She lived in constant fear of what he might do or say. He was her husband by arranged marriage. Her father had married her to him because he was wealthy, ignoring the common knowledge that he was cruel and abusive. Her husband had whipped her over and over throughout their first year of marriage, just like he whipped any of the servants who crossed him. But now, he had offended the future king of the Land of Ronqabi. Jourit felt that she needed to intervene. The future king was so upset, rumor had it that he was out to kill. As Jourit prepared to leave, she wondered, what would happen next? Would the future king kill her too? Would her husband kill her if he found out where she’d gone? Instead, Jourit gets the surprise of her life.