Dropping onto the cold marble floor instead of the embroidered armchair or soft bedding, Easther leaned against the wall with her knees loosely drawn up. The cold seeped into her skin, but she welcomed it—it was grounding, real.
The thing she had fought desperately for so long, putting her life on the line countless times, was finally within her grasp. Freedom.
The invisible chains, the suffocating restrictions, the cruel hand of her so-called Master—she had finally torn herself from them.
Now, she could breathe. Now, she could live.
There were many ordinary, mundane things she wanted to experience—things others took for granted. For once, she wanted to live without bloodshed pressing against her throat. And though she would never admit it aloud, she had already decided: the Lee family
