"I think Jane is an idiot for going back to Rochester."
That surprises a laugh out of me. "Most people find the ending romantic."
"Most people are wrong. He lied to her. Kept his wife locked in the attic. Jane deserved better."
"She loved him."
"Love doesn't excuse abuse," she says sharply.
The words hang between us. Heavy with implications she probably doesn't even realize.
"No," I agree quietly. "It doesn't."
We're quiet for a moment. Eden is still tense, still watching me like I might lunge at her any second.
"I've been thinking," I say carefully, "about what you said. About the contract. About how it doesn't specify what our relationship should be."
Her grip tightens on the book. "And?"
"And you're right. I've been treating this like a transaction. Like I bought you and therefore you owe me... something. Companionship. Obedience. Whatever the contract says."
"You did buy me."
"I know. But that doesn't mean I own you. It just means—" I pause, searching for the right words. "It means you're here. And I'm here. And we need to figure out how to exist together."
"Exist together," she repeats flatly. "Is that what we're calling captivity now?"
"You're not my prisoner, Eden."
"I can't leave."
"No," I admit. "You can't. Not yet. But within these walls, within this property, you have freedom. You can go anywhere. Do anything. The only requirement is that you're here."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do I have to behere? You've barely spoken to me in four days. You don't seem to want anything from me except my presence at meals. So, why? Why spend two million dollars on someone you're just going to ignore?"
It's a fair question.
"I'm not ignoring you," I say.
"Then what are you doing?"
"Trying to figure out how to talk to you without making you more afraid than you already are."
That surprises her. I can see it in her eyes.
"I don't understand you," she says quietly.
"I don't understand myself right now either."
"You bought me."
"I know."
"You brought me here against my will."
