Chapter 92:The Choice

The door to Eleanor’s study clicked shut behind Olivia, sealing her in the shadows of a life she’d never imagined for herself. Eleanor’s approval felt like ice in her veins, and yet, it was all she’d ever wanted. She could still feel her grandmother’s gaze piercing through her, measuring her worth, even though she was no longer in the room. Each step Olivia took away from that cold chamber seemed to echo with the weight of her decision. As she walked down the corridor, her resolve wavered slightly. She could still turn back, couldn’t she? She could beg Eleanor for forgiveness, admit that she wasn’t cut out for this life. But she quickly pushed those thoughts aside. Weakness had no place in the Hastings family. Eleanor had made that clear from the start. Vargas trailed behind Olivia silently, his presence a constant reminder that she was never truly alone, never truly free. He had always been Eleanor’s right hand, and Olivia wondered how much he had seen, how many others had walked th