I grabbed Wendy’s hand and asked, “What about Viola? Is she okay?”
“There’s been no word from the Louis Residence, so Ms. Viola should be fine,” she said.
Thank goodness...
I managed to drink some thin oatmeal. I had spent three days kneeling in that cold, abandoned house, followed by two days of unconsciousness—meaning I had only five days left.
The law states that if a woman is caught in an act of impurity—like having her face seen by a man—she must be dealt with within ten days.
Today, my father and Ronald still hadn’t returned.
In the dead of night, I dragged my heavy body out of the house through a doghole and made my way straight to Awakening Manor.
Awakening Manor was founded fifteen years ago by a woman who stood for equality and against the rigid social hierarchy. Her ideas sparked a wave of support among women.
But her radical beliefs caught the attention of the authorities, and they found an excuse to have her killed.
However, her death didn’t stop her ideas from spreading.
The remaining members quietly moved Awakening Manor to a new location and continued to secretly recruit like-minded women.
Viola and I were among them.