Rejected by the Mate that wanted me

Snowflakes danced in the air like feathers, marking another deep winters day.

In a dilapidated courtyard, a woman lay on the ground, gazing upward with a smile.

The scars, like twisted snakes, adorned her once fair face. Her disabled legs and amputated hands were a testament to the brutality she had suffered, yet she had managed to crawl out of the house with great effort.

It had been three years since her husband ascended to the throne.

She wondered if she would survive this winter, choosing instead to come out for one last glimpse of the world.

People said that Natalie Yu was destined to be an empress, blessed with a life of endless honor and wealth.

She had believed it, too, especially after marrying into the royal family and witnessing her husband rise from a leisurely prince to the ruler of all.

Even knowing that she had employed every means necessary, using her medical expertise to poison those loyal to the former regime, coercing her own brother to assist, and persuading her grandfather to support him, thus earning a reputation for villainy, she still believed that her husband loved her.

But she never expected that his love was nothing more than a facade, a ploy to be discarded once she had outlived her usefulness.

"Bang!"

The vermilion-painted door, now faded, was pushed open to reveal a woman dressed in luxurious attire and a phoenix crown, surrounded by a retinue of palace maids. Upon seeing Natalie lying on the ground, a cold mocking smile played on her lips.

"Oh, sister, do you find the room too warm? Servants, strip the empress of her garments."

The maids swiftly lifted Natalie and bound her to a stake, stripping her of her clothes and casting them aside.

Her emaciated body, barely clothed against the biting winter wind, remained defiantly silent, maintaining an air of dignity.

Yvette Yus eyes flashed with bitter hatred; she detested Natalies superior demeanor, as if she were untouchable no matter the circumstances.

Today, she would shatter that facade. Yvettes eyes filled with malicious glee.

"You probably dont know yet, sister? The Hart family, the ones who supported you, are no more. The Emperor ordered your grandfathers broken body to be fed to the wild dogs near the execution ground. Your grandmother, even in death, is to be displayed at the city gates. Your female relatives from the Hart family are all to be sold into prostitution, to serve men with their bodies for the rest of their lives. And your uncles and brothers... burned so thoroughly, not a single bone remained."

The Hart family was Natalies maternal clan, her grandparents, uncles, brothers—her entire family.

Natalies expression finally changed. She had anticipated this day but still ached for her loved ones who had suffered such humiliation because of her.

She laughed bitterly, and the palace maids thought the former empress had gone mad.

But as she laughed, tears fell, "I was blind and foolish, unable to distinguish man from beast. I have no regrets, but my heart aches for my clan, so brutally humiliated by you heartless beasts. I cannot change the past, but I will not reveal a single word about the Medical Canon you forced me to give up. Do as you wish, and make it quick so that I might catch up with my grandfather and uncles on the road to the underworld."

Natalies words were powerful and clear. After speaking, she closed her eyes.

Yvette snatched a razor from a maids hand and began to carve into the emaciated body before her.

"Thud!"

A piece of bloody flesh fell to the ground. For three years, Yvette had found new ways to torment Natalie every day, turning her into this ghost of a person.

Pain had become as tasteless as food to her.

Yvette sneered, "Natalie Yu, do you still think you are the favored daughter of heaven, the divine doctor? You are but a dog. Hand it over, and I will let you die quickly!"

"His Majesty arrives——!"

Amidst the crowd, the Emperor of Western Cool strode in with an air of pride.

"Your Majesty, my sister still wont speak..."

Yvette nestled into his embrace, her face flushed with coyness.

"Thank you for your efforts, Waner." His gaze was tender, filled with affection for the woman in his arms.

Natalie opened her eyes, her look of fury chilling the emperor to the bone!

"Alex Huo."

Her voice was cracked and hoarse, cold and devoid of any warmth.

Like a sharp sword, it pierced the emperors heart, causing a flicker of panic to cross his face.

"Guards, execute this wretched woman. As the ruler of this land, I will find what I seek without wasting more time on her."

The Western Cool Emperor seemed impatient with the guards delay and snatched the razor from Yvettes hand, plunging it directly into the heart that had beaten for him for a decade.

Three years.

For the first time, she felt such relief, no longer haunted by guilt.

Natalie Yu finally let go of her beliefs, her dying gaze filled with an unfathomable hatred.

"Alex Huo, Yvette Yu, pray that there is no afterlife..."