The collar rests against my throat like a promise I never asked for, yet I cannot imagine the long nights of sorting the estate's papers without its steady weight reminding me that Roderick keeps me here. My fear of being left with nothing pulls me toward every command he gives, even as I tell myself it is only duty.

In the storage room where the ledgers are kept, he holds out the silk blindfold and lifts one brow. He waits for my answer every time. Every time I give him the same one, and the room narrows to the sound of his breath.

If the knot settles at the base of my skull, his voice will guide me through the dark with no way to see what comes next.