Ursula paused in the doorway, her handing tightening around the doorknob as she fought the urge to lose it completely. Whether she'd burst into tears or lose her temper she wasn't altogether certain. What he said didn't frighten her, as far as she'd been concerned those had been the stakes all along. She'd hoped he might grant her permission to take a lover without living in fear of discovery by him as well as society but there was probably nothing she could have done to talk him into that. Nothing had changed. He wouldn't love her and he wouldn't free her, he was going to hold on to her out of spite rather than out of want.

"So be it."

She closed the door behind her. This was almost the worst case scenario, the worst case being that he suspected her of further infidelity and retrospectively punished her for every dalliance since the first. This hadn't been unexpected. Damn him she'd do as she pleased nonetheless, did he honestly expect to catch her if he was never there? She could manage Elladora one way or another, she was far more reasonable than her brother and as devoted as she'd been recently Ursula doubted she'd be in a hurry to betray her to Phineas if she knew what he'd do.

One thing had changed for the better though - she'd never feel guilty betraying him ever again. In a way she had gained the smallest shred of freedom after all.

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