Page 5

I had six months to find a way out of a gilded prison.

Present Day

The snug dressdug into my ribs, making every breath a struggle. That was the point, I guessed. I’d been bought for my appearance—and the wealth my father would bestow on my “doting” husband as soon as the paperwork was signed.

Who needed to breathe when my sole role in life wasto marry a man I barely knew and deliver his children? I didn't want to think too hard about what that entailed.

My reflection in the vanity mirror looked odd. Painted lips, black-lined eyes, skin covered with a fake tan and equally fake blush to make me look perfect. Or like a doll. A body that would be displayed rather than lived in.

The women my father hired bustled around me, adjusting, pinning, smoothing my dress as if I wasn’t even inside it. I didn't have any real bridesmaids. Growing up, I hadn't been allowed to have many friends, so who would I ask? These had been hired, which, I supposed, made them a bit like me. They were hired to give me the shine my father and Bradley demanded, like I had been hired to say I do.

I didn't want to say yes, though. But I feared announcing that at the altar would not go well, particularly for me.

Their voices blurred together, but I caught the words radiant and perfect and incredibly lucky more than once, and maybe they'd been paid to say that too. Not once had they asked if I wanted this. Why would they? Bradley was attractive enough. Exceedingly wealthy. Most people wouldn't see beyond that.

“Almost finished,” one of them chirped, giving the bow on the back of my gown a final touch. “You're going to be so happy, dear. He's a fine match.”

A fine match. That’s what my father had said. That’s what they all believed. Because wealth solved everything, right?

The bracelet on my wrist felt hot, pressing into my skin. I’d worn it for months, ever since I methim, a reminder of the day everything shifted. Two months, and I still felt the memory of his touch. An orc working in this town, and I didn’t even know his name.

“Elizabeth?” Another woman cleared her throat. “You’re not listening.”

“Because my name is Beth.”

They blinked as one before nodding.

I lifted my chin, my polite mask remaining in place. “I need to use the restroom.”

They exchanged glances, and one sighed, flicking her hand toward the door in the back of the cozy room. “Don’t take too long.”

The moment I stepped into the bathroom, the pressure of the walls surrounding me eased. Only here could I be myself, assuming there was a me buried inside the façade I'd perfected before I turned six. The window on the back wall barely let in light, but it was enough that I didn't need to flick the switch. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see my painted mask again anyway.

I twisted my bracelet, over and over again until a feeling of calm settled over my bones. I wasn’t sure why I continued to wear it, but I refused to take it off.

Grabbing the small bag I'd left here earlier, I released my first true smile of the day.Just a few things, dear,I'd told Bradley when he asked why I needed a bag.Nothing for you to be concerned about.

Money. I hadn't mentioned that, though there wasn'tmuch, just the few hundred I'd managed to siphon off my father over the past three years.

A pretty nightie. That hurt to say to Bradley.

Comfortable, though appropriate, shoes.

Thankfully, he hadn’t checked.

In reality, I'd stuffed in two pairs of yoga pants and three t-shirts, plus normal underwear. Identification, and a credit card with a too-low limit, though I doubt I'd be able to use it. My flip flops. I'd worn them to the barn earlier despite his scowl of disapproval, feeling a wild thrill inside me while I did it. A small rebellion on my part, but a real one all the same.

With the bag looped over my shoulder, I steeled myself. Then I carefully lifted the window with both hands.

No thinking. Just move.

The sill dug into my belly as I hoisted myself over. My dress caught, and for a wild second, I thought I was trapped, stuck half-in and half-out of the frame. But with a rip, the fabric tore, and I tumbled outside.

The packed dirt along the side of the barn slammed into my chest, and I rolled onto my back. For one amazing moment, I lay there, staring up at the endless sky.

My laugh burst out, a short, breathless thing that came more from shock than anything else.

I did it.