***Completed*** Lady Jessamyn brought home a ten-year-old orphan when she was eight. He was handsome ^_~. She provided him with a place to stay and warm meals. As they grew up, she desired to marry him, despite their differing statuses. As war raged, he signed up for the military, promising to ask for her hand when he was worthy. Two years later, he became more than what he promised he would be. He became the Archduke of Ayberia. But he broke her heart by marrying her friend. Years rolled away; life happened. She married a man who loved her and fell madly in love with him. She didn't think of him again. But fate was cruel; she was widowed at the age of twenty-one. She lost everything. Seven years later, she met a mysterious wolf while she was out at work in the Archduke's fief. She had a fall. The next morning, she found herself on the Archduke's bed. Did fate bring them together again? Or something nefarious is at play? Is this a chance for a second love? Will she find out why he abandoned her in the past? Is it possible to rekindle their old love, or is it too late? ----- Join me in this journey. Your comments and votes are appreciated. Gift me to motivate me. Updates will be daily.
Jessamyn reached out, her fingers brushing against the rough yet strangely comforting surface of the tree. The bark, though weathered and gnarled, carried a warmth that belied its age.
As her fingers traced the intricate patterns, a sudden zip of shock sparked at the tip of her finger, startling her. The sensation sent a shiver up her spine.
For a fleeting moment, her vision blurred and then sharpened, and she saw the eyes of the woman in the tree open. They were luminous, ancient, and filled with a depth of emotion that spoke of eons past.
Jessamyn's heart raced, and she stumbled back, her breath hitching in her throat. The fleeting image vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving her in stunned silence.
"Did you see that?" she asked the wolf, her voice a whisper of awe and fear. She walked away from the tree, rubbing her finger that still tingled with a lingering pain, akin to frostbite.