It was another sunny day in Miami and Rose had woken up early to seize the day. Not fully ready to commit to being a housewife, she wanted to do as much as she could with the freedom she had left. After exploring the resort they were staying in, she headed to the beach where Cal joined her. They settled up an umbrella and some towels in the sand and proceeded to lay down and enjoy the sun.

"So, do you enjoy traveling with my mom?" Rose questioned with a smirk, making Cal laugh

"What would you want me to answer?"

"I don't know, the truth"

"Well... at first my uncles were on board as well, so it was sort of a family trip... but now... i mean..." Rose laughed at his stutter "I mean I like your mom, don't get me wrong... it's just... I wish we could have a little more privacy" Rose continued laughing, stronger this time "Don't tell her I said that"

"Don't worry, you have my word"

"I mean, it's good because I can get to know her better, you know?"

"Cal, just... just stop"

"I'm sorry" He laughed as well

"No, it's perfectly fine. I don't precisely enjoy her company at every second of the day either... especially because she's a control freak"

"I can't wait for this trip to be over so we can have our own place, all to ourselves" he said as he squeezed his fiancée's thigh. "Are you wearing any sunscreen, sweetpea?"

"Ugh, I forgot" Rose complained

"Don't worry! I got it"

Cal retrieved the sunscreen from the bag, poured a generous amount in his hand and rubbed it all over Rose's thighs. In his head, he thought he was being pretty romantic, he gave himself permission to enjoy the moment. Rose turned around so he could work on her back as well.

Rose didn't have anything specifically on her mind, she was far more focused on her breathing and the refreshing way the breeze caressed her skin.

After maybe thirty minutes of silence, she asked Cal if he could take a few pictures of her, looking forward to capturing the moment she felt at peace in Miami. They went to the seashore right where the waves broke and had some fun, Rose constantly teasing him about getting his phone wet.

"They're good right?"

"They are, i'll have them edited and uploaded to your account"

"Thanks" Rose said, paying little attention to what he just said, she got distracted by a turtle that swam her way.

"We have to start planning the wedding sweet pea, don't you think?"

"What? Oh yes..."

"When do you want to start? I figured we could be as involved as we want with the process, since we have a good amount of free time on the cruise"

"We could go to the Verandah Cafe tomorrow... everyone is going to think that I'm pregnant"

"Why?"

"Nobody gets married at 18"

"Well, you could prove them wrong a few months after the wedding... although I don't think i'll be of much assistance" Cal said as he caressed Rose's backside and hips

"Cal... stop"

"There is no-one here" he whispered in her ear

"My mom could see us through the window" having swallowed that excuse, he stopped.

Eventually, they got back to the resort. Cal had disappeared to the room to shower and Rose, who had already used the outdoor showers, headed straight to the computer lab to check her e-mail. She clicked on the most recent one.

From: Adrian Scott

Subject: Miami pictures

Adrian sent Rose the edited photo he had sent to the marketing team for the article, as well as the ones he had taken of her and Jack messing around. She emailed a thank you in response and logged into her IG account in the computer so that she could send them to Jack. At first, she was going to pick the best ones, but she ended up sending all of them.

That afternoon, she and Molly had planned to have lunch together to enjoy a much-needed girl time. They decided on a Spanish Food Restaurant in South Beach; right now, they were delighting a couple of refreshers at a table under the large palm roof.

"It's kinda weird for me to relax with a friend you know? I'm used to be working all the time"

"Managing the theatre in Paris, right?"

"Well... my manager and her team are the ones who actually take care of it. I was talking about managing the associations" Molly explained as she took another sip of her glass "You see, we work with enterprises offering them workshops for their staff about gender equality and inclusion, as well as coaching for the leaders on how to achieve gender equality in their organization. We also make sure they have anti-racism policies and keep an eye on any cases that may occur. Once they reach out, we have everyone under our wing, if that makes sense"

"It makes perfect sense. That's amazing, Molly"

"Oh thank you darling, it's just my job"

"I wish I had a job like that..."

"What are you studying at college?"

"I... i'm not in college. Mother said that the purpose of a university is to find a suitable husband and I've already done it so..."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah"

"There's a good amount of community colleges and universities you can attend if she's not willing to pay..."

"It's not that... she... she wouldn't let me go"

"But you're almost an adult! Have you talked to her?"

"I have, a couple of times. But she always says the same thing... that my father left us nothing but a legacy of bad debts hidden by a good name, and that name is the only card we have to play. She'd rather have me focused on being a good wife to Caledon Hockley that distracted doing school..."

"Rose... I'm sorry if I'm the one who has to tell you this but... what your mother is doing is wrong. No-one has control over you." Upon hearing the last words, Rose's gaze fell to the ground, as if her center of gravity was controlled by her duty. "She's basically forcing you to a marriage you don't want, don't you think that's a little bit off?"

"But what can I do about it?" She responded with a knot of disappointment and sadness in her voice.

"We'll figure something out"

"Thank you Molly, but I see no way out. I'm between a rock and a hard place. If i don't do as she says, the Hockleys will ruin our family's business and have us blocked from every place possible. Mother has said this to me over and over again, in order to survive in this life you must have contacts. Without them i'm nobody"

"I'm so sorry Rose... truly. That's a good place to start, darling. Who are you?"

"Who am i?"

"Without Hockley, without social media, without your mother. Who are you?"

"I... I don't know"

"What do you like?"

"I don't know. Art?"

"What would you want to do for the rest of your life? Money and society aside"

"I would like to be an actress, or, or a producer! Anything involving creativity"

"I think I know the perfect job for you... well, it's a small project but, we can start by that"

Molly's speech was abruptly interrupted by a sobbing hug. She had nothing left to do but smile and hug her friend back. The future was clearly uncertain, but as long as they had each other, everything would be fine... at least that's how Rose felt. She was excited, her new life was about to begin. And the best part was, that it was HERS.

A little after sunset, she returned to the resort and eventually, to her room. An angry Cal waiting for her.

"What are those pictures of you and him?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Rose. The ones at the lighthouse"

She swallowed hard, quickly analyzing what to say next.

"Cal... I don't..."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Don't you dare lie to me Rose"

"I'm sorry Cal. Yes, I know what you're talking about. We were messing around and Adrian kept shooting. I'm sorry if that made you jealous, we didn't do anything more, i promise. He's my friend"

"Well, tell him to not get so carried away with you."

Cal spat as he shut the door behind him. Rose immediately grabbed her phone and pressed the call button.

"Adrian, what pictures did you send?"