Isolde spent the day in a shaded salon with a small group of allies: Elara, Bri, Lira, Cat, and both Lulus. They sat around a low table and spoke in quiet voices. She laid out the ritual clearly.
"Voluntary Offering Night," she said. "Each woman offers one act of intimacy or truth to whoever she chooses—Aiden, another woman, her husband, or even herself. Everything must be spoken aloud using reclaimed names. No one is forced, but everything is seen."
Cat nodded. "It sounds like freedom."
"It is," Isolde replied. "But it stays under his eye. We choose what we give. He watches how we choose."
Elara leaned forward. "Husbands serve or witness?"
"Yes. If a wife wants her husband to watch while she offers something to Aiden, she says so herself. The choice is hers."
Bri's jaw tightened. "It will hurt them more because it's voluntary."
"That's the point," Isolde said. "They need to see us decide."
