Poisoned by Love, Cured by Another Man

It was true that I was all that was left of the Campbell family when I married Evanna. But every single member of my family had died in battle, every one of them decorated with military merit.That war had been brutal beyond words. My father, brothers, and sisters—all of them had died on the battlefield, one after another, just to secure the five key cities under siege.If I hadn't been sent away to seek treatment, unaware the court would reassign the troops, I'd likely have died in that same campaign.On his deathbed, Father had begged the emperor to spare the Campbells a single surviving branch of their bloodline. So, the emperor had issued an imperial edict for Evanna and me to marry. I'd also been forbidden from returning to the front lines.I knew all too well the misery of war. In the years that followed, I devoted myself to managing the Johnson family for her. Relying on what remained of my family's fortune, I slowly revived the dying household, all so she could fight at the

I revealed the layers of darkness in Evanna's heart, one word at a time.Her gaze turned cold and sharp as she stared me down like I was an enemy on the battlefield. After a long pause, her voice came out hoarse. "Go ahead and try me."…After that last confrontation, Evanna didn't come home for several days. My father-in-law, Stuart Johnson, sent someone to summon me over for drinks.A few goblets in, he clapped me on the shoulder and said, "Benedict, having more people in the family is a blessing. I think Clay is a decent man. In the future, he'll be by Eva's side when she's away at war. He won't be here to compete with you."Everything in this household will still be yours. Take my advice. A man has to be generous if he wants to keep a woman's heart."The more I drank, the colder the chill the wine sent through me. I set my goblet down and stayed silent.Stuart wanted to continue persuading me, but I stopped the goblet he was practically pressing to my lips. I said, "Father,

Evanna was stunned.I smoothed my expression, returning to a calm, mild tone. "Since the Johnson household is no longer mine to manage, it's also no longer my place to beg for the pills."My parents once taught me that I had to cherish my wife if I wanted a peaceful home. But now, the Johnson estate was no longer my home, and Evanna wouldn't necessarily remain my wife for much longer."General Johnson, since Lord Campbell refuses to beg for the medicine, send one of the men from the army. The money for the pills can come out of my own reward and salary." Clay held Evanna's hand tightly. "It's only a matter of asking for some medicine. I can't bear to see you upset over this."Only asking for some medicine, huh? How nicely worded.Evanna looked at me, disappointment filling her eyes. "We've been married for three years, and you can't even compare to Clay."I found it laughable. There had never been much real affection between us. Everything I'd done up to now was more than I owed

Evanna had forgotten that my martial skills far surpassed hers. If I hadn't held back, she wouldn't have even brushed the hem of my robe. She stared at me in disbelief when she was kicked out of my tent."General Johnson, you're not going to accuse me of hitting a woman, are you?" I looked at her, my smile mocking. "There's no difference between men and women on the battlefield. There are only comrades in arms and the bond between friends."A flush crept over her face. The very words she'd once used to lecture me, I had now returned to her, unchanged.I'd spent far longer on the battlefield than she had, but she was the first person I'd ever met to have thrown away all sense of honor and shame so thoroughly."You came here just to get back at me, didn't you?" Evanna scrambled to her feet and glared at me. "All I did was divorce you, and you ran off with Princess Ophelia, ignoring all boundaries between men and women. I saw you flirting with her the other day!"Instead of staying i