Description：

She married Adrian Vale when he was a powerless prince with blood on his name and no future on the throne. Elena Ashford gave him loyalty, love, and the strength of her frontier family when no one else would stand beside him. He promised he would never fail her.

Then Adrian became emperor.

Now the man Elena chose above everything else fills the palace with women backed by powerful factions, while asking his empress to be graceful, obedient, and understanding—for the sake of heirs and stability. The flowers he once planted to ease her homesickness are torn out. The court that should honor her begins to watch her fall. And the only warmth left in Adrian's gaze seems meant for Vivienne Carrington, the spoiled beauty rising fast within the palace walls.

But humiliation is only the beginning. With her military family gone, her child lost, and a deadly poison slowly consuming her from within, Elena finds herself trapped in a golden cage built from politics, grief, and broken promises. As old loyalties crack and betrayal creeps into her own chambers, the empress everyone expects to endure in silence must choose what she will protect with the time she has left.

In a court where love has become a weapon, Elena's final move may be the one thing Adrian never saw coming.

Author Biography：

Ivy Morrison is a contemporary romance author known for emotionally rich stories of love, longing, and second chances.