They were offered clemency, but maybe she didn’t believe it. A future chained up in a room with only her bonded keeping her alive—that was probably what she saw. I didn’t blame her for those fears. I was hurt but understanding when she disappeared. Angry when she was later discovered hiding out in some shithole, completing online classes rather than living in the comfort and luxury afforded to her new station once we completed the bond. But now, I was enraged.
