Chapter 47: The Price of Freedom

The halls of Aldridge Manor had never felt so suffocating. The walls, adorned with the portraits of my ancestors, seemed to watch me with quiet condemnation, their eyes whispering of duty and tradition.

But I was done being a prisoner in a gilded cage.

Julian was waiting.

I stood before my mirror, running my fingers over the delicate embroidery of my gown—a symbol of the life I was meant to live but no longer wanted. My reflection stared back at me, a woman torn between two worlds.

"Once I walk out that door, there is no turning back."

A soft knock at my door startled me. I turned to find my mother standing there, her expression unreadable.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

I swallowed hard. “Yes.”

She inhaled sharply, her grip tightening on the doorknob. “Charlotte, do you understand what you’re doing?”

“I do.”