@kaarme
1) First chap is post affair chapter, It is what KR authors do to gauge interest in it. He is not dreaming of her "wife", He couldn't care less about her when she was his wife. He only gave a fuck the moment she said she will spread her legs for someone else and his ego was hurt. That chap is not the starting point but near middle of story. Also fated to divorce? Bullshit, He is the one forcing it on her, while she didnt wanted it.
2) No, it is rape. He did it without consent or care towards other part, Direct words - A husband who would only care for his satisfaction when he was aroused and would pull his trousers and leave the bedroom right after. - This is not sex, sex is done with consent and care about other party. Rape is done to satisfy own urges while forcing yourself on other party.
3) She was locked up in palace where she could not leave / ask anyone for HELP, or for basic necessities of living. She was co-erced, Mentally abused over divorce, losing her servants , dealing with starvation of herself and even for the maid. Not all abuse needs to be physical, mental is plenty. - All she had to was sign divorce paper? How easy you make it for a woman in 15-18th century, where the VALUE of women was nothing more than her virginity and fertility, to be divorced against her own will - Where she absolutely knew her life would be nothing but miserable hell and sold as slave moment it goes through. Yep, so easy for her to do. I wonder what country you live in, because in ours - divorce needs to filed and accepted by both parties after a third party intervenes and tries to make marriage works priorly with counseling and therapy.
4) He raped her again no matter how much you deny it, Marital sex does not automatically make it not rape. Ah yes, if she had only accepted a situation in where she was the VICTIM and would tarnish her reputation and honor to tatters without any protest. But she didnt? How dare she, let us just have her slowly die instead by not providing her living expenses or even food when she starves.
Fabulous life? Girl is powerless who was married to the bitchass as political tool, in constantly harassed , suffers hatred of duke because the bitchass can't actually stand up to people who do wrong, so he vents it out on a VICTIM. Sexually abuses her, coerces her into divorce by point of starvation. She literally described the marriage with her biggest regret and her life being of utter despair by marrying him.
Oh, the wealthy duke doesn't have balls to stand up for himself and needs helpless duchess to turn against her own family.
So stop having a flawed view of how non garbage duke is rofl.