Chapter 45: Forbidden Desires

The walls of Cavendish Manor felt like they were closing in.

The moment my father had uttered the words—"You will marry William Hastings"—something inside me had shattered.

I had known my future was not mine to shape. I had known, since I was a child, that my fate was a carefully woven thread in the grand tapestry of my family’s legacy. But knowing and accepting were two entirely different things.

I could not—would not—be trapped in a loveless marriage, shackled to a future I did not choose.

And there was only one person who could understand the fire burning inside me.

I ran through the streets of London, my cloak pulled tightly around me. The night air was cool, carrying the scent of rain and smoke, the hum of the city alive with distant laughter and drunken shouting. I knew where to find him.

Julian.

The mere thought of his name sent a shiver through me—one of both fear and desperate longing.