A wealthy heiress discovers that the people closest to her have made room in their lives for another woman—but not for her. Cast aside and forced to beg, she decides she is done pleading and sets out to reclaim what is rightfully hers.
One look and my eyes went hot. I bent to pick it up. The Carters, the two of them together. The only thing I'd brought with me to Belmont Harbor.
We had nothing back home, but they were good to me. They gave me the best of whatever meat there was. They went without so I could stay in school. Girls in Ridgeview married young.
young. At 18, the matchmaker came for me. The way she came for every girl in town. sent her off the porch and said their daughter was born for better things and wasn't marrying at 18. If they could see me now, slinking back with my tail between my legs, they'd be up there, pacing, frantic over me. I wiped my eyes and put the photograph in the suitcase.
There was a hundred and some thousand left on the card. All of it money Julian had in me. I went through the bags and jewelry in the case. I'd sell them before I left. That would be another $100,000 or so, so the trip to Belmont Harbor hadn't been a total loss. That is what I told myself as I wheeled the suitcase out of the place I'd lived for three years. I'd barely gotten
to the shopping center when I walked straight into Julian. He had bags in both hands, out with Vivienne. Our eyes met and he came over fast. Why do you have a suitcase? Were you to leave on your own? I told you to wait. I'm here to sell the bags and the jewelry. What? Where did you get money for bags? That was all it took. Vivienne went off.
She looked at Julian, then lunged at me like something snapping and tore the suitcase away.