Damned by My Memories

Calista Arden has tried to seduce her husband, Theodore Montclair, for the 999th time, only to fail in consummating her marriage with him as always.

Afterward, she calls her older brother, Elijah Arden. "I'm planning on getting a divorce, Elijah."

Elijah remains silent for three whole seconds over the line. Finally, he speaks up in a deep, gravelly tone, "I already told you before that it's impossible for you to drill through Theodore's stone-cold heart no matter how hard you try."

With reddened eyes, Calista can only chuckle quietly. "Yeah. I'm the overconfident fool here."

"Come to Nordland," Elijah says lightly. "There are plenty of hunks here who are as good-looking as Theodore. Since that idiot doesn't know how to cherish my amazing and adorable sister, he can just spend the rest of his life as a devoted man of religion who has no family of his own."

"Yeah, once I finish the paperwork," Calista Arden said softly.

After hanging up, Calista drew in a deep breath. As she passed the prayer room at the end of the hallway, a muffled groan drifted from inside.

The door stood ajar, and a thin strip of light spilled through the crack. Unable to stop herself, she peered inside.

Through the drifting incense haze, Theodore Montclair kneeled before the statue in a plain white robe, chest partly open, a rosary wrapped around his wrist. His body moved in faint, rhythmic motions over a doll lying beneath him.

The doll's features appeared vivid in the flickering candlelight—almond eyes, cherry lips, and a beauty mark beneath the left eye. It looked just like his adoptive sister, Aveline Montclair.

Calista bit down on her lower lip until she tasted blood. This was the third time she had stumbled upon this scene in secret.

The first time, she bolted from the room. The second, she stayed awake the entire night. But tonight, she felt nothing but numbness.

She found it absurd. Theodore did have desires and emotions. They just never had anything to do with her.

Leaning against the frigid wall, she suddenly remembered the first time she met Theodore.

She was 20 years old that year. Her brother, Elijah Arden, had taken her to a gala at a private club to introduce her to his best friend.

That day, Theodore wore a pale tailored suit adorned with a diamond pin and a rosary wrapped around his wrist. Amid a room full of decadent socialites, he sat with only a cup of tea before him, a stark contrast to the surrounding excess.

He kept his gaze lowered while brewing the black tea, his slender fingers gripping the pot as the water cascaded down. Through the rising steam, he lifted his eyes and looked at her.

In that instant, Calista's heart skipped several beats.

Noticing her dazed expression, Elijah tapped her forehead with a smile. "Forget it, Calista. You can fall for anyone, just not him. Among all the heirs in our circle, everyone indulges in vice except