Bella's POV
My voice came out flat, drained of emotion—but I made sure the contempt in my eyes was crystal clear. Ivy caught every bit of it.
I was backing her into a corner: sever all ties with the duke's estate... or crawl back home.
The color bled from Ivy's face like water from a broken dam. She wobbled, looking ready to crumble.
She chomped down on her lip, fighting to stay upright, but tears broke free anyway—a steady stream she couldn't stop.
"What's the matter? Having trouble deciding?" I let out a soft laugh, but every word dripped with mockery.
I pressed on. "At the duke's estate, you're nobility. You've got money, status, and a shiny engagement to someone from the Thorne family all wrapped up for you. But here? What exactly are you?"
Ivy went white as bone. She bit her lip so hard I saw blood, her hands shaking like leaves.
