#Chapter 30: Pick Your Battles Win the War

I stare at him in shock, my mind racing to comprehend his words. A public mistress. The humiliation, the degradation – it would be unbearable. "You can’t do this," I whisper, my voice trembling. "I can and I will," Sirius replies, his tone final. "You’ve left me no choice, Elise." He signals to the guards, and they pull me to my feet. I don’t resist as they lead me away, my mind numb with fear. They take me to a room where a bath has been prepared. Eventually, we arrived at a grand room, luxurious and imposing. Two women stand waiting, their expressions a mixture of concern and duty. Marta and Clara, handmaids directed by Sirius tend to me. “Elise!” Clara exclaims, her voice tinged with worry as she rushes forward. She whispers into my hair. “What has he done to you?” Marta, tall and statuesque with jet-black hair pulled into a severe bun, steps forward more cautiously, her eyes scanning me for injuries. “We were so worried,” she murmurs, her voice filled with relief and fea