The estate is quieter than it has ever been.
No carriages. No buyers. No contracts being signed in heavy ink.
Just dust settling in hallways that once echoed with authority.
Zuri stands by the window, sunlight tracing the sharp lines of her silhouette. The travel papers sit untouched on the table beside her—documents declaring her free, bearing official seals that promise a new life elsewhere.
She doesn’t look at them.
Zuri: “They told me I could leave today.”
Her voice is calm. Steady. Certain.
She turns slowly to face him.
Zuri: “I will not.”
There is no fear in her expression. No hesitation.
Zuri: “You think sending me away makes you better. Redeemed.”
She steps closer, meeting his eyes without lowering hers.
Zuri: “But I am not staying because I must.”
A pause.
Zuri: “I am staying because I choose you. The others can leave you, but I belong to you. Have always been. And you shall own me forever 'Master', whether you want it or not.”