But what they didn't know was that a black Maybach was already idling beyond the estate gates, headlights dark, engine running.
This time, I was truly leaving.
——
Just as I stepped past the heavy iron doors of the compound, Dominic called out behind me.
"Seraphina. Leave the safety bracelet. Daniela's been having nightmares lately, and she needs it more than you do."
My body went stiff.
That bracelet was the only thing my parents left me. The last piece of the Rossetti name that hadn't been bartered away, sold off, or absorbed into someone else's empire.
As I faced him, Dominic saw the redness in my eyes but remained indifferent. He stood in the doorway with one hand in his pocket, the silver lighter turning slowly between the fingers of the other.
"Name your price," he said.
How much could nine years of groveling in a loveless, blood-bound marriage possibly be worth?
I didn't bother calculating.