Chapter 58

Harrison snapped his fingers in front of Claire's face, pulling her out of her thoughts. She flinched and pulled back instinctively, but he reached out and gently took her hand, leading her to a nearby bench. She didn't want to sit, but his touch was comforting, and she found herself yielding to his guidance.

"I know you're scared," he said, looking at her with a serious expression. "Scared that they'll see both of us and tag you as a whore. But don't worry, that's why I brought you here. This place is secluded, and I would never let them call you that."

Claire's heart sank at the word "whore." It was a term she had heard whispered behind her back before, a label that she had learned to accept as part of her existence in the household. But to hear it out in the open, from someone like Harrison, made it feel all the more real.

"It's the way people judge people here," Harrison continued, sensing her discomfort. "They don't understand that you're more than just a servant. You have dreams,