night. After more than a month of that, it would be strange if she wasn't pregnant."

Odette stood on the spiral staircase, her fingers digging into the expensive wood, leaving faint scratches behind.

The call from the hospital came quickly.

They asked for her by name.

Odette felt sick at the thought of going, but Ramona used a mix of coercion and moral blackmail. "Odette, even though Kaelen is gone, you are still a part of this family. The Crestwell family has few heirs, and our future is precarious. This child is a treasure, and it didn't come easily."

Ramona sighed dramatically. "Dr. Croft is famous for saving pregnancies, but he won't see us, no matter how much money we offer. Your Sinclair family is well-connected in the medical world. Surely you have some connections there?"

When Odette remained silent, Ramona pressed on. "Odette, our family has been good to you, and to the Sinclairs. Back when..."

Seeing that her mother-in-law was about to bring up the past favors again, Odette raised a hand. "I'll go."

It was true that the Crestwell family had helped the Sinclairs financially in the past, but the Sinclairs were not the type to take without giving back. They had repaid every favor.

Still, if Ramona was going to bring it up, Odette didn't want to lose the moral high ground.

When Odette arrived at the hospital, Kaelen was frantically trying to pull strings.

But this was Aethelgard's top private hospital, and Julian Croft was the best gynecologist in the city. Money alone couldn't secure his services.

Seeing Odette, Kaelen rushed over and grabbed her hand, his grip so tight it made her wrist ache.

"Odette! You're finally here! Melora's pregnancy is unstable, and the doctors are saying it will be difficult to save. Your family is acquainted with Dr. Croft, right?"

Odette looked down at her reddened wrist, a bitter smile playing on her lips.

She was sensitive to pain, and Kaelen knew it.

Her pain tolerance was extremely low; sometimes even a light pat would hurt.

In the past, whenever Kaelen held her hand, he was always so careful.

But now, for the sake of Melora's baby, he was so distraught that he hadn't even noticed he was hurting her.

Odette raised her eyes, her gaze clear and cold with understanding. "Connor, you're being unusually familiar. You've never grabbed my hand like this before."

It was absurd, really. Kaelen's impersonation of Connor was full of flaws, but she had been so blinded by love that she had convinced herself her husband could never do something so outrageous. Until last night, she had never suspected a thing.

Kaelen's expression was unnatural. He paused, then, as if realizing Odette couldn't possibly know the truth, his face relaxed.

"Melora is lying in that hospital bed. I'm just so worried, I wasn't thinking."

Odette gave a cold smile. "Oh? Worried? If you were so worried, you should have been gentler. Didn't Melora ask you to be gentler last night?"