"Julian and I will have a marriage in name only. Do you mind staying on as his mistress?"
I froze. I hadn't expected Elisa to be so casual about sharing her husband. The answer lodged in my throat—a jagged lump I could neither spit out nor swallow.
Julian caught her arm, his grip firm. "The Sterling family needs this alliance, and Elisa accepts the arrangement." His gaze flicked to me, cold and heavy. "Be sensible."
The warning was clear.
I lowered my eyes. My sockets felt dry and bruised, aching from tears I could no longer shed.
The path is laid out right in front of you, Bella Cox. What right do you have to be dissatisfied?
Being a well-paid canary was safer than being Mrs. Sterling—a title that came with an expiration date. I knew the logic. I knew the rules.
But I wasn't willing.
I couldn't stomach the thought of watching my lover belong to someone else while she enjoyed the respect and status I could never touch. A mistress and a wife lived in two different worlds. One word from the wife, and the mistress would have to cough up everything she'd ever been given.
While my mind waged war against my heart, Elisa's pleasant voice drifted from above. She patted my shoulder gently.
"It's okay. There's plenty of time. Think it over."
She turned and reached for a small bottle of pills on the table. Before she could open it, Julian intercepted her hand.
"You don't need to take that."
Astonishment flashed across Elisa's face. Before she could respond, Julian scooped her into his arms, shielding her from my view.
"I'll take her home first," he threw over his shoulder, his voice devoid of warmth. "We'll talk later."
He carried her out, leaving me alone in the silence.
It was just a small detail—stopping her from taking medicine—but his attitude stabbed harder than any insult.
I collapsed onto the floor, gasping like a fish thrown onto dry land.
For seven years, Julian had never once let me skip a dose.
There was one time I'd tried to refuse. He frowned, his pitch-black eyes filled with displeasure. "I don't want children yet. You know that. The family puts enough pressure on me as it is—a child would only be a weakness. Be a good girl."
Whether it was family pressure, his foul mood, or simply wanting to delay my cycle for his own convenience, he always had an excuse. He forced the pills on me, time after time.
I took them until my body broke. I took them until I could no longer carry a child.
But Elisa? She didn't even need to swallow a single pill.
The contrast was a physical pain—a sour ache spreading through my chest. I dug my nails into my palms until the urge to scream subsided.
My phone buzzed on the floor beside me. A message from Julian.
[Wash up and wait for me.]
I stared at the screen. Julian, a man with insatiable stamina, had actually held back with Elisa. Was he afraid of hurting her? Or was he coming back to coax me into submission again with his twisted logic?
I let out a hollow laugh. It seemed that in front of Julian, all my anger was expected to vanish the moment he touched me.
But a canary has no right to say no.
I dragged my exhausted body toward the bathroom. Steam filled the small space, blurring my vision and pulling me back into memories I'd tried to keep buried.
I was eighteen that year. We met at a club.
A clumsy waiter bumped into me, sending red wine splashing onto a bespoke suit. Within seconds, a group of wealthy heirs had cornered me against the wall.
"Is this the new way to seduce people? Bit outdated, isn't it?"
"Throwing herself at us and still pretending to be some pure little flower."
The insults poured over me, mixing with alcohol and cheap cologne. They trampled my dignity, tossing cash at my face before rough hands yanked at my collar.
"Had enough?"
The voice cut through the noise like a blade. Julian appeared, looking like a dark god descending into hell. His polished leather shoes stopped inches from mine.
"The Sterling family is blacklisting all of you. Permanently." His tone was bored but dangerous. "Men of such low character aren't worthy of doing business with me."
The crowd scattered. He reached out a hand, but instead of taking it, I looked up and rested my chin gently in his palm.
"Please," I whispered, desperate to escape my poverty and humiliation. "Cherish me."
He frowned, studying me.
I held up my resume, hands trembling. "I'm clean. If you need it, I can provide a physical examination report."
