Living Like a Mouse? How About a Lion?

A Line Drawn in Blood

The Duke's words hung in the air like a promise, heavy and impossible to ignore. I will make this right.

There was a time when those words might have meant something to me. Maybe I would have felt some sense of relief or hope. But after everything, after years of being treated like the unwanted stain on this family's pristine white curtains? I wasn't buying it. Not anymore.

Right. 

And pigs will fly next Tuesday.

I let out a slow breath, meeting his gaze with all the determination I had left. "There's only one thing you can do to make this right."

He blinked, clearly surprised that I hadn't just fallen to my knees in gratitude. But I wasn't about to play the obedient little doll they wanted me to be. Not now. Not ever again.

"Remove me from the family tree," I said.

You could've heard a pin drop. Even Reynold, who was still in the room, tensed at my words. Derrick's smug mask cracked just a little, and the Duke... Well, let's just say he looked like I'd slapped him across the face.

"What?" His voice was soft, disbelieving. "Penelope, you don't mean that."

Oh, I absolutely do.

"I do," I replied, my tone calm but unyielding. "You want to fix things? You want to make up for all the years of neglect? Then remove me. I don't belong here, and I never did."

There it was. The truth, laid bare between us. I didn't care how much it hurt him. This wasn't about his feelings. This was about me finally reclaiming my life, no matter what it cost.

The Duke's face twisted in disbelief, and for a second, I thought he might actually collapse. "No," he muttered, shaking his head as if that would somehow undo my words. "I can't do that."

Here we go. 

Cue the dramatic meltdown.

"I won't allow it," he continued, his voice rising with each word. "You're a part of this family, Penelope, whether you like it or not."

"Part of this family?" I scoffed, taking a step forward. "Since when? Was I part of this family when I was being starved and locked in my room? When I was beaten and humiliated, day after day?"

His face darkened, the guilt clear as day, but his stubbornness was even clearer. "I didn't know."

"Well, now you do." My voice was sharp, biting through the air. "So fix it. Do the one thing that will actually give me a chance at a life—a real life. Set me free."

The room seemed to close in on us as we stared at each other, the tension thick enough to choke on. Derrick and Reynold remained silent, but I could feel their eyes on us, watching, waiting for what would happen next.

"You are not leaving this family." The Duke's voice had turned cold, authoritative—the voice of a man used to getting what he wanted. "You belong here."

I almost laughed at the absurdity of it. Belong? In this house? With these people?

"No," I said, my voice low but firm. "I don't. And I'm not staying here a minute longer."

The Duke's face twisted in anger, his fists clenching at his sides. "You will not speak to me like that," he growled, stepping forward, his presence suddenly looming over me like a storm cloud.

Oh, now he's mad? 

Where was this energy when I was being treated like dirt?

"I'll speak to you however I damn well please," I shot back, unafraid. I was done being afraid. "You have no right to keep me here against my will. No right to force me to endure this life any longer."

His eyes burned with frustration, and I could see the battle raging inside him. He didn't want to lose me—his daughter—but he also didn't want to face the reality of what I was asking.

"I am your father," he said through gritted teeth. "I am responsible for you."

"You've never been responsible for me," I snapped. "You left me to rot in this house, ignored me while I was suffering. Don't pretend like you care now, just because the truth is finally staring you in the face."

For a moment, it looked like he might actually hit me. His hands twitched, and his eyes flared with fury. But he didn't. Instead, he spun on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him so hard that the walls shook.

I stood there, breathing heavily, my fists clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms. For a second, I almost felt bad for him. Almost.

Well, that went well.

The room fell silent again, the tension thick enough to suffocate. Reynold remained quiet, his expression unreadable as he stood by the door. Derrick, on the other hand, was visibly seething, though whether it was directed at me or the situation in general, I couldn't tell.

Honestly, who even cares at this point?

I let out a slow breath, feeling the weight of the conversation settle on my shoulders. I'd done it. I'd asked for what I wanted—for my freedom. But the Duke had made it clear that he wasn't going to give it to me. Not willingly.

That didn't mean I was going to give up, though. If anything, it only made me more determined.

Because if there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that I didn't belong in this house. Not with these people. And I would find a way out, even if I had to tear the family tree down myself.