The next morning, Emily didn't dress for brunch or press. She wore jeans, boots, and a slate-grey coat—her version of armour.
She wasn't playing house anymore.
She found Alexander in the solarium, reviewing reports beside a cup of untouched espresso. Sunlight streaked across his sharp features, but the coldness in his eyes made it clear: he was already bracing for war.
"Clause 27," she said without preamble.
He didn't flinch. "So you read it."
"You lied to me," Emily said. "This isn't a marriage. It's a contract for control."
Alexander stood, tension radiating from him like heat. "It was meant to protect you. To ensure you'd be safe, even if—"
"Even if what?" she snapped. "Even if you disappeared? Died? Got taken out by one of your enemies?"
Silence.
She tossed the envelope onto the table. "You're preparing for your downfall, Alexander. And I was just a name on the insurance clause."
His jaw clenched, but then his expression softened—only slightly. "I never intended for you to get hurt."
"But you were willing to let it happen if it served the legacy," she said bitterly.
The air between them crackled—worse than the night she'd walked in on his secret meeting.
Emily turned to go, but Alexander's voice stopped her.
"You want out?" he asked. "Tell me, and I'll dissolve everything. You'll be safe, and free."
She turned back slowly. "I don't want out, Alexander."
His brows drew together. "Then what do you want?"
Her voice was clear. Unshaken.
"Power. Truth. A seat at the damn table."
He looked at her, long and hard.
Then—he nodded.
Not a gesture of dismissal.
A gesture of recognition.
---
Later that day, Miranda met Lucien at a secluded café, her expression unreadable behind dark sunglasses.
"She didn't leave," Lucien said. "I heard she confronted him."
Miranda stirred her tea. "She's staying. But not as the wife."
Lucien smiled faintly. "Then who is she now?"
"The same thing you used to be," Miranda said. "A weapon."
---
Back at the mansion, Emily stood in front of a mirror, staring into her own eyes.
She didn't recognize the woman in the reflection.
But she finally respected her.
---