"It won't interfere. I'll double my pace here. You won't even know I'm gone." I hastily chirped in.
Look at me, Gideon. See the desperate, broken girl who just wants to earn a few scraps. I kept my eyes lowered, feigning a tremor in my hands.
Gideon looked between his mistress and his wife, his ego clearly flattered by Marisol's fawning. He let out a long sigh, tapping his fingers on the table.
"Fine. You have my permission. But if I see one photo of you in the tabloids—one single mention of the Goldbane name—I will lock you in the cellar and throw away the key. Am I clear?"
"Perfectly," I whispered.
I turned and walked away before the triumph could show on my face. The gate was open. I had my exit.
.
I retreated to my room, the silence of the small space feeling like a sanctuary for the first time in months. I sank onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as the echoes of Marisol's mocking laughter and Gideon's dismissive sigh played on a loop in my head.
