Chloe’s pov
I pushed through the arched doorway into the parlor, but before I could make it three steps toward the grand staircase, Alma blocked my path.
Jill stood right beside her mother, her pale face flushed and her arms folded tight over her chest. Both of them looked at me with open desperation.
"Chloe, please stop," Alma begged, reaching out to catch my wrists. Her hands were trembling, her dark eyes swimming with tears. "You can't go up there. You can't leave this estate."
"Alma, let go," I said softly, trying to pull back without hurting her. "My trunks are already packed. The driver is waiting by the side gate."
"You don't understand what you're doing," Jill interjected, stepping closer, her voice tight with panic. "If you walk out that door right now, this whole manor is go
