Chapter 7: Confronting the Ghosts
Despite her growing peace, Elena knew she needed closure. She requested to meet Madam Sterling one last time—not out of malice, but to officially sever the ties that bound her past to her future.
They met at a quiet seaside cafe. Madam Sterling arrived alone, stripped of her lavish jewelry and black velvet gloves. Her posture was stooped, her eyes hollowed by stress and defeat.
""Are you here to gloat?"" the old woman asked bitterly, staring down at her black coffee.
""No,"" Elena said softly, placing a hand over her own scar, which had now faded into a fine line. ""I came to return something to you.""
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Elena placed a small velvet box on the table. Inside was the family heirloom necklace she had been forced to wear as a symbol of servitude.
""I spent my whole life wanting you to see me as human,"" Elena said. ""Now I realize the problem was never my worth. It was your inability to love.""
