The evening air nipped at Eliana Bennett's skin as she walked down the cracked sidewalk toward home. Rafael Vexley's words still twisted in her chest, making every step feel heavy. Her old dress slippers scraped against the pavement, each scuff echoing the anger bubbling inside her. Bear me a child. In exchange, I'll give you a fortune. His cold voice replayed in her mind like a cruel joke, his steel-grey eyes flashing with arrogant certainty. Did he really think she could be bought so easily? That her struggles made her cheap? Her cheeks burned with the memory, and she clenched her fists so tight her nails dug into her palms. "Arrogant jerk," she muttered under her breath.