I Traded My Voice For Legs, Then He Betrayed Me

I traded my most precious gift—my singing voice—for a pair of legs, becoming the merman wife of the paranoid Victor Cadwell. For thousands of years, I stood by his side, only to discover he had been raising another—a female mermaid by the Azurebrook River.

Every night, I watched them entwined in the river’s embrace, their passion laid bare beneath the moonlight.

“Ah... be gentle,” she whimpered, her voice trembling with both pain and want. “I’ve already wounded your heart with the Soul Ember Stone. I can’t take it so rough...”

Vic’s tone darkened, and his movements grew harsher. “You’ll endure it whether you can or not. If you dare harm her again, I’ll take back the Soul Ember Stone and make you wish for death over the hell I’ll unleash!”

The mermaid bit her lip, her breath hitching. “Like this? I’m so scared...”

Their gasps and moans echoed through the night, piercing me like shards of ice. For the man I once risked everything to save, I had forsaken the promise of eternal love.

I bided my time, waiting for the Gaze of the Frozen Veil to open. When it did, I would sever this bond and consign us to the six realms of reincarnation, never to meet again.

“Seraphina,” Vic’s voice rumbled in my memory, “never show your face to Elysia again, or I’ll cast you into the deepest pits of hell, where you’ll burn in eternal flames and be consumed by the inferno!”

I recalled the sting of his teeth as he bit my shoulder, his punishment burning deeper than his words. I had begged for mercy, tears streaming down my face, my voice trembling. “Lord Vic, I’ll obey... but will you spend more time with me?”

“You little seductress...” His voice disappeared into the shadows of the red tent.

Dazed, I stumbled back to my residence. As I opened the door, my maid Maxine Zane greeted me with unrestrained excitement.

“Girl, the Midnight Orchid has bloomed! It’s really blooming!”

I froze. The spiritual flower, Midnight Orchid, was a symbol of divine love, one Vic had sought to prove our bond was blessed by heaven and earth.

For three thousand years, he nurtured the flower with unwavering devotion, watering it daily. Now, as it finally bloomed, he held it gently in his hands, a triumphant smile lighting up his face—a sight that should have filled me with joy, but instead, it pierced my heart with a sorrow I couldn’t escape.

Seeing my despondent mood, Maxine quietly helped me bathe and change.

In the bronze mirror, my flawless figure bore a cruel contradiction—a large, terrible scar across my back. Maxine’s silent tears fell as she whispered, trembling with indignation.

“Who dared to hurt you, my lady? If Lord Victor finds them, he’ll surely make them pay!”

I gave her a bitter smile, shaking my head. “He won’t.”

I remembered the All Souls' Night vividly. I had been watching lanterns on Hallowood Lane when the sudden Hellfire engulfed me. The searing flames tore through my back, leaving me bloody and broken.

Victor Caldwell’s fury had been boundless. He slaughtered half the specters in the Underworld and, in desperation, cut his heart’s blood to save me. The pain of the Hellfire plagued him every night, robbing him of sleep. et he still knelt before the Crone of the East, casting aside his dignity."

“If you can give up the cold marble bed,” he pleaded, “I’ll pay any price!”

To ease my torment, he sacrificed half of his strength to subdue a serpent and acquire the luxury marble bed for me. When he appeared before me, scars littered his body, and my heart twisted painfully.

“Victor,” I whispered, unable to mask my distress, “is it truly worth it?”

He held my gaze, his kiss tender yet resolute. “For you, even death holds no regrets.”

Time passed, and one day, Victor entered my room carrying a bag of honey cakes. He wrapped me in his arms, his voice soft and soothing.

“I heard you were upset,” he said. “So, I brought you these from the human world. Have a taste...”

He held a piece to my lips, but the sight of the cakes dredged up a memory too painful to ignore. The river water had soaked a similar paper bag, discarded carelessly on the shore while he and Seraphina entwined in their forbidden passion.

My stomach churned, and I retched violently, tears spilling uncontrollably down my cheeks.

He patted my back, his expression darkening as he barked orders at the ghost messengers. “Why haven’t you caught the culprit yet? What use are you if you can’t protect her?”

The irony struck me like a blade. The "culprit" stood right before me, feigning concern with an act so convincing it would have fooled anyone—anyone but me.

In the underworld, I was defenseless. Victor had once promised to retrieve the Soul Ember Stone to protect me.

“It’s small and powerful,” he had said, “perfect for your self-defense.”

He’d left brimming with determination that day but returned crestfallen. “I’m sorry, Elysia,” he said, his tone filled with regret. “I was too late. The Soul Ember Stone had already been sold.”

The memory of his words cut deeper now, knowing the truth: the stone wasn’t lost. It had been given away—to her.